Attention Deficit

A child with attention disorder has difficulty activating, focusing, and sustaining the mental energy needed to concentrate on a task. For some children, this problem manifests itself in excessively fidgety behavior. This is often referred to as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Other children may have the opposite symptoms: listlessness and a type of dreaminess. In either case, these children often have inconsistent, erratic work habits, difficulty keeping track of their assignments, and problems following directions.

Suggested Teaching Strategies:

  • Children who are easily distracted need periodic, gentle reminders to stay focused on a task. It is often good to have them sit near the teacher.
  • When giving complex directions in a one-on-one situation, check for understanding. Have the child repeat back the instructions. In a whole class situation, this could cause embarrassment. If you can after class, check in with the child to make sure she has processed the information.
  • In class discussions and lectures, present the material in a careful, stepwise manner. Activities such as pair/share and summary writing can be a good way to re-enforce material and should be done several times in the course of a class.
  • Encourage active note-taking in class. Often times, the child will need the teacher to point out what is the salient information.

Suggested Links:

  • Attention Deficit Information: Designed for teachers by the American Academy of Pediatrics, this site lists over 100 suggestions for teaching children with attention problems and learning differences, including the following: specific instructional strategies, classroom management strategies, lower school reading comprehension, phonics, grammar and handwriting activities, writing and spelling strategies, math and word problems.

  • Attention Deficit Teaching Accommodations: a chart with suggested classroom strategies for dealing with specific behaviors.

  • Classroom Interventions for children with ADHD: a numbered list with suggestions for helping children whose attention wanders.

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    Last updated 12.20.06

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