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There seems to be one in almost every classroom. That student that just can't get it together. Maybe it's the homework that never gets turned in or the desk that resembles a pigpen. Possibly the student is disruptive, blurting out inappropriate remarks or just can't stop tapping her pencil even when you have asked her a million times to stop.

As teachers, we know its normal for students to forget their homework or daydream and get fidgety from time to time. But how do we distinguish between "normal" kid behavior and ADHD behavior? Are we too quick to diagnose and medicate in hopes that these behaviors simply disappear? Is ADHD being over diagnosed when kids are just really being kids? And if it really is ADHD, how do we accommodate these students so they succeed in our classroom?

The 3 Sub-Types of ADHD

Here are a few facts to consider about ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

ADHD is the most commonly studied and diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children. It is considered a neurobehavioral developmental disorder.

ADHD affects approximately 3-7% of all children globally with symptoms typically presenting before the age of 7.

Boys are 2 to 4 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ADHD.

Scientists are not sure exactly what causes ADHD, although many studies suggest that genetics and brain chemistry play a large role. It is thought that ADHD may result from a combination of factors including genetics, brain injuries, nutrition, environmental factors and/or social influences. (NIMH, National Institute of Mental Health).

To make the disorder even more confounding, ADHD has three subtypes according to the DSM-IV. A child who is diagnosed with ADHD will fall into one of the following categories:
ADHD- Predominantly Inattentive (also known as ADD)
A child with this diagnoses presents symptoms that are more inattentive in nature. They are easily distracted, forgetful, have trouble with organizing and completing a task, become bored easily, struggle to follow directions, have difficulty focusing on one thing, daydream and/or have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments. Children with this subtype are less likely to act out or have difficulties getting along with other children. In fact, they tend to be very quiet and are often overlooked. Parents and teachers may not notice that he or she has ADHD.
ADHD- Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive
Students who are diagnosed with this type of ADHD may display symptoms such as talking nonstop, fidgeting and squirming in their seats, having difficulty doing quiet tasks, are very impatient, blurt out inappropriate comments and act without regard for consequences.
ADHD- Combined Hyperactive-Impulsive and Inattentive
These students have the symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. Most children who are diagnosed with ADHD fall into this category.

Diagnosing ADHD Is Not a Simple, Single Event

ADHD, and other mental illnesses, do not allow for a blood test to provide a definitive diagnoses. Instead, diagnosing the disorder is based upon the observations of the student by parents, teachers and other caregivers.

Questionnaires regarding behaviors in the classroom and at home help a mental health professional or doctor determine if a child is indeed suffering from the disorder. Professionals also look at how long the symptoms have been present and whether the behaviors are excessive or not age appropriate.

What To Do As Teachers and Parents If We Suspect ADHD?

Erin's son, Matt, started having trouble once he began Kindergarten. He was placed on a behavior chart for inattentive behaviors. Every year, Erin would get the same email from his teacher. "Matt has trouble focusing, so we are going to start him on a behavior chart." Erin became so sick of the smiley face, frown face chart, as they just didn't seem to work.

Matt's 3rd grade teacher realized that his inattentive behaviors were something that Matt couldn't help, so she asked if she could have him observed by the Vice Principal. From there, Erin and Matt saw his pediatrician who suggested a psychologist for a diagnosis as well.

Once Matt was officially diagnosed with ADHD-Inattentive type, Erin and the school professionals wrote a 504 Plan. Erin honestly didn't think it worked well, if at all, because the teacher didn't follow it. She was not a good communicator and didn't check Matt's backpack like what was written in the plan.

At home, Erin tried a no sugar diet and found that didn't help either. What does help is making sure to check Matt's backpack every night and talking to him about school, pointing out the positives. Erin also has Matt repeat back to her directions given at home.

After about 10 months and no success using the 504 Plan, Erin decided to start Matt on ADHD medicine. Matt began on a low dose and the teacher reported seeing a difference right away, much more participation, attention and interest in math. Matt takes a low dose in the morning with the school nurse on the days he is at school. There has been a real positive change in Matt since beginning the medicine.

Is ADHD Over Diagnosed?

Are we too quick to label a student as ADHD just because he can't sit still or because a student's grades are slipping? A recent study conducted by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) showed that 11% of school-age children in the United States have received a diagnosis of ADHD.

What has alarmed many is that in which the rate has climbed. According to the study, the rate has skyrocketed 16% since 2007. The rise was most dramatic among boys, with an estimated 1 in 5 boys of high school age diagnosed with ADHD.

Like most mental health disorders, ADHD is not black and white.

Like most mental health disorders, ADHD is not black and white. It is a perplexing condition that can affect the academic and social lives of affected children, possibly into adulthood. A few points to consider about the rising rates of ADHD: Family doctors, who aren't always adequately trained in providing the detailed evaluation that a reliable diagnosis requires, are diagnosing many children with ADHD when there really may be another condition going on, or in fact, nothing at all.

This problem may lie in the detail that doctors are required to sort out a very complex condition in a short amount of time. Just because a child is showing a few symptoms does not necessarily point to a positive diagnosis. The symptoms must be present every day for a long period of time and must lead to an impairment on the child's life.

20 Ways To Support Students With ADHD

Regardless of the how's and why's of ADHD, as teachers it is vital that we support our students on their academic journey. How do we support parents and students who are affected by ADHD?

1. Learn about which subtype of ADHD the student has been diagnosed with. Get to know the individual student and be mindful of his or her uniqueness.

2. Seat the student away from doors and windows that may distract him or her. The student may work best closest to the teacher.

3. Allow physical activity breaks (stretching) and incorporate movement activities into a lesson. If possible, allow for outdoor instruction time.

4. When possible, provide academic instruction to these students with ADHD in the morning. Evidence suggests that on-task behaviors of a student with ADHD worsen over the course of a day.

5. Write important information down where the student can easily reference it, most likely at their desk.

6. Divide large assignments into small segments. Write these segments down. Have the student cross the items off as they are completed.

7. Provide frequent breaks for the student to get a drink or walk around the room.

8. Allow the student with ADHD to run errands for you (take a note to the office) or have them be in charge of sharpening the classroom pencils.

9. Provide the student with a stress ball or other object for the student to play with discreetly at their seat, especially when they need a break.

10. Write the schedule of the day on the student's desk and allow him or her to cross off each item as it is completed.

11. Recognize and praise aloud all good behaviors. Be specific in what the student is doing correctly.

12. Provide an assignment book for the student to keep track of homework and daily work. Encourage this book to be signed by parents so parents know what is going on in the classroom. Communicate with the parent as much as possible.

13. Form small groups for students with ADHD to work in so as not to get distracted and lost in a large group.

14. Allow the student with ADHD to work in a quiet zone within the classroom. This should be a place in the room that is quiet and free from visual stimulation.

15. Establish a secret signal with the student to use as a reminder when he or she is off task.

16. When giving directions, make eye contact with the student and be as brief as possible.

17. Use visuals. Highlight words in colored chalk or bright ink. Underline and circle important things to remember.

18. Use auditory cues. Set a timer and encourage the student to work uninterrupted until the timer goes off. Allow the student a break following the work period.

19. Provide specific, well-defined rules to the student with ADHD. Write these rules down and tape them to the student's desk. These rules should have clear consequences.

20. Most importantly, students need guidance, compassion and understanding from their parents and teachers as they navigate the path of dealing with ADHD. It isn't their fault that they have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Laura Reynolds is a former fourth grade teacher with a Masters degree in Education from Drake University and a BA degree in Psychology from the University of Iowa. She currently works as an education consultant and curriculum writer. You can find her on @laurareynolds75 and Google+.

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Teaching Children With ADHD: Classroom Strategies To Engage The Easily Distracted | InformED

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There seems to be one in almost every classroom. That student that just can't get it together. Maybe it's the homework that never gets turned in or the desk that resembles a pigpen. Possibly the student is disruptive, blurting out inappropriate remarks or just can't stop tapping her pencil even when you have asked her...

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The characteristics of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, often get misinterpreted as intentional misbehavior or daydreaming in the classroom. But when teachers engage their student with ADHD in exploring what works for them, it can lead to stronger connections and more academic success. To find more strategies and resources for working with students with ADHD, or to learn more about the studies and articles cited in the video, visit the links below:

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Understanding and Supporting Your Student With ADHD

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ADHD can be frustrating for both teachers and students, but coming together to find strategies that work helps your student-and your relationship-blossom.

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An Administrator’s Strategy for Calming Disruptive Students so They Can Stay in Class

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When an administrator is called in to deal with a disruptive student, the situation is serious. This is a model for helping the student calm down so they can remain in class.

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Practice makes perfect. To become ambidextrous in basketball, dribble with your left hand, switch to your right, and repeat the process again and again. Likewise, to solve differential equations in math, pile them up and work your way through them diligently.

According to one popular school of thought, it's this active, repeated manipulation of material that lays the neural foundations for skill development. All too often, time away from the basketball court-or the math books-is seen as a break in the learning process, a way to cool off, reenergize, and then return to the vital work of actual practice.

But for Leonardo Cohen, a neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health and the senior author of a June 2021 study published in the journal Cell, the idea that breaks are a cooling-off period is a misconception.

Cohen and his colleagues used magnetoencephalography-a highly sensitive brain-scanning technique-to observe the neural activity of young adults as they learned how to type with their nondominant hand. After a practice session, the study participants were given a short break and then continued practicing for a total of 35 sessions.

When analyzing the data, Cohen's team made an intriguing discovery: They observed a spike in brain activity, mimicking the neural pattern seen during the practice session, but compressed by twentyfold. Rather than being idle, the brain was replaying the practice session over and over at an astonishingly high rate of speed-flipping the material from the neocortex, where sensory and motor skills are processed, to the hippocampus, the brain's memory center, over two dozen times in the span of 10 seconds. Stepping away from the activity, it turns out, is not stepping away from the activity at all.

The findings echo the groundbreaking discovery in 2001 that after successfully running through a maze, rats replayed those memories repeatedly during REM sleep, with the same spatial circuitry flickering to life as they slept.

An Inside Look

When we learn a new skill, we need to connect it to previous memories, explains Cohen, a process called "binding." For example, when learning how to play piano, our brains need to link a simple action-pressing a piano key-with a larger, more complex skill, such as playing a song. Until now, scientists have been unable to decipher how the brain connects these two discrete actions into a consolidated skill.

Cohen's team discovered that after learning new information, our brains continue to whir, using cognitive downtime as a virtual staging ground to process, organize, and integrate learned information. The key, they believe, lies in neural replay, the "temporally compressed reactivation of neural activity patterns representing behavioral sequences during rest." In other words, after practicing a skill, our brains rapidly cycle through the experience, compressing and imprinting the material to optimize storage and recall.

We greatly underestimate the value of breaks when learning, Cohen and his colleagues assert, commonly opting for an approach that views active practice as the only way to advance. But that's a mistake, because incorporating breaks into learning "plays just as important a role as practice in learning a new skill. It appears to be the period when our brains compress and consolidate memories of what we just practiced."

Brain Breaks During School

In the classroom, "brain breaks should take place before fatigue, boredom, distraction, and inattention set in," writes neurologist and classroom teacher Judy Willis, and that means they should be far more frequent. "As a general rule," Willis continues, basing her conclusions on decades of research, "concentrated study of 10 to 15 minutes for elementary school and 20 to 30 minutes for middle and high school students calls for a three- to five-minute break."

You don't have to overthink it, or add to your workload by planning entertaining activities. Willis recommends simple techniques, such as a stretch break, moving to a different part of the room, or singing a song to give students time to "replay" what they've learned and to prepare them for more practice or new material. Letting students chat informally for a few minutes should also work well.

As the school day progresses, there's evidence that brain breaks become increasingly important. A 2016 study found that "cognitive fatigue" sets in toward the end of the day, leading to a notable drop in test performance: For every hour later in the day, test performance decreased by 0.9 percent of a standard deviation, the researchers found-roughly the equivalent of losing 10 school days' worth of learning. Incorporating breaks, however, not only eliminated the decrease but actually increased performance. "Importantly, a break causes an improvement in test scores that is larger than the hourly deterioration," the researchers discovered. "Breaks, it appears, recharge students' cognitive energy, thus leading to better test scores."

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We Drastically Underestimate the Importance of Brain Breaks

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When it comes to optimizing learning, we don't value breaks enough, neuroscientists suggest in a new study.

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Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder benefit from these easy-to-implement strategies-and so do their peers.

©Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images

Teachers often come to the classroom with an unclear understanding of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and they are rarely provided with strategies that detail how to work with students who have been diagnosed with ADHD, even though such students make up an increasingly large number of their students-11 percent and growing as of 2011, according to data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a special education teacher and tutor who coaches struggling students (many with ADHD), I have found several classroom strategies to be effective.

Create Urgency

I often hear parents or other advocates urge teachers to accommodate students with ADHD by giving them a lengthy or indefinite amount of time to turn in assignments. This creates a situation where deadlines are unclear, yet most of the students with ADHD that I have worked with need a clear deadline to create the urgency and adrenaline necessary to complete the task.

Provide deadlines: I teach students time management skills by breaking projects into chunks, each with a detailed description, rubric, and due date. For example, a research paper might have a separate due date for a topic, completed research, outline, rough draft, and final paper. I grade each step in the process, and each grade contributes to the final grade. This teaches students how to break up large projects to ensure timely completion.

Time tasks: Timing tasks that could be rote and boring-like learning math facts and letter sounds, increasing reading fluency, and memorizing vocabulary-turns what could potentially be a tedious task into a game or competition with oneself. Timing is used not to create anxiety but to increase performance over time-students are never graded on timed activities and don't share their scores. Instead they're challenged to beat the clock and to do better than they did last time. Graphing scores as a visual reminder of progress helps students learn about goal setting and develop a growth mindset.

Activate Interest

Students with ADHD are often capable of focusing intensely on something they're interested in. They can play video games or make their own YouTube videos for hours, but they need help connecting class content with their interests to achieve that focus.

Engage students' passions: My students are more engaged when they see that I'm passionate about a subject. We all want to know why we should learn something. Providing a hook to each lesson in the form of a story, game, or question gets students excited to figure out a problem.

For example, when we learn about making inferences, I bring in an assortment of strange looking objects or pictures of objects viewed from strange angles. Students do a gallery walk and write down observations about the objects-facts like, "it is metal," or "it is green." They also list any prior knowledge they have. They use the facts and their prior knowledge to make inferences about what the objects are.

This activity helps students have a more concrete basis for understanding how to make an inference when they're reading. It also usually leads to interesting discussions on how prior knowledge can greatly impact understanding.

Give students choices: Giving kids a choice in the books they read, activities they complete for a grade (visual art display, paper, slide or video presentation, blog, skit, podcast, etc.), and the ways they learn a skill encourages participation.

Allow for Breaks and Movement

I've found that taking breaks results in more focus for all of my students, but especially those with ADHD.

Use brain breaks: Students will take breaks anyway, so making breaks a reward is an easy way to keep them on task. I try to help them increase their focus to 15 to 25 minutes of working time, and after periods of concentration, they receive a short break. During the break, students can stretch, sharpen their pencils, get supplies, talk quietly to a friend, or rest. This timing method, sometimes called the Pomodoro Technique, helps students increase focus over time.

Let students move: I find that I get more out of students if I give them a chance to dance, stretch, or exercise before they have to sit down and work quietly. This can be led by the teacher, a short video, or a student. Usually it's brief and structured, like a game of Simon Says or a set of 10 jumping jacks and a few standing toe touches.

It's important to plan for transitions back to work-I flip the lights and use a hand signal. When I do this, students know to immediately return to their seats, mirror the hand signal, and be silent. Occasionally, I give out a reward to the first two students who are sitting attentively.

Provide Structure

I believe all students thrive when they know what to expect. For students with ADHD, having an orderly environment is essential.

Have clear expectations: Establishing a routine that stays the same even when activities change makes children feel secure. Rules can be taught through an activity with an example and non-example or by acting them out. This strategy is also useful for highlighting age-appropriate social skills like how to listen when someone is presenting or how to determine the appropriate amount of personal space.

Teach study skills explicitly: Students know they can Google facts, but teaching them how to learn creates relevance. Regardless of what subject is being taught, it's possible to incorporate study skills lessons-how to take notes, read a textbook, or study. Students will need these skills in the future when they're required to learn on their own.

You may have noticed that these strategies will help not just students with ADHD-they're useful for all students because they encourage the development of executive functions such as self-regulation.

We rarely look at ADHD as an advantage, but I've found that having students with ADHD in my classroom challenges me to update the way I teach so that my curriculum is more versatile, interesting, and compatible with the skills all students will need in an increasingly fast-paced world.

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Setting Students With ADHD Up for Success

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Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder benefit from these easy-to-implement strategies-and so do their peers.

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ADHD strategies are techniques that parents and teachers can utilize to help students succeed in school. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by problems with attention, impulse control, and hyperactivity. It usually develops in childhood, but may not be diagnosed until adolescence or adulthood.

Approximately 9% of children in the United States between the ages of 13 and 18 have ADHD, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). It is four times more likely to be diagnosed in boys than in girls.

The struggles that children with ADHD face, such as difficulty paying attention, may become apparent once they start school. As such, parents and teachers will need to work together to help kids learn to cope with their ADHD symptoms.

Kids and teens with ADHD have unique needs in the classroom. Here are some ADHD strategies that parents and teachers of students can use to help them succeed at school.

Keep Expectations Consistent

One of the most important ADHD strategies is to keep classroom rules clear and concise. Rules and expectations for the class should be regularly reviewed and updated when necessary. Rules should be posted in the classroom where they can be easily read.

It's often useful to have a child repeat back rules, expectations, or other instructions to ensure that they understood. Teachers should keep in mind that a child may have heard the words that were said but misunderstood the meaning.

For kids who struggle with time management and "shifting gears" from one task or class to the next, having a schedule handy and reviewing it often can make transitions go more smoothly.﻿﻿ You can also use timers, taped time signals, or verbal cues to help a student see how much time is left for an activity.

Limit Distractions

Students with ADHD are susceptible to distractions. Helpful strategies for students with ADHD can include seating them away from sources of classroom disruption such as doors, windows, cubby areas, and pencil sharpeners. Try to limit other distractions in the room, like excessive noise or visual stimuli like clutter, as much as possible.

Listening to "white noise" or soft background music can actually improve focus and concentration for some kids with ADHD, though it can be a distraction for those children who don't.

Provide Frequent Feedback

Another helpful ADHD strategy is to keep giving kids quick feedback about how they are doing. Kids with and without ADHD benefit from frequent, immediate feedback about their behavior. When necessary, any consequences given for unwanted behaviors should also be swift.

Reward Good Behavior

Rewards and incentives should always be used before punishment to motivate a student. To prevent boredom, change up the rewards frequently.

Do not use the loss of recess as a consequence for negative behavior. Kids with ADHD benefit from physical activity and may be able to focus better after being outside or in gym class.

Prioritizing rewards over punishment will help ensure that school continues to feel like a positive place for kids with ADHD.

Give Them a Break

Breaks and regular activity can be important strategies for kids with ADHD. Kids with ADHD tend to struggle with sitting still for long periods of time, so giving them frequent opportunities to get up and move around can be a big help.

You can provide them with a physical break by having them hand out or collect papers or classroom materials, run an errand to the office or another part of the building, or erase the board. Even something as simple as letting them go get a drink of water at the water fountain can provide a moment of activity.

Use Tools and Flexible Rules

Students with ADHD tend to be restless. While a standard classroom rule may be that students must sit in their seats during lessons, a child with ADHD may be able to stay on task better if they're allowed to stand up.

For kids who tend to fidget, holding a small "Koosh Ball" or something tactile to manipulate (like Silly Putty) provides a little stimulation without disrupting the classroom.﻿﻿

Some studies have claimed that chewing gum may improve certain students' concentration, but the research has not been conclusive.﻿﻿ Furthermore, many schools do not allow students to chew gum.

Don't Overload Them

For a child with ADHD who is prone to becoming overwhelmed, it can be helpful to reduce the total workload by breaking it down into smaller sections.

Kids with ADHD may also have sleep problems that affect their behavior and their ability to pay attention in class.﻿﻿ In general, students tend to be "fresher" and less fatigued earlier in the day, though teens and college students are more likely to struggle with morning classes. It's also not unusual for kids to have a bit of a slump after lunch.

If possible, plan to have the class tackle the most difficult academic subjects and assignments when they are most alert and engaged.

Encourage Support

Children with ADHD may need extra help from a classroom aid, though these staff members are not always available. Likewise, access to academic support services for students with ADHD may not be in place.

Even if a child does have one-on-one help from an adult, it can sometimes be helpful to arrange for peer support. Pairing a student with ADHD up with a willing, kind, and mature classmate can be a beneficial experience for both kids. A child's "study buddy" can give reminders, help them stay on task or refocus after being interrupted, and provide encouragement.

Working with another student can also help a child with ADHD improve their social skills and enhance the quality of their relationships with peers-both of which can be struggles for kids with ADHD.﻿﻿

A Word From Verywell

A successful school strategy for a child with ADHD must meet the triad of academic instruction, behavioral interventions, and classroom accommodations. While the regular implementation of these strategies can make a world of difference to a child with ADHD, they will also benefit the whole classroom environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most effective strategies for children with ADHD?

Behavioral ADHD strategies that can help include using positive reinforcement, sticking to consistent routines, reducing distractions, taking regular breaks, encouring physical activity, and providing regular feedback.

What are six strategies teachers could use to teach a child with ADHD and help them be successful?

Six teaching strategies that can be helpful when working with students who have ADHD include:

Focusing on short-term goals

Breaking projects down into smaller steps

Rewarding good behavior and work

Taking short breaks to help kids release energy

Communicating directions clearly and consistently

Providing tools and direction that help kids stay organized

By Keath Low
Keath Low, MA, is a therapist and clinical scientist with the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina. She specializes in treatment of ADD/ADHD.

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8 Simple School Strategies for Students With ADHD

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ADHD can create challenges for students. Learn ADHD strategies that parents and teachers can use to improve academic performance and overall school success.

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Effective Strategies for Teaching Students with ADHD - LDRFA

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Find out some of the effective strategies, teachers can use in their classrooms to help students with ADHD to adjust and excel.

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Children with attention deficit disorder and/or learning disabilities can be a challenge for any classroom teacher. This page provides some practical suggestions that can be used in the regular classroom as well as the special education classroom. By looking through a given list of interventions, a teacher will be able to select one or more strategies that are suited to a specific child in a specific environment.

Ideas for Attention Deficit Children

Children whose attention seems to wander or who never seem to "be with" the rest of the class might be helped by the following suggestions:

Pause and create suspense by looking around before asking questions.

Randomly pick reciters so the children cannot time their attention.

Signal that someone is going to have to answer a question about what is being said.

Use the child's name in a question or in the material being covered.

Ask a simple question (not even related to the topic at hand) to a child whose attention is beginning to wander.

Develop a private running joke between you and the child that can be invoked to re-involve you with the child.

Stand close to an inattentive child and touch him or her on the shoulder as you are teaching.

Walk around the classroom as the lesson is progressing and tap the place in the child's book that is currently being read or discussed.

Decrease the length of assignments or lessons.

Alternate physical and mental activities.

Increase the novelty of lessons by using films, tapes, flash cards, or small group work or by having a child call on others.

Incorporate the children's interests into a lesson plan.

Structure in some guided daydreaming time.

Give simple, concrete instructions, once.

Investigate the use of simple mechanical devices that indicate attention versus inattention.

Teach children self monitoring strategies.

Use a soft voice to give direction.

Employ peers or older students or volunteer parents as tutors.

Strategies for Cognitively Impulsive Children

Some children have difficulty staying with the task at hand. Their verbalizations seem irrelevant and their performance indicates that they are not thinking reflectively about what they are doing. Some possible ideas to try out in this situation include the following:

Provide as much positive attention and recognition as possible.

Clarify the social rules and external demands of the classroom.

Establish a cue between teacher and child.

Spend personal discussion times with these children emphasizing the similarities between the teacher and child.

Get in a habit of pausing 10 to 16 seconds before answering.

Probe irrelevant responses for possible connections to the question.

Have children repeat questions before answering.

Choose a student to be the "question keeper."

Using a well known story, have the class orally recite it as a chain story.

When introducing a new topic in any academic area, have the children generate questions about it before providing them with much information.

Distinguish between reality and fantasy by telling stories with a mix of fact and fiction and asking the children to critique them.

Assign a written project that is to contain elements that are "true," "could happen but didn't," and "pretend, can't happen."

Do not confront lying by making children admit they have been untruthful.

Play attention and listening games.

Remove un-needed stimulation from the classroom environment.

Keep assignments short.

Communicate the value of accuracy over speed.

Evaluate your own tempo as teacher.

Using the wall clock, tell children how long they are to work on an assignment.

Require that children keep a file of their completed work.

Teach children self talk.

Encourage planning by frequently using lists, calendars, charts, pictures, and finished products in the classroom.

Suggested Classroom Accommodations for Specific Behaviors

When you see this behavior Try this accommodation

1. Difficulty following a plan (has high aspirations but lacks follow-through); sets out to "get straight A's, ends up with F's" (sets unrealistic goals) Assist student in setting long-range goals: break the goal into realistic parts.

Use a questioning strategy with the student; ask, What do you need to be able to do this?

Keep asking that question until the student has reached anobtainable goal.

Have student set clear timelines of what he needs to do toaccomplish each step (monitor student progress frequently).

3. Shifting from one uncompleted activity to another without closure.

Define the requirements of a completed activity (e.g. your math is finished when all six problems are complete and corrected; do not begin on the next task until it is finished).

8. Difficulty with any task that requires memory.

Combine seeing, saying, writing and doing; student may need to subvocalize to remember.

Teach memory techniques as a study strategy (e.g. mnemonics, visualization,
oral rehearsal, numerous repetitions).

10. Confusion from non-verbal cues (misreads body language, etc.)

Directly teach (tell the student) what non-verbal cues mean. Model and have student practice reading cues in a safe setting.

12. Confusion from written material (difficulty finding main idea from a paragraph; attributes greater importance to minor details)

Provide student with a copy of presentation notes.

Allow peers to share carbon-copy notes from presentation (have student
compare own notes with a copy of peer's notes).

Provide framed outlines of presentations (introducing visual and
auditory cues to important information).

Encourage use of tape recorder.

Teach and emphasize key words (the following..., the most important
point...,etc.).

13. Difficulty sustaining attention to tasks or other activities (easily distracted by extraneous stimuli)

Reward attention. Break up activities into small units. Reward for timely accomplishment.

Use physical proximity and touch. Use earphones and/or study carrels, quiet
place, or preferential seating.

14. Frequent messiness or sloppiness.

Teach organizational skills. Be sure student has daily, weekly and/or monthly assignment sheets; list of materials needed daily; and consistent format for papers. Have a consistent way for students to turn in and receive back papers; reduce distractions.

Give reward points for notebook checks and proper paper format.

Provide clear copies of worksheets and handouts and consistent format for worksheets.

Establish a daily routine, provide models for what you want the student to do.

Arrange for a peer who will help him with organization.

Assist student to keep materials in a specific place (e.g. pencils and pens in pouch).

Be willing to repeat expectations.

16. Difficulty with fluency in handwriting e.g. good letter/word production but very slow and laborious.

Allow for shorter assignments (quality vs. quantity).

Allow alternate method of production (computer, scribe, oral presentation, etc.).

Use pencil with rubber grip.

17. Poorly developed study skills

Teach study skills specific to the subject area - organization (e.g. assignment
calendar), textbook reading, notetaking (finding main idea / detail, mapping, outlining), skimming, summarizing).

21. Difficulty participating in class without being interruptive; difficulty working quietly

Seat student in close proximity to the teacher.

Reward appropriate behavior (catch
student being good).

Use study carrel if appropriate.

25. Difficulty remaining seated or in a particular position when required to for a specific activity.

Give student frequent opportunities to get up and move around. Allow space for movement.

30. Frequent involvement in physically dangerous activities without considering possible consequences

Anticipate dangerous situations and plan for in advance.

Stress Stop-Look-Listen.

Pair with responsible peer (rotate responsible students so that they don't wear out!).

35. Poor use of time (sitting, starting off into space, doodling, not working on task at hand)

Teach reminder cues (a gentle touch on the shoulder, hand signal, etc.).

Tell the student your expectations of what paying attention looks like. (You
look like you are paying attention when...)

Give the student a time limit for a small unit of work with positive reinforcement for accurate completion.

Use a contract, timer, etc. for self-monitoring.

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ADHD Students Learn Differently. Try These ADD Classroom Strategies

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Children with attention deficit disorder and/or learning disabilities can be a challenge for any classroom teacher. This page provides some practical suggestions that can be used in the regular classroom as well as the special education classroom.

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Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have trouble paying attention and managing impulsive behaviour. This is why motivating a child with ADHD to succeed in school can be a tough task. How do you help them find their homework, much less complete it? As a psychotherapist and teacher, I've worked with numerous students and parents to help alleviate the stress of ADHD and school. Here are a few of my favourite tips to help navigate their journey:

1. Praise good behaviour

As a teacher, this is my motto. I spend every opportunity I can looking for the strengths in every single student, because every student has them. Helping your child/student find their passion and strength goes a long way toward building self-esteem.

You can do this in a variety of ways. It may be as simple as noticing that the child has great energy when leading a game in gym class. Or maybe they have a great sense of humour or can create amazing art. Perhaps they are kind to younger siblings or children at school. Whatever it is, play to their strengths and don't forget to vocalize it when they do well. They'll hear enough about the negatives. Be the person that motivates them by catching them doing something good!

Taking the time to teach children with ADHD how to manage their emotions and organize their lives can help improve their grades, their relationships, and their self-esteem.

2. Help them stay organized and focused

Losing what's required to complete an assignment, paper, or study for a test can be very unmotivating. Help motivate the child by teaching them to stay on task and get organized. For example, have them create a list (with words or pictures) to help them remember what to put in their backpack in the morning. Or if they need to remember something important, get them to leave a sticky note somewhere they will be sure to see it.

Another strategy is getting them to place things in the order they will require them for school. This is always helpful and can be used in a classroom or locker. Dry erase checklists on a younger student's desk can also be helpful because they can erase tasks as they are completed. This will keep them on task throughout the day. You can also use music to help with memory, so try making up fun songs to help kids remember things. I still do this, and I'm just slightly older than a teen.

3. Teach them how to manage large tasks

Children with ADHD are often intimidated by large tasks and therefore avoid starting to work on them. This is why it's helpful to show them how to take a large task and break it down into smaller ones. Help them with a chart/sticky note system on their bedroom wall to break the task down into small steps and remove a note or cross off each step as they complete it. They are motivated by seeing that they have completed something, which can be helpful for their sense of accomplishment.

Children with ADHD need to be shown how to take a large task and break it down into smaller ones.

4. Practice calm communication

Kids with ADHD have difficulty managing and regulating emotions. As adults, we've had lots of practice with this so we can give them a helping hand. One of the best ways to do this is by giving the child feedback in the moment when they use an inappropriate tone with you. For example, if a child says, "I want dinner right now!" reframe it by saying, "I think what you mean to say is, 'I'm hungry. Is dinner almost ready?'" Ask them to repeat it back to you. Remember, kids need us to model how to regulate emotions.

If your child is having difficulty stating their feelings in a positive way, help them use the sandwich method:

Positive (top crust)

What they need or want (filling)

Positive (bottom crust)

For example: "Jane, I really like hanging out with you. Sometimes when we hang out, you don't let me do anything I'd like to do like play video games. I'd like to keep hanging out with you because you're fun to be around. Can we find time to do some things I like to do?" Practice this with the child using as many scenarios as you think they need to help them communicate their needs, especially with teachers.

5. Teach them how to calm down

For many children, instant gratification is at the forefront of their minds. As adults, however, our brains have developed further, and we have learned (hopefully) to delay gratification and wait our turn. We will sleep on it before we buy something expensive or send a hurtful email. Children, on the other hand, need our help managing impulse control, especially those with ADHD.

Teaching kids skills like counting to ten, deep breathing, and the importance of giving themselves a "time out" by walking away from a situation to deal with their emotions are important and will help keep them out of sticky situations. Other skills such as creating a pros/cons list for older children is helpful when it comes to making decisions about going to a party, buying an expensive item, deciding to break a playdate with a friend, etc. You can read more ideas on how to help a child calm down in this blog.

If a negative impulsive behaviour has occurred, it's not too late to do some damage control. Sitting down with your child/teen and nonjudgementally asking why they made that choice, what the consequences of that choice were, and what they could have done instead is a great teachable moment. It won't change the choice, but it will help them gain a new tool for next time.

Navigating life with ADHD is possible. Taking the time to teach children how to manage their emotions and organize their lives can help improve their grades, their relationships, and their self-esteem. Finding and building upon a child's strengths helps create the confidence necessary to face life's challenges.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For more FREE RESOURCES on this topic and others, visit our free resources page.

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Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have trouble paying attention and managing impulsive behaviour. This is why motivating a child with ADHD to succeed in school can be a tough task. How do you help them find their homework, much less complete it?

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The Impact of Idle Time in the Classroom: Differential Effects on Children With ADHD

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The Impact of Idle Time in the Classroom: Differential Effects on Children With ADHD

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Live it, learn it : the academic club methodology for students with learning disabilities and ADHD

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Live it, learn it : the academic club methodology for students with learning disabilities and ADHD

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Tools and strategies to help manage time, stay focused, and handle homework

Writer: Rae Jacobson

For kids with ADHD, the right approach to school can mean the difference between good grades, and the confidence that comes with them, and another round of, "I lost my homework ... again." Here are a few suggestions for tools and strategies to help kids with ADHD get set for success.

Calendar(s): Whether it's the New Year, the new school year, or any time a resolution is made to be better organized, calendars are key to kids with ADHD. Your child should have a school calendar with enough space to allow them to write down and organize (by color-coding!) assignments. We recommend a separate calendar for social engagements and after-school activities. Additionally, it helps to add everything to a digital calendar with a reminder function that can push notifications to their phone. Another feature of online calendars is the sharing function. This allows them to share their calendar with parents and teachers and helps everyone stay on the same page.

Backup Items: Avoid morning (and afternoon, and evening) panic by having multiples of items that are easily lost. Think about the things that tend to go missing: If disappearing socks are slowing you down, get more socks. If stealthy shoes (or keys, or gloves or hats or transit fares) are making them late, keeping backups on hand will help them get out the door on time.

Head of the Class: Literally. Sitting in the front of the room not only helps kids avoid the distractions (and temptations!) of back-row chatter and note-passing - it also promotes accountability. The harder it is for kids with ADHD to slip through the cracks, the better. When kids sit up front, it's easier for the teacher to notice if they're having a hard time and give you both a chance address the issue before it becomes a problem.

Prioritize: Kids with ADHD often have trouble knowing which assignments should take priority. Here is where color-coding can really come in handy. Arm them with highlighters- and backup highlighters! Assign each color a priority level. For example pink would be "high," blue, "medium," and green, "low." Having a pre-established system will help them build skills and get a sense of what to do when. You can also use apps like Remember the Milk, which allows users to add due dates, priority levels, and estimates of how much time each task will take.

Time Management: The eternal battle. Learning to effectively manage time is the grail for kids with ADHD. In addition to calendars, task timers like Focus Booster can help kids get better at judging how much time each task will take, and let them know when it's time to move on to something new. Timers aren't just helpful with homework and chores - they can also use one during longer tests to remind her him to switch sections and use their time efficiently.

Concentration Aids: White noise generators help block distractions and boost productivity. Try apps like Simply Noise that offer a few "types" of noise (pink or brown noise, rainstorms, calming music, etc) so kids can choose what works best for them. You can also use a white noise machine or run a loud fan at home to help kids during homework.

Recording Apps: No matter what accommodations kids have, paying attention to lectures and verbal instructions is a big part of doing well in school. Help kids stay on track by using recording apps with dictation functions. That way they can review any missed information later on.

Check the Policy: Assistive technology can be great for kids with ADHD, but a lot of it relies on smartphones. If your child uses apps to help them during school make sure you check his school's cell phone policy. If it's strict, you'll need to address it during IEP meetings.

Save and Share: Sometimes it seems like ADHD and Murphy's Law are one and the same. If homework can be lost, left behind or vanish, it'll happen. If your child is working on an important paper or project encourage them to use programs like Google Docs that are set to save frequently and backup to online servers. This way, he'll have access to documents wherever he goes and won't run the risk of losing his work if the computer encounters a problem.

A Clean Slate: For a lot of kids with ADHD, past difficulties can make it hard to have a positive outlook on school. Fears of messing up socially, failing in school, and disappointing parents and teachers are very real for kids with ADHD. Let your child know that the past is something you can both learn from, but otherwise agree to work from a clean slate. Talk about any anxieties they may have around school, and work together to make a plan to support them emotionally throughout the year.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help my child with ADHD focus in school?

You can help your child with ADHD focus in school by introducing more structure and organization into their daily life. For example, experts recommend color-coded calendars to help track and prioritize assignments. Seating the child at the front of the class will also help them stay on track by limiting distractions. Parents can also set up regular homework routines and some form of exercise after school.

This article was last reviewed or updated on October 30, 2023.

Rae Jacobson is a writer, ADHD expert, and former senior editor at the Child Mind Institute. Her work has appeared ... Read Bio

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School Success Kit for Kids With ADHD - Child Mind Institute

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Tools and strategies for children and teenagers with ADHD to help manage time, stay focused, and handle homework for success at school.

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2. Fidgets

Fidgets are small objects that help keep students' hands occupied. You can buy these on Amazon or use objects like beaded bracelets or Rubik's Cubes. Teacher tip: Avoid flashy objects like fidget spinners, which can be a distraction to other students.

3. Silly Putty

Silly Putty, Play-Doh, or Sticky Tack can also keep students' hands occupied.

4. Velcro

Tape a strip of the rough side of Velcro under the student's desk. It gives them something to touch. Many other objects can work, such as emery boards or straws.

5. Gum or Chewable Necklaces

Chewing gum can help keep some ADHD students focused. In no-gum classrooms, necklaces with chewable pieces can also work. You can also wrap airline tubing or rubber bands at the ends of pencils for students to chew.

6. Doodling

Doodling can help many students focus, not just ones with ADHD. Some students also benefit if they can draw during storytime or a lesson.

7. Background Noise/Music

A fan in the back of the room can help some students focus. Letting them listen to music on headphones (as long as it doesn't interfere with what's happening in class) can also help. One teacher had success with an aquarium in the back of the room-students liked hearing the calming swish of the water.

8. Chair Leg Bands

Tie a large rubber band (or yoga band) across both front legs of the chair for students to push or pull against with their legs.

9. Bouncy Balls

Also known as yoga balls, stability balls, or exercise balls. These are potentially great for all students, not just ones with ADHD.

10. Swivel Chairs

Kids can twist a little bit from side to side. A rocking chair also works.

11. Wobble Chairs

Similar to swivel chairs or disk seats, these chairs let students rock within their seats. Teacher tip: Don't let students wobble too much-they may fall off!

12. Disk Seats

These sit on a chair and allow students to rock in their seats, which is not as dangerous as rocking the entire chair. Cushions can also work.

13. Standing Desks

Great for all students, not just ones who need to fidget. Learn how students brought standing desks into their classroom in " Using Stand Up Tables in the Classroom." If it's within your budget, you can also use treadmill desks.

14. Desks with Swinging Footrests

A built-in footrest can help reduce the noise that comes with foot tapping.

15. Stationary Bikes

Putting a stationary bicycle at the back of the classroom is a great way to help students be active.

16. Classroom Space for Moving Around

Clear an area at the side or back of the room to let students stand, stretch, dance, pace, or twirl.

17. Flexible Work Locations

Students don't have to do their learning at their desk-they can work at the windowsill or move from one desk to another. Having different learning stations can benefit all types of students. For ideas on setting up your classroom, check out " 7 Learning Zones Every Classroom Must Have."

Many thanks to our Facebook commenters who contributed to this list:

Amanda Becker, Amanda Nagy Magee, Angela L. García, Angela Peery, Barbara Linkus, Beverly Becker Wood, Bonnie Reeves, Brian Gagnon, Cherish A Eagen, Crissy Fleetwood, Debbi Allred, Don Myers, Dot McGee, Fin Scott, Helen Zukauskas, Holly Zuidema, Hollyann Moriarty Pierce, Jana Colvin, Jane Reed, Jennifer Preuss Schmidt, Jim Hansen, John N Kelly Sefcik, Judith Anderson, Katharine Healey Dalton, Laura Maslin Bradley, Laura Miranda, Laurie Baumbach Krivitz, Lindsay Russell Hyland, Lissa L. Rapoport, MaLinda Luker, Mandy Eller, MaryAnne Finch, Matt Winkler, Moe Margetts, Olivia Christine, Pat Melvin, Risa Blum Mendelson, Robyn Gunther, Sandra Churchwell Voss O'Brien, Sarah Holmes, Shannon Costella, Sylvia Morales Lopez, Tana Williamson, Tricia Musson Wright, Valerie Wilmot, and Virgil Miller

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17 Ways to Help Students With ADHD Concentrate

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Fidgets are small objects that help keep students' hands occupied. You can buy these on Amazon or use objects like beaded bracelets or Rubik's Cubes. Teacher tip: Avoid flashy objects like fidget spinners, which can be a distraction to other students. Silly Putty, Play-Doh, or Sticky Tack can also keep students' hands occupied.

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15 Best Assistive Learning Tools for Students with ADHD

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15 Best Assistive Learning Tools for Students with ADHD

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Assistive learning tools make a big difference for those with attention deficit disorder ( ADHD or ADD) or learning difficulties, and some of our favorites are small enough to fit in the palm of a student's hand. Learning apps can be lifelines for students struggling with reading, writing, math, time management, and other challenges.

These 15 ADHD tools can help learners from preschool through college access the curriculum, understand material more easily, and organize ideas and schedules. Academic success may be a touchscreen tap away.

Text-to-Speech

1. Read2Go/Learning Ally Audio
(read2go.org; iOS; $19.99)/(learningally.org; iOS; Android; free with Learning Ally membership)
Bookshare and Learning Ally, audiobooks services for people with reading challenges, are familiar names in education. Read2Go (for Bookshare) and the Learning Ally Audio app make these valuable resources more accessible. Some students with attention challenges find it tough to focus while listening to audiobooks. Read2Go and audiobooks in Learning Ally's VOICEtext format highlight each word on the screen as it is read. This innovative feature is also good for students who need to build decoding skills. Seeing a word while hearing it improves reading skills.

2. Voice Dream Reader
(voicedream.com; iOS; $14.99)
Voice Dream will read text from any source - from Microsoft Word and PDF files to webpages. Users can listen to text in one of 36 available voices, and it's easy to pause, rewind, or fast-forward. Voice and reading speed can be adjusted easily while reading text. Voice Dream makes it simple to navigate text and start reading anywhere, and users can highlight and make notes in the app as they listen.

Reading

3. Rhyme to Read
(rhymetoread.com; iOS; $10.99)
Developed by two expert educators, this app gives kids and parents access to a series of high-quality, controlled texts (short, simple stories that use a combination of patterned words and sight words). Controlled texts help young children gain fluency, automaticity, and confidence. The series is so well designed that kids who are easily discouraged will stick with it. Readers can tap target words to hear them and words they've already learned will appear in later books in the series.
[Free Download: Solve Your Child's Homework Problems]
4. iBooks
(itunes.apple.com; iOS; free)
For Mac users, it's hard to beat the simplicity of iBooks. Students can replace heavy stacks of textbooks with an iPad or an iPhone. The app makes it easy to use reading comprehension boosting strategies, like highlighting and note-taking, which are critical for students with low attention. Some textbooks go a step further, with interactive features and quizzes at the end of sections. College students will breathe a sigh of relief thanks to iBooks' update policy: it automatically replaces old textbooks with new editions.

Math

5. MotionMath
(motionmathgames.com; iOS, Android; free to $6.99, depending on game; bundle for $25.99)
It's tempting to prescribe a stack of flashcards when kids struggle with math, but students with weak attention benefit more from improving their number sense than from rote memorization. The research-based MotionMath helps to improve that. Preschoolers can begin with Hungry Guppy, which teaches basic numeracy using both objects and number symbols. As students progress, there are plenty of more difficult games. One of our favorites is Zoom, which requires players to tilt their devices to drop whole numbers and decimals on number lines.

6. Equator

( sylvanlearning.com; iOS, Android; free)

This imaginative, two-player game is sure to please students who need motivation to practice their math facts. The screen is divided into two hemispheres, so that each player can easily read his own half of the iPad as he adds and subtracts. The goal is to arrive at the same total using different numbers, but the numbers are only the beginning of the challenge. Every successful equation causes the globe to spin, turning day into night and night into day. The seasons also change, and players must survive "storms" of multiplication and division. This game is fun.

7. Math Ninja
(math-ninja-app.com; iOS; $1.99)
Making things fun is important to students with attention challenges, and Math ninja is an addictive way to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Correct answers earn more weapons for ninjas' arsenals, like ninja stars and smoke bombs, which can be fired at the evil Tomato-San and his robot cronies. The graphics are bright and cartoonish, and squeamish players (and parents) can rest assured that these battles are silly rather than violent.
[The "Write" Assistive Tech Tools for Kids with ADHD]
Writing

8. MindNode
(mindnode.com; Mac, $19.99; iOS, $9.99)
Organizing a jumble of ideas to write a book review or essay is a daunting task. Mind mapping is a good way to understand how thoughts fit together to make a coherent essay. MindNode is an excellent tool for this kind of pre-writing. Many students with learning difficulties find that visual mind maps work better than outlines. Writers begin by placing their initial idea in the center, then add ideas, color-code them, and draw connecting lines. It's easy to convert maps to Microsoft Word documents or image files, to share with parents and teachers for feedback.

9. Storybird

Writing is one of the toughest tasks for students, and the beautifully crafted Storybird provides young authors with engaging, meaningful ways to express themselves. A multitude of artist-created images are available for inspiration or as supplements to stories, making Storybird valuable to students with strong spatial skills. Images are also useful for helping to sequence events in a story. There are a variety of genres to choose from, and Storybird allows writers to share their stories easily and to comment on others' work, too.

10. SpellBetter
(spellbetterapp.com; iOS; free)
Students with learning difficulties often find writing frustrating, so poor spellers are bound to love SpellBetter as a word processor. Word prediction and auto-completion features allow writers to focus on recording their ideas instead of on spelling. SpellBetter can untangle the most mangled spelling, and its text-to-speech function makes it easy to listen to the suggested words in the word bank or proofread one's writing. SpellBetter's spell checker considers both phonetics and context, and it exports finished pieces to other formats (PDF, e-mail) for sharing.

Getting Stuff Done

11. Any.do

Sometimes there's beauty in simplicity, and it doesn't get much simpler than Any.do. For those who get lost in options and details, Any.do is the perfect solution for managing a busy life. Set up a to-do list and program the app to send reminders. That's it. Because it's sometimes easier to lay out an agenda while looking at a calendar, the Cal version (also free) combines iCal and the Any.do task list.

12. Wunderlist
(wunderlist.com; iOS, Android, Mac, PC; free)
Wunderlist is a simple, powerful way to organize lists of all kinds. But the best reason to use Wunderlist is its collaboration capability. Users can make group lists, assign tasks to different members of the group, and even arrange for the app to send reminder e-mails. The organizer can see which delegated tasks have been marked complete, and a conversation feature allows group members to discuss their tasks seamlessly, too. Parents of teens can use the app to provide the nudge many kids need, without having to nag, and Wunderlist's ability to attach files to tasks can coordinate group projects.

Gadgets

Students and professionals with focus challenges miss important content if they zone out during lectures or meetings. LiveScribe, which looks like an ordinary pen, records everything that is said, so a student can replay a lecture later to hear what he or she may have missed. Since re-listening to a whole lecture is time-consuming, LiveScribe's time-sync capability enables note-takers to tap on any word they've written in the LiveScribe notebook to listen to what was said at the moment they wrote that word.

This high-tech tool can be a great resource for readers who need help with tough words or vocabulary. This scanner, which is about the size of a marker, enables readers to "highlight" a word in a printed text to hear its pronunciation and definition. (There's a headphone jack for use in the classroom.) Because the scanning motion is somewhat disruptive to the reading process, we recommend the pen to readers who need help only with a word or two per sentence.

Time Management
(timetimer.com; iOS, $2.99; Android, $0.99; timers and watches, $29.95-$79.95)
Time Timer is a lifesaver for those who lose track of time or get too wrapped up in what they're doing. The format of the timer - a red field within the clock face gets smaller as the time passes - is simple enough for even young children to understand. Time Timer is wonderful for preventing arguments between parents and kids. When the limit is reached, there can be no real argument that a few more minutes of Minecraft are warranted. Older students and adults can use the timer to keep breaks from lasting twice as long as they should or to keep from spending 20 minutes composing an e-mail that should take five.
[3 Apps to Sharpen Reading Skills]

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15 Best Assistive Learning Tools for Students with ADHD

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Does your child or teen have ADHD? Whether they struggle with time management or need to work on their reading skills, these savvy tools include everything from free downloads to digital to-do lists. Give them a boost in the classroom and beyond with expert-approved apps and gadgets.

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Amazon link to physical things to use in the classroom to keep ADHD students engaged

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Amazon link to physical things to use in the classroom to keep ADHD students engaged

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