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- If a child is in a potentially disturbing situation, try to remove him/her from it.
E.g. If he/she is being confronted by another child in the class, divert his/her attention by asking him/her to fetch someone for you.Make sure all staff that are likely to be in contact with the pupil are aware of the problem and have an agreed strategy to deal with situations.
- Try to explain problem to peers and ask for their help in alerting you to potential problem situations.
- Introduce new work concepts very slowly and cautiously and give rewards regularly for success.
- Try to discover the interests of the child and build a sense of friendship through them.
- If the child does have a temper tantrum, do not confront him. If he/she is in danger of hurting himself/herself or others, he/she may need restrained. Try to put him somewhere he/she can be on his/her own.
- Encourage a pupil to indicate when he/she is feeling particularly upset. This could be done by drawing unhappy faces at particular stages of his/her work or in a daily record chart etc. Analysis of this might enable the detection of particular trigger factors.
Reframing
This is a technique in which you change the viewpoint in relation to a situation which has been experienced. You are using the same facts to fit the situation. The idea is to help the pupil see a different aspect of a situation.
Examples:
When teaching, instead of pointing out particular children to answer a question, you might say, “Now I wonder who will answer this question?”
If a child is constantly out of his seat etc, you might say, “Jimmy, you’ve got to choose whether you are going to sit down and listen or whether you will take some work into the classroom next door until we’ve finished this activity.”
Further Information
Helping Children Cope with Anger
Social and Emotional Skills Programme  (from www.snip-newsletter.co.uk)
http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/page.cfm?pagecode=PUNP
Several booklets for young people have been published by the Foundation for People with Learning Difficulties.
All children will challenge rules and authority at times often just to test the boundaries, and althought they break the rules and say they hate them, children need rules to make them feel secure. To teach young children how to behave you can try to make it like a game; for example when you want the children to stop and listen you might hold up your palm and have the children do the same. You might teach them that when you hold up one finger it means stand up, two fingers means push your chair in and stand behind it while three means sit down. Doing this means you don’t have to raise your voice!
Other ideas which avoid oral confrontation include using a stop watch each time the lesson is interrupted. The time is taken off some of the children’s choice time, e.g. breaktime, free play etc.
Try drawing a graph on the board with x and y lines. Make a line across the the x line which is the acceptable noise level. Each time the noise goes above this place an x above the line. You could also mark below the line if noise is specially low. Helps the children understand graphs as well as improve their behaviour.
- Try to make instructional language simple, e.g. STOP, LOOK, WAIT
- Be definite when you want them to do something, e.g. I need you to …. This shows that the child doesn’t have a choice – this is something which has to be done.
- Give limited choices, sit on this chair or that chair. Are you going to do the writing or the drawing first?
- Where possible, don’t respond orally to bad behaviour, e.g. take the object they are fiddling with off him while continuing to talk to others.
- Remember anger is temporary and is normal. The child will calm down again.
- Time out seems to work for young children. A child who isn’t behaving appropriately is made to stand/sit away from activity for a number of minutes equal to their age.
- Older pupils may work in a yellow/red card system where the yellow card is placed on their desk as a warning.
- Try to avoid the anger rising – find opportunities for praising good behaviour. Make sure you say what you are praising, e.g. Well done for sitting quietly in your chair.
- If you see a potential anger situation arising, try to get in first and say something positive.
- Ignore the bad behaviour if possible. After incident try to get opportunity to praise.
- Move closer to the pupil or ask if he/she needs help.
- Ease tension with a joke but not sarcasm. Try to develop non-verbal language for praise, e.g. thumbs up.
- Try to show you understand the reasons for him/her being angry but suggest alternative methods of showing it, e.g. words or drawings.
- Try to have an exit plan – maybe the pupil will be asked to ‘go on an errand’.
- Do not ‘bear a grudge’ – let the pupil see that once incident is over then he/she starts with a clean slate.
- Discuss with group what they feel is causing the anger. Perhaps they can suggest strategies which might help to avoid the situation happening.
Useful Information
A Violence Prevention Curriculum
Behaviour Assessment Tool
Behaviour Charter Template
Ideas for P.S.E. Citizenship Studies
Individual Behaviour Plans (blank example)
(completed example)
Promoting and Sustaining Good Behaviour in Schools
Making Positive Rules
Anger Management Practical Guide (source: Anger Management A Practical Guide by Faupel, Herrick and Sharp)
Becoming a good Listener – template sheet for PSE
Identifying Problem Behaviour Checklist
Learning for Life
Pupil Motivation Checklist
TOOT Observation Sheet - tick sheet for inappropriate behaviour
Social, emotional and behavioural skills
Behaviour Support Toolkit
Further Information
Behaviour for Learning – a website resource for teachers
Here are some basic strategies which have been proven to help pupils with ADHD in the classroom. Remember: don’t panic! Many children with ADHD will show great enthusiasm and energy for learning at times too.
- Try to seat pupils close to teacher and away from windows or doors or other obvious sources of distraction
- Try to sit pupil beside others who are good role models.
- Use worksheets which have broken the tasks down into simple bite-size steps.
- Try to alternate lessons, physical with sitting down activities.
- Set short, achievable targets and give immediate rewards on completion.
- Use large type and provide only one or two activities per page. Avoid any unnecessary illustrations.
- Keep classroom rules clear and simple.
- Give the child responsibilities; use him/her as a volunteer to write on board etc.
- Use praise and attention when behaviour is good.
- Maintain eye contact with the pupil during verbal instruction, but do not insist on the child making eye contact with you
- Encourage the child to verbalise what is to be done, first to the teacher and then to him/herself.
- Use checklists for each subject which the child can tick on completion.
- Try to provide a visual timetable of lessons or activities; children with ADHD like predictability. You could perhaps have the timetable symbols on velcro and when that activity is finished actually remove the symbol and place on the finished or done side. This gives a reminder of what has already happened and what is to come; it also allows for quick substitutions for the suddenlys. Build in a choice or two along the way to give the child some element of control.
- Use consistent routines for getting out and putting away equipment.
- If child has a temper tantrum, take him/her aside or remove him/her from class as quickly as possible. Remain calm, talking quietly. Do not let him/her see you are upset.
- Some pupils with ADHD will be helped by listening to soft music on headphones, although there are possible implications for the rest of the class
- Consider having a seat/area for a pupil with ADHD to move to for individual work but try to ensure that there are also plenty of opportunities for social interaction/ group work too.
- Remove all objects not required for the task from the pupil’s desk
- Assist the pupil with personal organisation as much as possible. This is especially an issue in post-primary schools where pupils may have a wider range of subjects and associated books to remember.
- Make sure that the instructions for homework are clear and that the pupil has correctly noted what is required before leaving.
- Maintain close communication with parents/guardians who can assist in organising the child for the day ahead (correct books, homeworks etc)
- Reward appropriate social behaviour whenever possible
Further Information
An excellent guide to ADHD and how to facilitate learning in the classroom for pupils with ADHD is provided in the 2004 publication of ADHD: A Practical Guide for Schools (see http://www.deni.gov.uk/adhd_-_a_practical_guide_for_schools.pdf )
A short but very insightful Teachers’ TV video looks at the challenges of meeting the needs of children with ADHD in a primary classroom (see http://www.teachers.tv/videos/primary-behaviour-adhd-in-the-mainstream)
Checklist for ADHD indicators (source: Questions Publishing)
Teaching Children with ADHD
Some questions to consider (Please post a comment):
- In your experience which of the above strategies are most effective in working with children with ADHD?
- Are there any further strategies you would want to add to the list?
There is growing concern over the increasing use of Ritalin which is matched with the spiralling numbers of children diagnosed with ADHD. Ritalin is a Class 2 amphetamime and has a similar effect to cocaine. There are concerning reports that the tablets are now being traded in school playgrounds etc. As well as having the stimulant effect of other amphetamines, they are being used by girls as appetite suppressants.
Further Information
http://parenting.ivillage.com/gs/gslearning/0,,3q9,00.html
The behaviour of children with problems of this kind is likely to vary from situation to situation and from day to day. One day the child may seem quiet and withdraw and refuse to engage in conversation, answering only with a grunt. Other days they can seem friendly and sociable. They may seem unable to control their emotions and are likely to have aggressive outbursts. They can be very sensitive and because their self-esteem is low cannot ‘take a joke’. They are more likely to see it as a criticism. They may also act as if they expect to be blamed for everything and have a persecution complex. They often have little regard for the feelings of others and can be bullying or aggressive to others.
If appropriate strategies to help these pupils are not put in place, they are at risk of suspension or even expulsion (NI) (RoI).
Case Studies
Teaching Strategies
People who can help: SENCO/Resource Teacher
Books
Further Information
Won’t they just grow out of it? (source: The Child Physiotherapy Trust)
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/library/emotionalintelligence/
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/socialandpastoral/sebs1/seal/
Children may fall into this category for all sorts of reasons. They are likely to have some or many other difficulties which cause frustration and lead to undesirable behaviour. They may have difficulties socialisation with other people; they may find it hard to accept authority; they may be looking for attention or they may be using avoidance tactics to get out of doing something which is causing frustration. *see also emotional/behavioural difficulties.
The kind of behaviour that is often exhibited would include shouting out at inappropriate times in class, bad language, refusal to do what is asked, annoying other children, refusal to sit down, demanding of immediate attention, destroying of property.
If appropriate strategies to help these pupils are not put in place, they are at risk of suspension or even expulsion (NI) (RoI).
Case Studies
Teaching Strategies
People who can help: SENCO/Resource Teacher
Books
Further Information
Challenging Behaviour and Cerebral Palsy (useful for general info too)
http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/page.cfm?pagecode=ISSICB
Challenging Behaviour and Learning Disabilities
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Is a developmental disorder
- Is often hereditary
- Affects children at all stages of education.
- Estimates suggest it could be as common as 3-6% of the school population
- The Hyperactive-Impulsive type is more common in boys
- Can be co-morbid with other disorders
What to look out for:
It should be noted that many children show weak concentration, act without thinking or become over-excited at times. However there are some children whose difficulties are exceptional in relation to inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity. These difficulties impinge on their learning and the children themselves are often unable to control them.
Some typical manifestations of ADHD include the following:
The child doesn’t seem to be able to control his activities or attention. He/she has poor concentration, finds it hard to settle down and is always on the go. He/she is not good at organizing things, finds it hard to take part in anything requiring sustained effort and will not wait for others. He/she often acts or speaks without thinking; has difficulty following instructions or completing tasks.
The behaviour will occur in more than one situation, e.g. at home and at school. He/she may also have poor sleep patterns and difficulties interacting socially. Due to his/her inattention he/she often underachieves and reading difficulties are common, although his/her academic ability can be low, average or high.
The diagnostic criteria for ADHD are those found in DSM-IV (APA, 1994). Diagnosis depends on observation of behaviour and there is no one single test to aid with diagnosis. Often teachers, parents, educational psychologists, paediatricians, GPs and/or psychiatrists are all involved in making reports but the final diagnosis is usually made by a paediatrician or child psychiatrist.
The DSM-IV (APA, 1994) has suggested that there are three types of ADHD:
- ADHD (Inattentive type)
- ADHD (Hyperactive-Impulsive type)
- ADHD (Combined type)
Interventions
1. Medication: Ritalin and Dexamphetamine are used as stimulants to increase the neurotransmitter levels in the brain. The effects only last for about fourhours and it is likely that the medication will need to be administered during the school day according to the school policy. The first dose is usually given after breakfast as these medicines tend to decrease appetite when present in the body. By waiting till after breakfast the child will not lost their appetite for an important pre-school meal. Since these are stimulants, some children will experience insomnia if they are given more than two doses per day.
Case Studies
Teaching Strategies
An Article Explaining Why It Seems They’re Not Listening
People who can help: SENCO/Resource Teacher
Books
Further Information
http://www.deni.gov.uk/adhd_-_a_practical_guide_for_schools.pdf
http://www.teachers.tv/videos/primary-behaviour-adhd-in-the-mainstream
Questions to consider (Post your comments below):
- In your experience is there now a greater acceptance of ADHD among teachers than in the past in NI/Rep of Ireland?
- Do some common myths about ADHD persist among some teachers/in society? (e.g. that ADHD is due to poor parenting)
Andrew is thirteen and is in year 9 in high school. He has been diagnosed as having ADHD and has been taking Ritalin for the last eight months. He is in your form class but you also teach him four times a week. You have just begun the new academic year.
In class you quickly notice that Andrew often goes off-task very quickly and does not finish the work which has been set. He can make careless mistakes and appears not to be listening when you are giving instructions. When you ask him to complete any activity which lasts longer than five minutes, he becomes distracted and will often then distract the other pupils around him. As a result of his lack of attention he rarely remembers the right books for your class and seldom completes his homework. His school bag and homework diary are a mess. 
Strategies
Questions:
1. What type of ADHD do you think Andrew has from the description above?
2. What could you do to help Andrew learn more effectively in your class and in his other classes?
Post your comments below:
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