Do any of you work with children that have been diagnosed with ADD? I think the girl that I tutor is ADD. What tips can you give me that will help me aid her in becoming a better student? She is 12 years old and in a private all girl school. TIA!
prncssrachel
Posted:
Member since
Re: Teachers, I need help.....
Well, I work with children with ADHD now who are in a private school setting, but I also worked in a school last year where almost every class had at least half the kids with ADD or ADHD. My suggestion is that if you really believe this girl has ADD then suggest to her parents to have her evaluated. What is leading you to believe she is ADD? There are a ton of ways that it can show itself. The more I know about this girl, the more I can help you. FM me if you'd like.
WeddingsRock
Posted:
Member since
Re: Teachers, I need help.....
Well, I am also a teacher, but I must admit that I work with G&T kids so I haven't been exposed to much of this. The child has a minimal attention span (maybe 8 minutes at the most) She is very fidgety, and has a difficult time concentrating during reading. Because of these issues she is having great difficulty keeping up with her classmates. She is a bright girl and is quite fun to be around. Personally I think she may be just going through an adjustment (new school, new stepdad, new city etc) Any help that you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
janatlantica
Posted:
Member since
Re: Teachers, I need help.....
These days more and more kids are being labelled ADD or ADHD and some actually are not. ADD has become a popular label. There could be a number of things that might be wrong with this girl, but diagnosing the intricacies is best left to people in the schools/doctors. I see nothing wrong with you discussing her behavior with the parent and then if the conversation leads you that way, suggest possible testing to 'see if it will shed any light'. Be careful not to label or diagnose...it could lead to potential trouble for you, since many parents are not prepared to accept such a labelling w/o concrete evidence and may lash out. We have a child we are doing this with now (at the school where I work)and it has been a long process to get the parent towards the acceptance of the problem...she is almost there, but it has been a lengthy process. As for teaching tips, I find that if I talk calmly and softly and not to fast and tell them to listen only to the sound of my voice and to focus, this has helped me keep some of the classified ADHD students on task. Also stop frequently to measure and evaluate their comprehension of what you have just taught them. Good luck with your student. Let us know how it works out!
prncssrachel
Posted:
Member since
Re: Teachers, I need help.....
I agree with Janatlantica. What also works for me, is to give the student some sort of signal that they can use or a phrase they can say that will let you know they are having difficulty and need a break. As an example, I have a student who just CANNOT keep himself still sometimes. He just physically cannot do it, and it takes him until he is mid motion to realize he is moving. So we are working on getting him to recognize his feelings that come right BEFORE those 'fidgety' moments and then he can ask to 'go to the water fountain' and I will always know that means he has to get up and move a little in the hallway. BUT when he comes back, which is only when he's ready, he must participate in the class. The objective is for him to self-correct and recognize his feelings before they impact the class and his own behavior. If your student is able to recognize her feelings of being 'fidgety' I would maybe talk to her about this. In my experience students will use this and it is nice for them to know that they can get it out of their system without people staring or teachers getting mad. I think that from what you said, this girl is going through a lot right now, and her short attention span (which, 8 minutes is pretty decent for someone who is 'fidgety' in my opinion), and movement may be a result of not sleeping enough, emotional turmoil, etc. Give her some time, but give her the tools to be able to deal with whatever is going on. I know you tutor her, but maybe tell her when she gets fidgety in class or feels like she is trailing off to go to the bathroom or do SOMETHING to get it out of her system. Good luck and I hope that helped!
I think 8 minutes is pretty average for most kids...when I plan lessons (for HS no less) I make sure there is a break up in activities every 5-10 minutes...lecture/notes...discussion...group work...independent writing, etc...
