School
support:
 What
are hyperactive difficulties?
Hyperactivity is an excessive level of activity, often associated
with Attention Deficit.
Advice
for the classroom
-
Environment:
Seat the pupil near the front of the class, and beside your
desk if possible.
Seat him/her among children who do not normally have difficulties
with behaviour or sustaining attention, if this is feasible.
-
Motivation:
Consider negotiating a target-setting and reward scheme, to
focus the pupil upon the need to increase the amount of time
spent ‘on-task’.
To help the pupil stay on task realistically, put an egg timer
in front of him/her, and let him/her take a ‘moving-about
break’ after he/she has managed a chunk of sustained and
silent work.
Try to set pieces of work as a sequence of smaller units where
possible, to help him organise him/herself and his/her ideas,
and meet deadlines.
Let the pupil know immediately and clearly if he/she is not
working as well as he/she should, and that you will discuss
it with his/her parents.
Try to keep academic pressures and demands at a level where
the pupil can see him/herself achieving them.
Be endlessly patient in recalling him/her to the task in hand.
Use a dictaphone for homework diary, and as a daily personal
organiser.
-
Classroom management:
Avoid confrontation – offer choice and compromise.
If/when meltdown happens, allow space and time, and postpone
discussion.
-
Motivation and self-esteem:
Reassure the pupil that lots of famous and successful people
have similar difficulties.
Let the pupil know you are aware of his/her difficulty, and
that you are sympathetic – but that you have high expectations.
Be specially generous with praise and cautious with criticism.
Praise can be a natural motivator as long as the child feels
the praise is genuine and deserved. It is important to let the
pupil know why he/she is being praised rather than just to provide
praise. In a behavioural reward system with extrinsic rewards
such as stickers or points, the child can easily see why he/she
is being praised. This can be an effective motivator, as long
as the rewards are meaningful and appropriate.
School
issues
Ensure that all the pupil's teachers know about the difficulty
and understand its implications.
Negotiating behaviour targets, and rewards, can be very helpful,
and is best done in close cooperation with the family.
Rest breaks and prompters are permitted by some examination boards,
and may be worth requesting.
If the problem is severe, medication may be indicated, following
medical referral via the GP.
Suggest to the family that they consult with a dietician –
try to reduce additives in food.
Books
& articles:
Alban-Metcalfe, John and Alban-Metcalfe, Juliet (2001) Managing
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the Inclusive Classroom:
practical strategies for teachers (Fulton) – the pros and
cons of medication, and case studies of successful inclusion.
British Dyslexia Association, the Dyslexia Handbook, produced annually
by the BDA, contains many short articles on dyslexia and associated
difficulties, details of providers of resources and of British Dyslexia
Association branches throughout Britain and Europe.
Cooper, P. and Bilton, K. (2nd edition 2002) Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder: a practical guide for teachers (Fulton)
– a sound practical guide.
Cooper, P. and O’Regan, F. (2001) Educating Children with
ADHD: a teacher's manual (RoutledgeFalmer) – managing in the
classroom.
Copeland, Edna D., and Love, Valerie L. (1992) Attention without
Tension: A Teacher’s Handbook on Attention Disorders (3C’s
of Childhood Inc, Atlanta) – a comprehensive guide which gives
a useful understanding of the field of attention deficit disorders
(ADD) and attention deficit disorders with hyperactivity (ADHD).
The authors acknowledge five major factors as contributory causes
of ADHD and ADD, including heredity, organic factors, diet and allergies,
environmental toxins and other medical problems. They also acknowledge
that social, cultural, educational and stress factors can cause,
or exacerbate, attentional problems in many children.
Green, C. and Chee, K. Y. (2nd edition 1997) Understanding ADHD:
A Parent’s Guide to ADHD in Children (Vermilion).
Hawley, G. (2002) SpLD Resources: a guide to the help available
to parents of children with special needs – a useful 80-page
compendium of information covering difficulties with reading and
writing (dyslexia), numeracy (dyscalculia), handwriting (dyslexia),
developmental coordination (dyspraxia), language impairment, autism
and ‘attention deficit disorder’. Contains details of
the national organisations that address it, together with a list
of books, pamphlets and websites. The guide costs £4.50, including
p & p, from Gillian Hawley (cheques to Gillian Hawley SpLD account),
The Old Bakery, Radwinter Road, Ashton, Essex CB10 2ET (01799 584424).
Readers in East Anglia, Rutland, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
receive a free 30-page supplement listing more than 150 special
needs teachers in the district.
Javorsky, James (1993) Alphabet Soup: A Recipe for Understanding
and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – A
Handbook for Parents and Teachers (Minerva Press) – a comprehensive
and informative guide to both parents and teachers who are involved
with children with ADHD. It outlines the characteristics of ADHD
as well as of some of the causes of diagnostic procedures, and provides
suggestions for dealing with ADHD by altering the classroom environment,
developing individual learning plans and giving medical treatment.
A useful appendix contains a parents’ guide to test results
and outlines of individual learning plans
Kewley, G. (2001) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: recognition,
reality and resolution (Fulton) – accepts the medical model,
but offers invaluable advice and insight. .
Lloyd, G. and Norris, C. (1999) ‘Including ADHD?’,
Disability and Society, 14, 4, 505–17.
Munden, A. and Arcelu, J. (1999) The AD/HD Handbook (Kingsley).
O’Regan (2003) How to teach and manage children with ADHD (LDA) excellent introduction to the subject for mainstream teachers and teaching assistants.
Pentecost, D. (2000) Parenting the ADD Child, Can’t do? Won’t do? (Kingsley) contains strategies for managing behaviour problems in children with ADD and ADHD.
Rasmussen, P. and Gillberg, C. (1999) ‘AD(H)D, Hyperkinetic
Disorders, DAMP, and related Behaviour Disorders’, in Whitmore,
K., Hart, H. and Williams, G. (eds) A Neurodevelopmental Approach
to Specific Learning Disorders (MacKeith Press).
Reid, G. (2003) Dyslexia: A Practitioners’ Handbook (Wiley,
3rd edition).
Rief, S. (2003) The ADHD Book of Lists (Wiley) – information
about definitions, interventions, medication and legal issues: a
useful resource for parents and professionals.
Richardson, A.J. (2002) ‘Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD –
Can Nutrition Help?’, paper presented at Education Conference,
Durham County Council, June 2002
Richardson, A.J. and Puri, B.K., (2000) ‘The potential role
of fatty acids in Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)’,
Prostaglandins Leukotr. Essent. Fatty Acids, 63, 79–87.
SpLD Resources, www.dyslexia.org.uk hosts a guide to the help available to parents of children with special needs – a useful compendium of information covering difficulties with reading and writing (dyslexia), numeracy (dyscalculia), handwriting (dyslexia), developmental coordination (dyspraxia), language impairment, autism and ‘attention deficit disorder’. Lists details of the national organisations that address a range of SEN needs, together with a list of books and pamphlets.
Spohrer, K. (2002) Supporting Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive
Disorder (Questions Publishing) – photocopiable activities
for any age, at home or school: covers brain gym, yoga, sequencing
exercises, affirmations and nutritional advice.
Stein, D. B. (1999) Ritalin is not the answer – a drug-free,
practical program for children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (Jossey-Bass).
Woods, K. and Reason, R. (1999) ‘Concentrating in exams:
The use of prompters and breaks’, Educational Psychology in
Practice, 15, 1, 20–4.
Programmes,
Games and Software:
Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Attention Disorder Treatment (DDAT)
DDAT is the name given to the exercise-based treatment (Dore and
Rutherford, 2001) based on the cerebellar deficit theory (Fawcett
and Nicolson, 1994; Nicolson and Fawcett, 1999. This theory implies
that the cerebellum has an important function in relation to dyslexia
and other learning difficulties and their hypothesis supported by
earlier work on automaticity and more recent work on the role of
the cerebellum in language.
The treatment programme also implicates other aspects of neurological/biological
development such as the functioning of the magnocellular system,
the inhibition of primitive reflexes and fatty acid deficiencies.
Controlled studies which have sought to provide clinical evaluation
of the DDAT treatment have been implemented and reported (Reynolds,
Hambly and Nicolson (in press), although earlier reports on improvements
have not been without criticism, Wilsher (2002) commented on the
‘placebo effect’ in this type of treatment.
While the transfer of these improvements to reading has yet to be
demonstrated, it is encouraging that physiological and cognitive
changes have been noted, and additionally it is encouraging that
the developers of the programme are utilising data from school-based
as well as clinic-based programmes in their evaluations.
Dore, W. and Rutherford, R. (2001) ‘Closing the Gap’,
paper presented at the BDA 6th International Conference on Dyslexia,
York, on Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Treatment Centres (DDAT) – also see the DDAT website (www.ddat.co.uk)
for latest research reports
Wilsher, C. R. (2002) ‘A miracle cure? “Tonight with
Trevor McDonald”, ITV, 21.01.02’, in Dyslexia, 8, 2,
116–17.
Useful
addresses & websites:
Much useful information is available on the Dyslexia UK website:
www.dyslexia.uk.com.
Other helpful sites include:
ADHD/ADD natural solution – www.iwr.com/becalmd
ADHD behaviour management – www.StressFreeADHD.com
Attention Deficit Disorder Association – www.chadd.org
and www.add.org
A wide range of books on ADHD (and dyslexia, available online with
reviews) is available from www.adders.org
and www.addwarehouse.com.
See also the publications from Guildford Press and Psychology Press
(www.tandf.co.uk).
ADHD diet – Feingold Association: the Feingold diet for ADHD
– www.feingold.org
ADDISS The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information Service
– website: www.addiss.co.uk
ADD/ADHD Family Support Group (UK), 1a High Street, Dilton Marsh,
Westbury, Wiltshire BA13 4DL; tel: 01373 826045.
ADHD UK Alliance, 209-11 City Road, London EC1V 1JN; tel: 020 7608
8760.
Dyscovery Centre, 4a Church Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 2DZ;
website: www.dyscovery.co.uk
– a multidisciplinary assessment centre for dyslexia, dyspraxia,
attention deficit disorder and autistic spectrum disorders.
Dyslexia in Scotland, Stirling Business Centre, Wellgreen, Stirling
FK8 2DZ; tel: 01786 446650;
website: www.dyslexia-in-scotland.org
Dyslexia Institute, Head Office and National Training and Resource
Centre, Park House, Wick Road, Egham, Surrey TW20 0HH; tel: 01784
222300; fax: 01784 222333;
email: info@dyslexia-inst.org.uk;
website: www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk
Dyslexia Institute, 133 Gresham Road, Staines, Middlesex, TW18
2AJ; tel: 01784 463851; website: www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk
Dyslexia Research Trust, website: www.dyslexic.org.uk
– a detailed site giving current research, newsletter, conferences
and publications, upcoming talks and lectures.
Dyslexia UK charity, website: www.dyslexia.uk.com
– a knowledge site providing information and guidance on all
topics relating to dyslexia.
Fledglings, 6 Southfield, Ickleton, Saffron Waldon, CB10 1BE; tel:
0845 458 1124;
e-mail: enquiries@fledglings.org.uk;
website: www.fledglings.org.uk
– a free product and service search for families of children
with special needs, for educational items and developmental toys.
Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre, Frensham, Farnham, Surrey GU10 3BW;
tel: 01252 792400; website: www.arkellcentre.org.uk
Hornsby International Dyslexia Centre, Wye Street, London, SW11
2HB; tel: 020 7223 1144; website: www.hornsby.co.uk
Hyperactive Children’s Support Group (HACSG), 71 Whyke Lane,
Chichester, West Sussex PO19 2LD; Helpline: 01243 551313; email:
web@hacsg.org.uk; website:
www.hacsg.org.uk – suggests
reactions to certain foods as the cause of children’s difficulties.
Mental Health Foundation – website: www.mentalhealth.org.uk
– produces a clear and useful booklet All about ADHD.
National Association of Special Educational Needs (NASEN), Nasen
House, 4-5 Amber Business Village, Amber Close, Amington, Tamworth
B77 4RP; tel: 01827 311500; fax: 01827 313005; email: welcome@nasen.org.uk
; website: www.nasen.org.uk
National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) – the ADHD
section on the website (www.nice.org.uk)
has some authoritative facts and figures.
Office for Advice, Assistance, Support and Information on Special
Needs (OAASIS), Brock House, Grigg Lane, Brockenhurst, Hants SO42
7RE; helpline tel: 09068 633201;
website: www.oaasis.co.uk – an advice, training and
resource centre for parents and professionals.
Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (Patoss), website: www.patoss-dyslexia.org
www.dyslexiaa2z.com
www.dyslexics.org.uk
– highly recommended coverage of things that can be done at
home.
Home
support:
What
are hyperactive difficulties?
Hyperactivity is an excessive level of activity, often associated
with Attention Deficit.
How
will this affect my child?
Your child will seem over-energetic, restless and fidgety. He/she
will not often be able to sit still and concentrate on one thing
at a time, and will be always on the move.
He/she will be impulsive, and rush through things.
He/she will blurt things out without thinking, and may not be good
at seeing the consequences of his/her actions.
He/she may seem disorganised, and unable to finish off things that
have been started.
Homework is likely to seem a considerable chore, as will anything
that is not specially enjoyed and requires effort.
He/she will probably be under-performing at school.
He/she may appear to be badly behaved, careless and unmotivated,
and is likely sometimes to be in trouble in school.
How
can I help?
If the problem is severe, medication may be indicated, following
medical referral via the GP.
Consult with a dietician – try to reduce additives in food.
Children who are hyperactive actually require a lot of rest, although
they often do not want to. Try to encourage rest, in a quiet room,
even for just a few minutes.
Homework:
If supervising homework, only expect short periods of intense
effort – allow frequent breaks.
Allow only one activity at a time – e.g. using the computer,
then listening to music or watching television. Your child may have
a preference for simultaneous stimulation such as listening to music,
watching TV and working on homework at the same time. This should
be avoided: try to reduce stimulation to one thing at a time.
Dim lighting may be better than bright lights for reading and writing.
Try to allocate a quiet area for homework with no distractions.
Music or television can be used during breaks as these may help
to relax your child and make him/her more able to resume work.
Before your child starts on a piece of work, ensure he/she has
all the materials he/she needs – if he/she moves around to
get a piece of equipment or a book, this will introduce a distractive
element.
Always check over the homework when it is finished. Very importantly,
when it has been marked, ask him/her if it was correct and go over
the teacher’s comments with him/her.
It is always best to link with the school as far as possible –
a space for parent’s comments is often available in homework
books.
Motivation:
Children with hyperactive difficulties may be interested in everything
or nothing. It can vary, but usually they do not get as much pleasure
from learning as they should, because they are not processing the
information deeply enough. It is therefore a good idea to try to
follow up any activity they have been engaged in with some questions
and a discussion – even if they were only involved in the
activity for a short time.
Rewards are always a good motivator, but ensure that the reward
is valued by the child. When giving rewards to motivate, it is important
that these should be consistently applied and attainable.
Effort and Fatigue:
Hyperactive children can often expend more effort than other children
in completing a task. It is important therefore when doing homework
to allow for short breaks between periods of work, to allow your
child to rest.
Children with attention difficulties require overlearning in order
to consolidate new learning. This means that they may take longer
to fully assimilate the new material. In order for new learning
to be fully assimilated, it is necessary for the child to use the
information which is being learned, in as many different situations
as possible. Encourage him/her to talk about what is being learned.
Behaviour management:
Reward and reinforcement are necessary. This can be achieved through
praise and by trying to raise your child’s self-concept. Rewards
should be achievable and worthwhile. You will know what type of
reward is likely to be successful with your own child. But one of
the key factors is consistency. This gives the child security and
a structure which is necessary in order for him/her to focus his/her
attention on a task.
Try to make any behavioural management strategy as constructive
and as positive as possible. While punishment may be justified in
some situations, this should be in the form of withdrawing rewards.
Rewards may have to be provided frequently, as long-term goals
are too far off for some children to be meaningful. Try to find
some form of reward which can be frequently applied, rather than
one major long term reward.
Provide alternative activities as much as possible, so that when
your child is finished with one activity he/she can turn to another
one which has been pre-planned.
Hobbies and interests:
It is not unusual to find the hyperactive child being involved
in some way in a extraordinary amount of interests and hobbies.
Many of these are fleeting, however, and it is preferable to limit
them to only a few. This will help your child take more interest
in and persist with one or two hobbies, and make it more possible
to cement friendships with others sharing the same interest.
It is important that friendships are formed, as this can help in
self-esteem and help children with ADHD difficulties to develop
a feeling of self-worth. This is important for channelling their
abilities in a positive rather than a destructive way. Try to encourage
friends to visit your child at home, but limit these to one or two
at a time.
Where
can I find out more?
The technique called Mind Mapping© is usually an effective
way to remember items visually, and this technique also helps to
organise items. The Mind Map© Book by Tony Buzan (BBC Books)
provides good examples of the use of this strategy.
ADDISS The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information Service
– website: www.addiss.co.uk
ADHD UK Alliance, 209-11 City Road, London EC1V 1JN; tel: 020 7608
8760.
Alphabet Soup – A Recipe for Understanding and Treating Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Parents and Teachers,
by James Javorsky (1993) (Minerva Press) provides a comprehensive
and informative guide to both parents and teachers who are involved
with children with ADD. It outlines the characteristics of ADD as
well as some of the causes and diagnostic procedures, and provides
suggestions for dealing with ADD, including medical treatment. A
useful appendix contains a parents’ guide to test results
and outlines of individual learning plans.
Dyscovery Centre, 4a Church Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 2DZ; tel: +44 (0) 29 2062 8222; fax: +44 (0) 29 2062 8333 website: www.dyscovery.co.uk – a multidisciplinary assessment centre for dyslexia, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder and autistic spectrum disorders.
The Dyslexia Handbook, produced annually by the British Dyslexia
Association (98 London Road, Reading, RG1 5AU; website: www.bda-dyslexia.org.uk),
contains many short articles on attention difficulties usually associated
with dyslexia, but can still be a useful resource and provide some
tips for home support, details of providers of resources and of
British Dyslexia Association branches throughout Britain and Europe.
Fledglings, 6 Southfield, Ickleton, Saffron Waldon, CB10 1BE; tel:
0845 458 1124;
e-mail: enquiries@fledglings.org.uk;
website: www.fledglings.org.uk
– a free product and service search for families of children
with special needs, for educational items and developmental toys.
Mental Health Foundation – website: www.mentalhealth.org.uk
– produces a clear and useful booklet All about ADHD.
Office for Advice, Assistance, Support and Information on Special
Needs (OAASIS), Brock House, Grigg Lane, Brockenhurst, Hants SO42
7RE; helpline tel: 09068 633201;
website: www.oaasis.co.uk – an advice, training and
resource centre for parents and professionals.
Ritalin is not the answer – a drug free, practical program
for children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, by D. B. Stein (1999) (Jossey-Bass).
Much useful information is available on the Dyslexia UK website:
www.dyslexia.uk.com
Other helpful sites include:
ADHD/ADD natural solution – www.iwr.com/becalmd
ADHD behaviour management – www.StressFreeADHD.com
Attention Deficit Disorder Association – http://www.chadd.org
and www.add.org
A wide range of books on ADHD (and dyslexia, available online with
reviews) is available from www.adders.org and www.addwarehouse.com
. See also the publications from Guildford Press and Psychology
Press (www.tandf.co.uk).
ADHD diet – Feingold Association: the Feingold diet for ADHD
– www.feingold.org
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