Teacher Tips: Your Room Set-Up and ADHD Students

Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate themselves to our children! We know how difficult it can be working with ADHD children, so here are your teacher tips for the week, brought to you by the ADHD Information Library and ADDinSchool.com. You can read over 500 classroom interventions at http://www.ADDinSchool.com.

Right from day one, make clear rules and post them, with logical consequences and with rewards.

Move the ADHD student's desk to where there are fewer distractions. Close to the teacher to monitor and encourage, or near a child who is better able to focus.

Privacy boards can work well, but should never embarrass the child.

Students with attentional problems do better in classrooms with four walls than in an "open pod" arrangement. Open pods allow too many visual and auditory distracters throughout the day.

It is usually better to use of rows for seating arrangement and to try to avoid tables with groups of students. Often the groups are too distracting for the ADHD child.

In the ideal setting, provide tables for specific group projects, and traditional rows for independent work. Of course, we are rarely in an ideal setting.

Every once in a while, try arranging desks in a horseshoe shape to allow for appropriate discussion while permitting independent work.

Your student's desk should be near the teacher (for prompting and redirection), away from other challenging students, and not touching others' desks. However, if you notice that your student looks around a lot to see where noises are coming from, because he is very auditorily distractible, he may benefit from being seated near the rear of the classroom. Experiment with seat location in the front of the classroom (near the board) and instructional area if your student is more visually distracted.

It is important for the teacher to be able to move about the entire room and to have access to all students. Practice "Management By Walking Around" in the classroom. The more personal interaction, the better.

Have all of the distractable students seated nearest to place in the class where you will give directions or lectures. At least as close as possible without being punitive.
To minimize distractions, seat the student away from both the hallway and windows

Keep a portion of the room free of obvious visual and auditory distractions. Have at least a part of the room free from bright, loud, or distracting objects.

Use desk dividers and/or study carrels carefully. Make sure they are used as a "study area option" rather than as a punishment.

Your student will function better when able to anticipate times requiring increased concentration. A visual representation of the day's schedule will provide another opportunity to internalize classroom routine.

Your student tends to lose focus and his activity?level may increase during the day. Therefore, schedule the most demanding attentional tasks in the morning.
In our desire to provide an engaging classroom for students, try to be aware of the auditory and visual distractions present. Attempt to place your student where these would have the least effect.

Seat those really smart and quiet girls next to the ADHD child.

Stand near the student when giving directions or presenting the lesson. Use the student's worksheet as an example.

We know that teachers are neither God to control the weather, nor the janitors to control the thermostats. But as best as you can, provide comfortable lighting and room temperature.

Use individual headphones to play white noise or soft music to block out other auditory distractions. Be sure the music is not too interesting so that it becomes a distraction.
It has become somewhat fashionable to play classical music, or baroque music, quietly in the background while students are working. This may, in fact, actually work.
Provide a quiet, carpeted space in the room as a special study section for independent reading.

Many students often bring their own distractions (toys) from home. Try to make a classroom rule about appropriate time/place to share them with classmates and limit their appearance in the classroom and on the desks. Establishing certain categories for classroom sharing on certain days can limit the number and type of items brought to school and make it more successful for the students.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.

Parenting requires perseverance
San Angelo Standard Times, tx - 34 minutes ago
Actually, I think it was more that I was going to be the perfect parent. After all, even before I had children, I knew about original sin. ...

San Diego Union Tribune
Look at Sarah Palin's record, not her parenting
The Grand Rapids Press - MLive.com, MI - 16 hours ago
By Nancy Crawley As Sarah Palin makes the case for being the next vice president, there is one question she should not have to answer: What about the kids? ...
Video: Joe Biden On Palin's Speech CBS
Palin coverage is insulting to mothers Paradise Post
Sarah Smile Spot-On
The Swamp - Tribune's Washington Bureauall 2,408 news articles

Rutter: In parenting policies, the US gets a 'C'
Milford Daily News,  USA - 17 hours ago
But, when it comes to the amount of time parents are entitled to take and the provision of subsidies that make it affordable for workers to take the time to ...

Twin Falls Times-News
Parenting in 'grand' style
LocalNews8.com, ID - 21 hours ago
Then they became more like little Tristn's parents. The couple got legal guardianship of Tristn Griffis after their son divorced the boy's mother, ...
Parenting in 'grand' style Twin Falls Times-News
all 4 news articles

Xinhua
Ignore parenting tips from Lynne Spears
Arizona Republic, AZ - Sep 5, 2008
by Suzanne Condie Lambert - Sept. 6, 2008 12:00 AM In the upcoming tell-all - Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World - Mama ...
Don’t Worry Sarah Palin, Jamie Lynn Spears Feels Your Pain hecklerspray
Lynne Spears Orders $60 Worth Of Baby Gift For Sarah Palin's ... AHN
Jamie Lynn Spears sends pink burp cloths to Bristol Palin with a ... Examiner.com
New Republic - Glosslipall 183 news articles

Wayne Bennett backs positive parenting push
Courier Mail, Australia - 8 hours ago
By Melanie Christiansen PARENTS should watch what they do and even how they speak to others in front of their children, Broncos rugby league coach Wayne ...

Parenting classes set for Tuesday
Pittsburg Morning Sun, KS - 17 hours ago
Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center will host the next session of Parenting 101 at 7 pm Tuesday in dePaul Hall. Parenting 101 is a free class that helps new ...

Parenting taking center stage at seminar
Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, TX - 20 hours ago
By Jessica Sanders An upcoming seminar, “Parenting is Heart Work,” doesn’t offer a cure-all for parenting problems, but does provide a unique approach ...

Obama Campaign National Finance Committee Member Criticizes ...
ABC News - Sep 5, 2008
Gutman said the issue wasn't one of gender but one of parenting – regardless of the gender of the parent. "This has nothing to do with gender, whether Todd ...

Parenting takes toll on teens
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - 13 hours ago
"And it's crazy to know somebody depends on you the way that you depend on your parent." Spears, the Academy Award-nominated film "Juno," the pregnant teen ...

Picky Eater Kid Nutritional Guidelines

Although many children are picky eaters at some stage in their lives, the experts say... Read More

Hiking with Children

There is nothing quite like hiking with small children. The thrill of introducing these young... Read More

Bad Company

Here we will come to know who are the most responsible person to make your... Read More

Would You Hire This Teacher?

Imagine you were the principal of the school that your child would be attending. Imagine... Read More

Really Good News About Your Children?s Video Games

Research published by University of Rochester neuroscientists C. Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier has grabbed... Read More

Parenting Your Teenager: 8 Things You Need to Be Doing

Get into their world. The world that teens are growing up in is not the... Read More

Build Character Now! Practical Tools for Busy Parents

"To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace... Read More

Aptitude, Achievement, Processing Deficit - What Does It All Mean?

You are sitting with the professionals who know about learning disabilities. They have been explaining... Read More

Are Public Schools Anti-Parent?

Some public schools try to turn children against their parents with scary classroom stories or... Read More

Ten Ways to Help Your Child Make Friends

Nothing touches the heartstrings of a parent or teacher more than the plaintive cry "nobody... Read More