More Helpful Tips for Teachers of Children with ADHD

• This child craves praise and encouragement more than the average child. Even if the successes are small, encouragement pays off in higher self-esteem and self-confidence.

• Help discover the hidden talents and strengths of the child. Building on the strengths in childhood can build a great foundation for work and leisure in the adult years.

• Be aware that the typical child with ADHD has poor social skills and doesn't read nonverbal communication well. They can easily misread a situation. Role playing after the fact can help this child see how a situation might have played out. Asking, "How do you think you might do things differently next time?" can lead to improved problem solving skills as well as improved social skills. This is an excellent exercise for both home and school.
• Work with the parents to establish consistent rules and similar rewards. This also demonstrates to the child that you're working with the parents and communicating with them.
• Pairing an ADHD child with another student can sometimes assist concentration and organization. Peer tutoring can work wonders helping the child with ADHD stay focused. Sometimes just the nearby presence of a successful student assigned to help can make all the difference in the world. This also encourages the development of social skills.
• Passing out a prewritten assignment list can help not only the ADHD child but also children with other disabilities to successfully complete homework. Emphasis on responsibility is shifted to the actual assignment rather than on poor organizational skills, visual perceptual skills, or dysgraphia, (a handwriting disability).

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