Between two and five percent of children suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to the Spanish Federation of Associations for Assistance to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (FEAADAH), a disorder (not a disease) that has no solution, although it is true that the symptoms tend to relax over the years.
But while growing up, the child does not fit in the classroom and often suffers the negative consequences of stereotypes of teachers and classmates who qualify him as a 'conflicting child', causing his academic and social delay. But nevertheless, schools with appropriate methodology for these small 'different' show that with measures adapted to their needs they can enjoy a successful school life.
Elena Montaña Ruíz, responsible for the Department of Orientation of the Ideo School, tells us what they consist of.
A normalized school that is committed to inclusion
The key to success in working with children with ADHD is, according to Elena Montaña, in "adapt the center to the child, not the child to the education system", a system that, ensures, benefits the entire educational community, not only to students with difficulties.
And it seems that his system works, since it is one of the few schools in Spain specialized in this type of disorder and attended by parents with children already diagnosed. "Children with less visible problems, such as dyslexia or ADHD, do not feel stigmatized in our classrooms, since we work very early so that they are not pointed with the finger"he points out.
Because Ideo School, according to the head of the Guidance Department, is a standardized school where "We incorporate the student who presents difficulties and adapt the system to the child with very simple strategies":
In Babies and more How to know if my child has ADHD: symptoms, tests, how to proceed, how to avoid a false diagnosisStrategies to help children with ADHD
1. Class programming. The teacher begins his session by writing on the board the guidelines of his session, contents, hours, etc. It benefits the child with hyperactivity, but also the rest of the partners. Because the child with TDHA needs to put the tasks first, know what is going to happen (content, competence, fear what will be treated ...).
2. Have a clock in the classroom. That way each teacher can adjust the time to the development of the class: guide what they will do in each hour. If they know what happens at each moment and when it is, for example, the time of recess or going to eat, they focus on what the teacher says.
3. Use an agenda. It helps them write what material and what tasks they should take the next day. In Ideo they call it 'traveling notebook', because they try not to have an agenda format, and it is a communication system between parents, teachers and students. Help parents keep an eye on their child, know what they have to do.
4. Cooperative work. It is very good for students with Attention Deficit, because their groupmates reinforce and redirect them when they are clueless. For children with capacity difficulties or lack of habit, we will assign the most enjoyable contents and activities and involve them in the use of different resources.
5. Look him in the eye. It is the way teachers have to make sure they have understood the task they have to do. Simply after giving the lesson, they approach the child and staring into his eyes, ask if he knows what he has to do.
6. Visual reinforcements. Exhibit in the classroom, in view of all, the weekly schedule and, next to each hour, drawings or pictograms that reflect what each activity consists of, until they get used to it. They have a hard time focusing on time, so if we anticipate what will happen we are helping them. An example: put a sticker of a house on the last activity, so that you know that when that time arrives (you can look at the clock) you finish classes and go home.
7. Give him some responsibility. The child with ADHD usually has low self-esteem, because he has always been indicated as clueless and has an impact on school failure and absenteeism. Therefore, when you trust him, he is encouraged because he sees that he can and goes to a happier class and wants to do things.
We can encourage you with positive reinforcements of the type: "The work is simple and I'm sure you're going to do it right."
8. Work for projects. With these children the form of traditional education does not work: to study two subjects by heart. They are emotionally very vulnerable so if they are evaluated like this, they will get frustrated and end up failing.
That is why they work better for projects and are evaluated for them. There are written tests as well, but they count less, they are not the whole evaluation. And it is a good practice for all students (even when they arrive at the University) because they get used to defend their ideas, to work as a team.
It is important that you understand that the process and the attitude to the exam are valued, that everything counts.
9. Organize space-time concepts. They have trouble understanding them, so you have to let them know when it's morning or afternoon, what do you do before eating and after ...
It may be useful to establish a work calendar with objectives to be met within a certain time (deadlines). It will be delivered to each group, giving a margin of flexibility.
10. Multidisciplinary coexistence plan. The guidance team is made up of eight people and we have weekly meetings to discuss specific situations. We are committed to a school coexistence plan from Infant to Baccalaureate with the joint participation of parents, teachers and students. In addition, we attach great importance to the activities, fundamental to understand the differences of children.
More motivating techniques
In the same way, the recommendations for the CADAH Foundation classroom move "to generate growth mentality, to make them believe that their skills and competencies are improved based on training and effort", and thus reduce your attention fluctuations. They add to the previous strategies:
11. Make him understand that work is effort and that you will have to work hard to do it well, although you have to give you the possibility to choose between several work activities and varied information search tools, introducing, for example, new technologies.
12. Anticipate possible reinforcements: "the works will be exhibited on the board, these will be discussed in other classes ...", and how useful they are for your daily life.
13. Begin the topic by inquiring about the knowledge that students have in relation to the subject.
What is ADHD?
"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a disorder of executive functions, performance, not learning" (Barkley 2005).
This is defined by the Association of People Affected by ADHD in Madrid (ANSDHA). Explain what "Those affected are people with real difficulties to work with what they know or have previously learned what is reflected when demonstrating the knowledge acquired at the time of running a test".
He points out as the main difficulties:
Attention capacity impaired before a complex and long task, which has difficulties in structuring, organizing and planning information.
Few language skills of written narration.
They make mistakes during exams when identifying relevant ideas and expressing them in an orderly manner. The discourse is poor, disorganized, free of important aspects and with no relevant interference.
Impulsiveness It causes precipitation in the answers, devoting little time to important aspects and too much detail.
In Babies and more High intellectual abilities and ADHD: why do both diagnoses sometimes get confused?Due to its heterogeneous nature, it is important that a qualified professional be consulted to carry out the diagnosis (child and adolescent or adult psychiatrist, neurosurgeon, neurologist or pediatrician) who has extensive experience in its diagnosis.
The Cadah Foundation points out that most cases are discovered at the beginning of Primary "When social and academic demands increase and greater attention and control over themselves is required, which causes greater difficulties and clearer symptoms."
Discrepant opinions: it is not a disease
ADHD affects the attention of the boy and the girl, who is not able to carry out certain routines and is described as impatient, inopportune, restless, wanting to do something when he does not touch ...
This is how Elena Montaña describes the labels that hang children with Attention Deficit, and point:
"Every child is a world and you don't have to fall into generalization, even if it's easy to do it."
