ADHA in the Classroom...
I have a 12-year-old boy in my grade 5 class that has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). He moved here with his parents two years ago, and has been in an inclusion setting at our elementary school for two years. He has two other siblings, an older brother and a younger sister who also attend our school. Both the brother and sister are developmentally normal learners and are well adjusted academically and socially.
The biggest problem with the ADD student is his seemingly endless activity and that he acts and talks without thinking. He constantly interrupts both the teacher and other students, and shows poor judgment in the way he reacts to what should be normal situations. He cannot sit still, even for short periods of time, and seems to be compelled to talk constantly, generally at ‘a mine a minute'. He will tap his feet, squirm in his seat, and talk in class even after being repeatedly asked to keep quiet.
When he first came to our school two years ago, the teacher tried punishment techniques like ‘time out' and supportive interaction explaining why his actions were inappropriate. The time out sessions seemed to only encourage louder and more aggressive misbehavior, and supportive interaction was ignored, with the child simply walking away. His grade 4 teacher managed, with difficulty, but made no secret of the difficulty she had in dealing with him.
Over the last 4 months, his behavior has escalated to the point where it has become very disruptive. He will act without thinking about the consequences, and the sudden action seems to come out of nowhere and without warning. On several occasions, he has grabbed other student's lunch trays, sending the contents spilling on the other students and the floor, and then walks away without seeming to realize the consequences of his actions. Last week, he walked up to a girl in my classroom, grabbed her pencil, and for no reason broke it in half. He then threw the pieces over his shoulder behind him where one piece hit a little girl in the face. He demands attention, and when ignored or confronted will often respond with loud repetitive incoherent chants like ‘na-na-na-na no" while stomping around the classroom. These kinds of disruptions have become daily events that are destroying my ability to carry on a normal class.
None of the other children want to associate with him, which seems to only encourage his misbehavior. He seems completely oblivious to the disruption he is causing. Meanwhile, the other 27 students in the class are obviously suffering. I am upset, other students in my class are upset, and the parents of the other students are upset. The principal is afraid of the ADHD child's parents. The mother in particular has a history of threatening the school and sending nasty emails to the teachers, principal, and the school board. I would think that for all the school is trying to do for their sonj, they would be grateful and kind, but she is hostile and angry.
Thank you for your post and welcome to ADHDCentral.com.
How lucky your students are to have a teacher who so actively seeks solutions to problems in the classroom!
There are some parts of your post that are confusing to me. You mention several times about "mainstreaming" or "inclusion." Because ADHD is not a learning disability, most children with ADHD are in regular classrooms and do not require special education so I am not sure why you seem surprised that this child is in a regular classroom.
I also wonder whether this child has a Section 504 or IEP? If so, it may be beneficial to request a meeting of the educational team to specifically address the behavioral issues you are seeing. The team can work to find some solutions that can be implemented on a daily basis. I know that you have said the mother is not cooperative, however, she also is included in this meeting. As a teacher, you should be able to request a meeting. If this child does not have a Section 504 or IEP, you might want to request an evaluation to have one put into place. You would then have an educational team, including administration, school psychologist and teachers (as well as the parents) to work to find solutions to help this child.
Although symptoms of ADHD include difficulty sitting still and focusing, symptoms do not include aggression, therefore, the aggression you see should be addressed as a behavioral issue, not a symptom of ADHD.
I am sure this child is as frustrated as you. He probably wants to succeed and be accepted by his peers and the rejection he feels is quite possibly driving many of the behavior issues. Imagine being rejected by your entire class! We know that children will be driven by attention and if negative attention is all he can hope for, then that is what he will try to get.
Certainly, specific strategies need to be put into place. For example, asking a child with ADHD to sit still is like asking a child who needs glasses to see without the glasses. Positive reinforcement programs with incentives work better. You may want to begin a program of giving the child a "reward" such as a chip for each 10 minutes (in the beginning you can even start at 5 minutes) that he sits quietly (still may not be possible) without disrupting others. At the end of the day he can trade in his chips for some type of reward.
It is important to begin with only one behavior. While it is hard to ignore behaviors that are disruptive, you aren't going to change all his behaviors overnight, choosing one behavior and working to help him improve that behavior and then moving to another behavior is much more successful. Once he has made significant improvement in that behavior, move on to another.
Is it possible to have the school guidance counselor work with this student on social skills on a daily or weekly basis?
Can your school set up a ADHD support group during recess or lunchtime that will help them develop their own strategies for coping with symptoms?
While it is helpful to be able to work closely with a parent, if that is not possible, you can work specifically on "school day" behaviors. Children are able to adapt their behavior based on where they are.
Below are some links that hopefully will give you some additional information and strategies that might help:
ADHD in Middle School
The Out Of Control Child
Classroom Management of ADHD
Ten ways to create an ADHD-friendly classroom
12 Things High School Students Want Teachers to Know
Motivational Games for Teachers for ADHD Students
Suggestions for IEPs or Section 504s - ADHD
For more information on ADHD in school (many of these links are focused on parenting children with ADHD, however, you may find the information useful):
ADHD in Education
I hope this information helps.
Eileen