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What is ADD?
Individuals with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) exhibit chronic, severe inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity
to the point that it interferes with their ability to function in daily life. Such students are often forgetful and
readily distracted and find it difficult to focus in class. Those with inattention often daydream and seem apathetic
or sluggish to others. Their energy is concentrated internally instead of externally, causing their movements
and responses to appear slow. In some cases, ADD is characterized by extreme, constant energy and movement (Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder). Students with AD/HD often act impulsively, are more stubborn and prone to temper tantrums than their peers,
and have trouble sitting still as well as playing quietly. ADD is not a learning disability, but it can be accompanied
by learning disabilities. ADD differs from learning disabilities in that it is categorized as a health impairment (not
a specific learning disability) under IDEA. Like learning disabilities, however, ADD can make it difficult for a student
to perform math calculations and complete reading assignments. Likewise, many teaching strategies used for students
with learning disabilities have also proved effective for students with ADD (Turnbull et al., 2002).
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One mom's experience with an ADD child
Natalie*, a teacher in Rhode Island, shares her experience of having a child with ADHD. Her son, Gregory*,
begins second grade this fall and has not been diagnosed with any disabilities besides ADHD.
How does Gregory's ADHD manifest itself?
"ADHD is
a brain disorder that affects all aspects of normal living - not just school learning. It is very difficult for Gregory
to keep still and to concentrate on one thing at a time. His brain is very scattered - like a radio picking up many
frequencies at once. He gets very distracted and has a very hard time keeping to a single task - whether it is a math
assignment, or paying attention to a teacher in class without being distracted by all the other students, or reading or listening
to a story without his thoughts going off on a wild tangent, or just eating a meal. (Often he will spend the whole school
lunchtime talking and will forget to eat until it is too late and he has to clean up and go out to recess). Sometimes
the simplest things - such as getting dressed - can take a really long time, because he gets distracted and starts doing something
else, forgetting what he was originally supposed to be doing. His doctor has assured me that although his attention
deficit will continue to be a problem, his hyperactivity should lessen with time."
What advice would you give to other parents with ADHD children in school?
"The
most important thing is getting the ADHD properly diagnosed. We feel so lucky that Gregory was diagnosed at such
a young age, and that we have been able to get help for him. So many kids don't get diagnosed until they are much older
(high school or older) and have been through such hell. If you have understanding teachers who don't just think you
have a bad kid, it makes a big difference."
How well have Gregory's teachers accommodated his ADHD?
"Half-way
through his kindergarten year, Gregory's school (a private school) said that they were not going to give us a contract for
the following year unless his behavior changed drastically and quickly. That is what led us to having him evaluated
by a child psychologist and by his pediatrician, who happens to be an authority in ADHD. Once he was diagnosed and put
on the first of various medications that we have tried, his behavior improved enough that the school agreed to let him come
back for the first grade, under a kind of probation. His first grade teacher was wonderfully understanding, supportive,
and patient with him. His other teachers (he has separate teachers for Science, Computer, French, Music, Art, and Phys
Ed.) were not so understanding and patient. They saw him less frequently - about twice a week - and saw him as mostly an inattentive
and disruptive kid. The comment I would often get from these teachers was, "I know he can't help it, BUT he is such
a disruption and he has to learn to control himself." As a teacher, I have had kids with this disorder in my classes
and I know how difficult it can be. The teacher has to think of the well-being of all of the kids in her class.
It really isn't fair for a kid to be a constant distraction and to demand more than his fair share of attention from the teacher.
It hurts the other students. I think, however, that there are ways of dealing with the situation so that the attention-deficit
kid can learn without being a distraction for the other students. It might depend on the set-up of the classroom, but
such things as creative seating arrangement and physical contact (touching his head as you roam the room to remind him of
his task) can help. I think that it really is not fair for parents to insist that their child not be medicated and expect
that the teacher just deal with it. However, with parents and teachers working together, it can work!"
Does Gregory take medication for his ADHD?
"[He takes]
Concerta, which is a time-release medication, so he only has to take it once a day."
Some people believe that the increase in the past decade of prescribing Ritolin
and other drugs to difficult children reflects a "quick-fix culture" and that we are over-medicating children. How would
you respond to this criticism?
"There are all sorts of problems that could make a child 'difficult'.
ADHD is only one. Gregory had a friend at school who was also 'difficult' and whose contract was withheld
for first grade at the same time that Gregory's was. When we got Gregory diagnosed and on medication and his behavior
started improving so drastically, the parents of that child seemed to think that it was unfair that we were able to get such
a "quick fix" for Gregory. They wanted to know which doctors we had seen. They seemed to want to have their child
diagnosed with ADHD too (he was not!).
"There are different degrees of ADHD and different ways of dealing with it. Believe me, the drugs are not a quick
fix. This is not a disorder that just goes away with a little pill, but the right drug (and there are many) can do just
enough to help a child's brain to fire a bit more normally. This is not meant to be a quick fix for the benefit of parents
or teachers, but for the child. It is painful to think of all those children with this disorder who have to go through
most of their lives labeled as "difficult" and who struggle with aspects of life and learning that come so easily to others,
when the right medication can help so much." (E-mail interview, 8/4/03)
*Not their real names
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Strategies for working with ADD students in the classroom
Students with ADD generally respond best when teachers engage multiple strategies to
accommodate their needs. First of all, teachers can help motivate students to learn by making lessons relevant to their
lives, by introducing new or freshly presented material, by incorporating a variety of types of activities, by giving students
choices in their learning, by including hands-on and interactive activities, by making sure that students are being challenged,
and by providing them with immediate feedback. Also effective are behavior plans that divide tasks into smaller tasks
and grant awards based on a point system. When appropriate, the right medication can greatly benefit a student struggling
with ADD. Teachers can further assist students by helping them to develop their self-efficacy (sense of control over
one's environment). An understanding of personal strengths and needs, knowledge of when to ask for help, and solid
organizational skills are all essential with self-efficacy. Finally, extra time for tests or oral tests instead
of written tests can also help ADD students (Turnbull et al., 2002).
| Josefina Lopez |
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When asked why she juggles so many commitments (parenting, writing,
film directing, and running a community theatre), Josefina López, Los Angeles screenwriter of the 2002 film "Real Women
Have Curves," replies, "I have ADD. Having ADD creates sort of a hyper-reality.
. . Everything's about energy, about a teeter-totter effect. . . . The disorder is about action; you're bored very easily." Says one of her students at a screenwriting class she teaches, "Josefina teaches
in such an unconventional, wonderful way. It's like being in a screenwriting class, comedy club and motivational workshop
all at the same time! You come out of each session bursting with knowledge, joy
and self-confidence." (Whole Life Times, June 2003).
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For more information
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