Strategies for teachers
School can be particularly difficult for many young people with ADHD in terms of their:
Academic performance
Social interactions with peers
Relationships with teachers and other staff
Personal organisation
As with all pupils, when difficulties arise, this can create tension between school and home. This tension can inhibit everyone’s ability to effectively identify and act on solutions to the challenges faced by the young person.
Important to bear in mind is the delayed maturation of the brain in many young people with ADHD, to such an extent that by the early teenage years they may be 2-3 years behind their peers. This can lead to severe executive functioning deficits (see below) and should influence thinking around how and why they may find certain demands placed upon them difficult.
The neurobiology of ADHD
Understanding differences in brain architecture, development, and function, can help us to know which interventions and supports are most likely to be effective, but also shape our emotional response to pupils who present with difficulties.
Establishing and sustaining good relationships in the school and classroom can be vital for long term outcomes.
Executive function deficits
Executive functioning deficits are thought to underlie many of the difficulties that young people have with learning in school situations and a general understanding can provide the basis for assessment and intervention.
Associated with differences in brain structure, development, and function, executive functioning problems can undermine both the learning and behaviour, and reduced the capacity of any pupil to sustain engagement in education.
This brief presentation explains what executive functions are and covers some basic tips in how to support young people with ADHD in class.
Extensive research shows that pupils with ADHD tend to underperform at school and are disproportionately represented in:
Temporary school exclusion
Permanent school exclusion
Underperformance in external exams
Detentionand/or other sanctions
Truancy and absenteeism
Peer conflict
With a prevalence rate of 1 in 29, there will be a pupil with ADHD in most classes in primary school.
At secondary school, the same ratio can be expected; however, clustering may occur in lower performing sets, resulting in quite challenging classroom dynamics.
Comorbidities
The majority of young people with ADHD also display the characteristics of other disorders such as depression, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and anxiety all mood disorders. In other words, it is quite normal for ADHD to co-occur alongside other difficulties.
It is also the case that ADHD and autism may coexist and resulting quite complex presentations in children who can be very difficult to support in school settings (and also at home). It is not for any education professional to diagnose these conditions, but their traits can be recognised and included in pupil profiles and support plans.
Specific comorbid learning difficulties
Tools are available to identified the more common learning difficulties associated with ADHD including: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and dysgraphia.
Where these have not been identified or appropriately supported, pupil behaviour and engagement with learning may deteriorate where the demands made in class cannot be met by the young person concerned.
Difficulties with handwriting for example can prove to be a significant block to learning and can be supported by the use of assistive technologies such as voice-text, writing slopes, and adapted writing equipment.
In the early years in particular, and occupational therapy assessment may be beneficial in identifying the origin of some difficulties, especially where these are interfering with daily living and education.
It is important to appreciate that what may appear to be subtle problems can have quite a significant impact on pupil progress and that early intervention is likely to yield and enhanced performance throughout the remainder of the school years and beyond. Understanding and addressing such difficulties can also provide a significant boost to the pupils themselves in terms of confidence and self-esteem.
Any pupil who is having a specific difficulty in one aspect of learning, and where there is a discrepancy between cognitive ability and performance, steps can be taken to formally assess for any of the difficulties listed above, through either a specialist teacher or educational psychologist.
Screening and assessment
It is not the job of any education professional to diagnose a medical condition like ADHD, but that does not mean that assessment should not take place in order to determine the areas in which a pupil may be having difficulty.
The challenges in supporting pupils with ADHD in school settings
Anyone who suggests that it is relatively easy to make the adjustments necessary to remove barriers to learning for pupils with ADHD probably does not understand the complexity of the disorder. However, by applying and extending good learning and teaching practices, considerable improvements in performance can be achieved.
A key take-home message from the presentation is that school managers must recognise that the mental health of teachers can be undermined not only by inappropriate criticism when things do not go well, but by self-criticism from those who set high standards for their work.
Critical to success is the relationship between pupil and teacher, class management, and the fostering of a ‘can-do’ approach.
Motivation underlies all teaching and learning and that can be a challenge in itself if pupils have experienced years of ‘failure’.
How do pupils with ADHD learn best?
Perhaps we can learn some lessons from what motivates them to keep trying, even if they may learn ‘inefficiently’.
What helps them to ‘bounce back’ from failure and to develop resilient learning styles? Why are they prepared to dedicate hours to something at which they may be mush less successful than their neurotypical peers?
In this presentation, Bill Colley suggests that lessons can be learnt from examining screen time, and the interest or obsession that many young people have with computer games.
Top Tips
Good learning and teaching addresses many of the problems associated with ADHD especially when scaffolding is put in place to compensate for relative weaknesses or difficulties.
When assessing pupil needs, consider the whole child and not just the ADHD, and pay particular attention to self-esteem in order to engage reluctant learners.
Be aware that ‘comorbidity is the norm’ - pupils with ADHD are far more likely to have specific learning difficulties ( dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia etc) than their neurotypical peers, and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, self harm, and suicidal ideation.
Relationships are the key to sustaining engagement in education. Pupils with ADHD tend to have fewer friends and friendships tend to be more superficial than their peers. Support with social interaction can be as important as academic adjustments.
Target and reinforce areas of relative strengthand exploit these to build ‘islands of competence’
Try to prevent organisational difficulties becoming an obstacle to the process of learning, or from undermining self-esteem.
Develop an understanding of executive function deficits and consider how classroom adjustments can be made to support learning and behaviour.
Bear in mind that difficulties in school may be replicated at home in terms of behaviour and social interaction. Young people with ADHD can place a huge burden on family dynamics.
Positive reinforcement nearly always works better than sanction.
Look after yourself. Be aware of your own mood and how this translates in the classroom. Seek help and advice and do not be to judgemental 9:30if your efforts appear to be in vain.