Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, is a prevalent condition in all grade levels. Students diagnosed with ADHD face challenges with focus, attention, organization and impulse control, resulting in lower test scores and behavioral issues in classrooms and beyond school settings.
Educators and aspiring educators interested in helping children with ADHD succeed within and outside the classroom can develop specialized skills and training through Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s online Master of Education in Special Education – Administration program. Students learn evidence-based strategies and collaborative approaches to creating an ideal learning environment for students with ADHD through carefully designed, career-relevant coursework. The program’s online format enables students to continue working while studying on a flexible schedule, with an option to complete the program in as few as 12 months.
Understanding ADHD and Its Impact on Learning
ADHD affects an individual’s executive functions, including working memory, organization and self-regulation. Children with ADHD tend to have more difficulty in a traditional classroom setting than their peers. They may lose items more often, forget homework assignments, disrupt class, struggle to follow multi-step directions and have difficulty managing their time.
Although the condition of ADHD is often discussed as a single diagnosis, educators and psychologists consider there to be three types of ADHD presentations.
- Inattentive: The student has difficulty staying on task and focusing on a skill and becomes easily distracted when they don’t understand a topic. While they’re not disruptive in class, they often miss assignments and earn lower grades because they struggle to stay organized.
- Hyperactive: The student’s behavior is disruptive in class due to difficulty controlling their impulses, and their actions may be perceived as “hyperactive.” These students are often referred for ADHD assessments at early ages due to their classroom behavior, or they may get into trouble more often than their peers.
- Combined: The student exhibits both inattentive and hyperactive traits. They may struggle to focus and stay organized in some contexts, while demonstrating impulsive behavior in other areas.
As a result of the delay in developing academic and social skills, students with ADHD tend to have lower self-esteem and consider themselves poor learners. It’s important for special education teachers to recognize the individual strengths of students diagnosed with ADHD as well as those who may exhibit the symptoms without a diagnosis, and to avoid using deficit-focused approaches that highlight a child’s struggles and challenges.
Evidence-Based Classroom Strategies for Students With ADHD
There are specific ways teachers can organize their classrooms and curricula to best support students with ADHD. The key is to combine the principles of early intervention with teaching strategies for ADHD students, regardless of their age range. Such strategies and teaching models include:
- Shortened periods of direct teaching
- Clear routines and explicit expectations
- Structured transitions between activities
- Visual support and timers
- Both written and verbal instructions
- Projects with multiple deadlines to keep students on track
- Frequent check-ins with teacher as well as self-reflection
- Scheduled movement breaks
- Chunking information and reducing steps in instructions
Additionally, teachers should reduce classroom distractions by minimizing decorations, prioritizing what they write on the whiteboard and keeping the room organized. Such changes allow teachers with a growth mindset to continuously examine and improve their classrooms and ADHD classroom management plans, creating an optimal learning environment.
Formal Classroom Accommodations for Students With ADHD
Along with classroom and curriculum changes, students with ADHD may require additional school accommodations to succeed academically and socially. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that all students have access to the same education, ensuring that no one is excluded from the learning environment because of their instructional needs.
Common classroom accommodations for students with ADHD include:
- Extended time on tests
- Preferential seating
- Breaks during work periods
- Reduced homework load
- Flexible homework deadlines
- Meetings with counselors or support staff
- Helpful focus tools (such as fidget tools or noise-blocking headphones)
- Frequent check-ins with teachers
- An additional class period with a special education teacher to work on classroom assignments
- Assistive technology options, such as organizational apps, text-to-speech software and digital planners
- Testing accommodations and alternative assessment methods that allow students to demonstrate knowledge effectively
These accommodations are often included in a 504 plan for ADHD or an Individualized Education Program (IEP), depending on the student’s required level of intervention. Teachers, parents and administrators work together on this tailored behavioral plan to select accommodations that lead students toward individualized goals, such as specific grade achievements or skill acquisition.
Collaborative Approaches: Working With Families and Support Teams
While teachers work to communicate with the parents and guardians of all their students, consistent communication among teachers, parents and support staff is crucial when collaborating on an IEP or 504 plan for students with ADHD. This learning team can work together to develop and implement Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and progress-monitoring systems.
Additional members of an ADHD support team include school counselors, psychologists and special education teachers. It may even involve the student, once they reach an appropriate age, in weighing in on their own educational interventions. The ultimate goal of this collaborative effort is to teach the student self-advocacy skills and to promote their ownership of accommodations.
Prepare to Support All Learners With an Online M.Ed. From Southeastern
Students with ADHD succeed academically and socially when teachers and school systems implement research-based strategies and accommodations. If helping students with ADHD is a passion of yours, or if you’re ready to apply years of teaching experience to a new step in your career, consider earning a special education degree online at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Offered by Southeastern’s CAEP-accredited School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, this respected program provides a flexible path for educators interested in supporting students with diverse learning needs and qualifying for related leadership roles. With affordable tuition rates and multiple start dates, the program helps teachers and aspiring teachers become effective advocates and instructional leaders for students with ADHD and other learning differences.
Learn more about Southeastern‘s online Master of Education in Special Education – Administration program.