Teachers need to be empowered to understand their students. Knowing what your student needs is vital. Knowing how the child learns is as important as the solution to change. Teaching new and innovative strategies creates a useful and successful learning pattern. This innovative approach supports a new way of learning for the student that increases competency and self-esteem.

Parents know that answers to their problems exist, but they need to know how to ask for them. They need to know their rights. They need to know what programs are available and what a school system can and cannot provide. Parents need to understand that they must collect records and data in order to provide the information the school system requires to fulfill their obligation of seeing that each child learns according to his or her potential. Parents need to know the processes they must go through to gain services, what to expect from the system, and how to create a partnership with the professionals who can help their child.

Together professionals and parents need to be positive, looking forward, able to put emotions aside in order to allow action to begin. We all know that there is a lot of concern, but being specific and focused helps the process move smoothly. With this communication and open sharing, successful outcomes are possible.

By working together, professionals and parents ensure the child’s success and make sure every child receives the gift of accomplishment. These are your keys to success. To help you remember, I hope this key will become a constant reminder. I challenge each of you to print it and hang it on the refrigerator to remind you that only by being a team will the outcome provide the child success.

But, you may ask, how do I get the answers because I need to put this into place? Whether you are a parent or a professional, CHADD has a great program designed just for you. I have an inside track to know that several day-long workshops are planned that will be presented around the country to address how to advocate for each and every child! Is that awesome or what?

Parents and professionals will spend a day learning how to advocate for the child who has special needs. They will learn how to receive help in determining what services may be necessary in order to meet these various needs. Participants will learn what their rights are under the law, understand early intervention, response to intervention, 504, IDEA, ADA and other issues that may be new to them, or old labels that never made sense. Come learn how to communicate by creating a partnership between parents and school. Learn how to use positive interaction, be aware of the importance of documentation, and what questions to ask as you develop an IEP or 504 Plan.

Why bother taking the time and energy to be informed? Listen to a parent with a teen-aged son: “If only I had known how to tell the school what my child needed, he wouldn’t have had to struggle so long. Thank you for making our lives easier.” Or the parent of a ten-year-old: “This workshop cleared the way for my family. Now services are in place, my daughter receives support and is successful for the first time in her life.”

Spread the word! Here is the information about the first of these advocacy workshops.

My Child Needs Help!
Seminar on Child Advocacy
January 28, 2012
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Atlanta, Georgia Area
Cumberland Academy, 650 Mt. Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, GA 30338
Directions: www.cumberlandacademy.org
Sponsored by CHADD
Presenters: Mary Durheim, CHADD National Past President
Joan K. Teach, PhD, CHADD Advocate and Special Educator
Local Hosts: Georgia Workgroup: CHADD-GA, LDA-GA, Kids Enabled
Advocates for all special-needs youngsters are welcome.

Mary and I hope you will join us in the near future. Can’t get to Georgia? Bring us to you!

Joan

Why do youngsters with ADHD seem so unable to follow directions? Following directions involves the ability to complete one or a series of verbal or written commands. Students with ADHD are mentally able to grasp the concepts, but no matter how hard we try to make them clear, these students consistently fail to comply. Let’s analyze the reasons as they relate to inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
 
Inattention
• Unable to sustain focus during the instruction time 
• Thoughts focused on other issues
• Possibly being distracted by things in the classroom
• Hearing only bits and pieces of the instruction
• Assuming the instructions were just like yesterday’s, so he doesn’t need to think about them
• Experiencing a language processing difficulty and getting stuck on one word or phrase
• Fearing failure, there is no need to listen

Impulsivity
• Begins knowing what to do anyway
• Distracted and fiddles with objects around them
• I’m stupid and I can’t do it
• I hear you talking but I’m already in gear
• Hearing the first part of the instruction, student begins before taking in the whole plan

Hyperactivity
• My motor is already running, if you want me to do it, let me begin
• I’ll race you to finish first
• This is a piece of cake, why do it
• It has to do with writing, and I can’t force my motor to go there

For whatever reason, each student may need to be guided through baby steps to learn to follow directions. As adults we look at following directions as one unit, a thing, but it is not. Following directions is a process. The reason teachers get so upset and frustrated with students is that:
1. They wrote the directions.
2. Their directions were perfectly clear as to what they meant.
3. They have seen the same pattern of directions for years and can’t understand why the students aren’t getting it. It’s not their fault that this doesn’t work; it’s the way the system works!

Let’s get back to the reason students have difficulty. Learning to follow directions is a process. Like many processes in education, youngsters who have ADHD need to be taught in incremental baby steps, for some do not learn to process automatically. Each of us learns differently. Let’s look at the way following directions progresses and the incremental steps involved.

1. Basic Instruction
a. Give me the cup.
b. Draw a circle.
c. Turn in your paper.

2. Expanded One Step
a. Show me the one that is not red.
b. Do not pick up the brown one.
c. Pick up only the red blocks, no matter what size they are.

3. Basic Two Step
a. Draw a circle and a square.
b. Close the door, then sit down.
c. Write your name on the upper righthand corner of the paper.

4. Expanded Two Step
a. Throw away the trash from your lunch before you begin your assignment.
b. Write your name on the paper and do the odd problems from 9 –27 on page 345 in your math book.

5. Complex Directions
a. As you come into class, turn off your cell phones, turn in your assignments and be ready to fill in the parts of the cell body as shown on the board.

Our students want to comply and have the desire to please, but multiple sets of directions baffle them. The constant fear of failure, being wrong, and not doing the assignment right, completely debilitates a student, lowering his or her self-esteem. Punishment by giving the student a zero for incorrectly done assignments creates harm. The student’s reaction is: “I’ve failed again, so why try?” The zeros continue, and the student continues to fail, proving his own self-fulfilling prophecy. If he could have done it right, he would have. ADHD-related sensitivity leads to frustration and giving up.

Let’s look instead at ways to increase success and booster the skills needed so these students can have the equipment they need.

Just this month, a brilliant young ninth grader stormed into my office with a “Dr. Joan crisis.” He was so upset that I had a hard time deciphering what had happened.

Lance had returned to public school this year, and was determined to be a great, successful student. Four weeks into the school year, he is already frustrated. Apparently, he is taking advanced science and had a project that he just adored working on. He spent many hours at night researching, designing, constructing, and writing up his report. His dyslexia got in the way, his ADHD made time on-task agony, and his impulsivity made him re-do many parts of the construction as waiting for glue to dry just wasn’t his thing. But he finished on time! When the grade was announced, he got a B-minus. He asked the teacher why. He thought everything was perfect—but the report was to have been typed and put on poster board.

It was definitely time to get to the teacher and play let’s make a deal. Yes, he failed to follow directions. Considering his considerable dysgraphia, and the fact that his handwritten report was both neat and legible—plus the fact that his accommodations mention his dysgraphia and ADHD—he made an appointment with the teacher to plead his case. He stated his difficulties and negotiated with the teacher to change his grade to a 98, considering the content of his presentation.

Lance learned that advocating for yourself in light of your weaknesses does indeed at times make a difference. But, failing to follow directions to the letter of the law can be debilitating. Lance’s next assignment is now underway. His strategies include:
• Rereading the directions at least once a week as he works on the project.
• Rechecking with the teacher periodically to be sure he is on-track.

Students with ADHD often find themselves in Lance’s shoes. Therefore, once you know the level of complexity of the assignment you are giving, look next at the number of processes each student must use to remember the list of directions they must follow. How many students in your classroom can automatically follow these directions? What can you do to increase the number that are successful?

Remember Charlie Brown’s teacher who wha, wha, wha’d, spouting the directions in a monotone, making it difficult to follow and understand? Many of us state what we want more clearly, but at times rely only on the spoken word to relay directions to our students. Although this is the quickest and easiest delivery method, it is the least productive for getting results.

Reflect on the following progression for attaining success.

Verbal—being told
• The least efficient manner of instruction
• If we add a written list of instructions, our probability of success increases.

Verbal—being told
Visual—written list
• If we add visual enhancements such as drawings to our written list, our chance of success increases.

Verbal—being told
Visual—written list
 Visual ++ pictorial enhancement
• If we add a demonstration to our instructions, the impact on memory compounds.

Verbal—being told
Visual—written list
 Visual ++ pictorial enhancement-color coding
 Demonstration—playing charades
• If we involve the student in the activity by writing down the assignment, acting out the assignment, drawing the steps of the assignment, the student becomes involved in rehearsal and begins to internalize the directions. Think multisensory approach to learning, yes, even to following directions.

Verbal—being told
Visual—written list
Visual ++ pictorial enhancement-color coding
Demonstration—like playing charades
Student replicates all aspects of the directions placing them in memory by saying, writing, doing, drawing or more.

So often we write the assignment on the board, ask students to copy the list of instructions, and move on. Students with grapho-motor difficulties often cannot read what they have written, and the squiggles resulting have little or no meaning. With pictorial representations, students can at least get the visualization and perhaps copy their own graphics or hieroglyphics as the case may be. At the end of the session, before turning the students loose to work on the assignment, have several students demonstrate, tell, or pantomime how to do the assignment. You may say this takes time; however, if half of your students are not following directions adequately, I ask you, is the time really wasted?

Other techniques to help students retain your instructions

1. Hand out just the directions that commonly appear at the top of a math page. Highlight key words.
• Round the following numbers to the nearest hundred.
• Convert the measuring units as indicated.

 2. Teach the Problem Solving Notebook routine, step by step. Have them follow the steps below, which are slightly adapted for our students who have ADHD.
a. Read the problem carefully, out loud as a class chorus.
b. Highlight first process in yellow. Perform that process.
c. Cross out unnecessary information. XXXXXX
Pause: What do you do first, next? Proceed.
d. Always show your work, don’t do it in your head. 
e. Don’t erase your mistakes, cross out instead. XXX
Pause, check if you are on track so far.
f. Draw a picture that illustrates the problem.
g. Reread your problem and check your answers.
h. Write in your own words how you got your answer.
Posters and materials are available at http://www.math-problem-solving.com;http://www.abcteach.com/free/p/poster_strategiesforwordproblems.pdf;
http://abcteach.com/directory/basics/math/problem_solving/.

3. Online interactive stories that guide the student to write, invent, and process as they go, avoiding the need to have elaborate directions and develop successful creative writing. You can find examples here.

  4. George Washington Directions. Do not tell students, but if you follow the directions you will outline the silhouette of George Washington’s head. Washington’s profile is created on a grid 20 squares wide and 25 squares long. Directions found at Education World: George Washington Teaches Map Directions.

 5. The Magician’s Apprentice. Teaching the skill of following directions requires a little hocus-pocus in this lesson. Students re-create magic tricks, evaluate the clarity of the instructions, and teach an apprentice how to perform a trick.

6. Critics of Cuisine. As food critics, students follow directions to create culinary delights and then critique the recipes and the flavor of their products! This lesson seeks to capitalize on the healthy appetites of kids and their love of cooking to improve their skill in following directions.

Be the ultimate teacher by providing interactive ways to follow directions. Be sure you understand the language ability of the students in your class.
•  Keep directions short, simple, and action-oriented.
•  Make eye contact, especially for that child who may need your assistance for focus.
•  Use visuals, over and over again. Create a pattern—for example, GREEN means it is important; RED means watch out, something may trick you, etc.
•  Provide written lists of important instructions, homework.
•  Print extra instructions to staple in students plan books when handwriting is an issue.
•  Post your instructions on your teacher e-page so everyone has a chance to get it right.
 •  Use voice modulation to get your message across. Sing the assignment; clap to the to-do list; rock-n-roll; beat out the word; whisper or chant, holding hands in a circle.
• Remember variety is a necessity or the message gets lost.
•  Constantly have students rehearse what they are to do.
      At the end of the day do a STOP-LOOK-LISTEN.
      STOP: do you have x,z,y assignment?
      LOOK: do you have the book, page, etc.?
      LISTEN to rehearsal of full assignment.
•  Encourage the use of technology: digital memory recorders to tape assignment pages, etc., and the more sophisticated APs for tablets and players.
•  Break everything down into baby steps.
 • Use photos to create timelines, large calendars with circled dates.
•  Encourage checklists, teach backplanning.
•  Add rewards or naturally occurring perks.
•  Redirect noncompliance, as punitive measures fail to increase compliant behavior.
•  Visit Tina’s World, an interactive video based on following directions from earobics.
•  Try How Well Can You Follow Directions?
•  Following Directions with Goofy.

For classroom fun, try some of the following.

Create a bear hunt.
• Each child brings in a bear (or other toy) to hide.
• Each child creates the directions to find their bear.

Scavenger hunt
• Hunt for items.
• Describe where to find the object.
•  Teams follow directions.

Follow directions to make a sandwich
•  Teams construct the sandwich according to different instructions.
•  One team member records sequence of events.

Phil’s Bait Shop
Playing roles as new employees in a pet shop, students offer advice to customers, answer questions, and create a handbook of instructions for new fish owners.

Follow a recipe
Everyone knows what happens when a cup of flour becomes a teaspoon, and a teaspoon of salt becomes a cup.

Simon Says
Active activities lead to conscious need to follow directions.

Following directions worksheets can be found for all levels to middle school.

Parachute Drop
Students experiment with gravity as they follow directions to create parachutes that will carry paperclip passengers safely to the ground.

SchoolExpress
Find 16,000, free create-your-own via themes, history, math. Try the ages 3 to 6 worksheets on Following Directions.

Intersperse activities throughout your curriculum. Make your focus to deliberately teach the skill of following directions.

Directional worksheets
Draw a small fish in the middle of the page. Draw a large shark over the fish. Put a small x at the lower left corner of the page. Color the shark blue and the small fish red.

Puzzle activities that require sequencing
Word search
Hidden pictures
Color coding labeled areas that create pictures ( color all 4’s blue)
Draw a _____ in this box (http://www.schoolexpress.com)

YouTube type language enhancements for following directions; lively and fun http://www.freelanguagestuff.com/following-directions.

And last, but not least, try this age-old spoof on following directions. Write a list of directions as follows:

1. Read all of the following directions before you do anything.
2. Print your name, last name first then your first name and middle initial (if you have one), at the top of the page.
3. Draw a line through the word “all” in direction 1.
4. Underline the word “directions” in direction 1. 5. In direction 2, circle the words “your first name.”
[continue listing directions numbered from 4-12]
13. Place a circle in the center of the square.
14. Place an “x” in the center of the triangle.
15. Now that you have read all of the directions as instructed in direction 1, follow directions 2 and 16 only.
16. Please do not give away what this test is about by saying anything or doing anything to alert your classmates. If you have reached this direction, make believe you are still writing. See how many of your classmates really know how to follow directions.

You can view samples of this spoof on the following websites:
•  http://www.sir-ray.com/Directions%20Test.htm
•  http://www.byteright.com/nancy/index.cgi/noframes/read/6373
•  http://kiwiyert.tripod.com/following_directions_read_2.htm
High Reach Learning even provides teachers with a credit-based training module. Their approach is to help guide your thinking of how you can train Following Directions in your students.

Throughout the ages our students have faltered and failed by not following directions. One of the most common errors made during exams is failing to read and understand those constantly interfering directions. You are our teachers: My ADHD friends and I challenge you to look at our shortcomings, but support our need to learn. Directions will be with all of us for a lifetime; help us improve now.

Joan

When they told me I would have to sit still for two hours, I was shocked. Then panic set in. As some of you are aware, with my own ADHD I have only two speeds: full speed ahead and dead stop. I knew I didn’t have any gears that fell in between. I seriously wondered if I could really sit still that long, but faced with the challenge, I was going to try.

The technician began the prep work and soon I was fitted with a mouth full of rubber, space-age glasses that wrapped my face, and tilted in the chair so that a light was peering intently into my frozen grin. I had briefly considered reading via my Kindle, but the apparatus and position made that impossible. I did want to sit still… but how was that going to happen?

I soon became petrified that I would just explode and run out of there like a scared rabbit. I instantly remembered the kids who resembled deer in headlights as they approached one frightening school moment after another. I related to that feeling of insecurity, being scared, knowing that any move was the wrong one, unsure, completely frozen, and feeling that you were not quite alive on this planet.

As I sat there trying to calm my desire to flee, I tried to place myself in the minds of those youngsters who were just as frightened as I. My brain hopped relentlessly from one situation to another, dredging my web of experiences to find just what I had used to calm their fears and keep my need to be in motion in quiet submission. I had calmed many a youngster over these past fifty years. Surely I could control myself now!

Then it hit me: I could try QiGong, the art of slow meditative movement, but more importantly, the act of slow, deep breathing to create relaxing control.

Long ago, there was a parent at my school who was related to a QiGong master. One year he gave a session to the teachers prior to the opening of school. We all felt relaxed, revitalized, and ready to take on the year’s challenges. We started using the breathing and movement to begin our weekly staff meeting and we all found it helpful. With his support and guidance, before long we began to have QiGong exercises at the beginning of the day, sometimes as part of recess.

We came to rely on the calming effect of QiGong. When minor upsets occurred during the school day—when classrooms went from okay to chaos in a flash—teachers initiated a QiGong break to regain calm and help the youngsters to learn to relax. It wasn’t a magic bullet, but through its soothing, relaxing effect, calm began to take hold.

We decided to do in-house research by observing our students. We began by rating the children on a behavioral scale that scaled acting-out behavior. The entire school was dedicated to the needs of the neurobiologically challenged youngster, so acting out was part of our daily lives. By the end of the first year, 80 percent of the youngsters prone to explosive outbursts,  showed a  20 percent reduction in the number and frequency of their explosions. By the end of the second year, most of the youngsters showed the ability to initiate their own calming when given a hand signal reminder. At the end of the third year, youngsters who began off the scale in acting-out behaviors were beginning to find their own calming devices.

I do not present this as a research-founded program, but one that was easy to implement and showed great benefit for those who took part. After the first year, new students readily patterned those who were already in the program and those reticent to participate began to change their minds.

Why did we choose QiGong? First, because it was readily available, but then we realized that the deep breathing basis of the movement was giving the youngsters and staff a feeling of calm that they were not used to experiencing. Secondly, you don’t just tell an ADHD youngster to stop moving. Using storylines and other patterning techniques, the youngster could follow the movements, their sequence and feel a part of the experience. As with dance and music, the body flowing together was significant for relaxing and calming.

I sincerely believe that most of us had never really known what that feeling of calm felt like. Regulating body, breath, and mind created a new sensation and laid a foundation for control that was not otherwise available. The storylines began with those available, but soon the children created some of their own as they had more meaning. Look to the end of the blog for a few samples.

Breathing my way to calm

Okay, so what happened to me in the dentist chair? I couldn’t stand sitting and doing nothing, and as soon as my mind went into problem solving or organizing mode, my fingers twitched because I couldn’t write notes (so necessary as my short-term memory is always absent). I began to do the deep breathing from my days with QiGong. I was a wonderful patient and voice student as I reached deeply into my diaphragm and brought air in an incredibly slow manner, releasing it just as slowly instructing my body to relax segment by segment from head to toe. I counted the breaths and moved in and out.

After the first fifteen minutes I discovered I could pace my breathing to seventy deep breaths every fifteen minutes. For the mathematically inclined this is about one breath every thirteen seconds to sanity. The first fifteen minutes were trial at best, but by the last I had it down pat. I was in control and frankly so relaxed I almost fell flat on my face when I got up from the chair. I had met my challenge, but also remembered so many of my youngsters who went from frazzled to calm. I’ve learned that some are still able to pull it together when our closing hand signal clues them.

I gave up the daily QiGong practice long ago, but the calm I felt in the dentist’s chair that day led me to return to breathing and movement as my own therapeutic move toward wellness and control. And now I share the experience with all of you.

We all have times of being frazzled and spent. This gift is your small antidote to teacher burnout and a return to sanity. You don’t need formal training. The Internet and YouTube are full of instructional packages. 

We began with simple breathing and movements. Eight Pieces of Silk was the pattern the youngsters felt indicated their success when they could accomplish this with slow, focused rhythm from beginning to end.

AWAKENING THE QI
Deep breathing. Very slow, gentle raising and lowering of body and arms. Good for opening a QiGong set.

AUTUMN BREEZE BLOWS THE LEAVES
Gentle side to side turns of the waist and neck. Very calming and soothing.
Arms relaxed, out to the side like floating limbs and leaves.

CATCH A RAINBOW
Reach high into the air, breathe deeply.
Catch the rainbow.
Pull it to you. Push it to the ground
Wrap it around you, feel the colors making you warm and happy
Lullwater Student edition 1999

CLOUD HANDS
Gentle reaching to the sky, turn the waist and neck.
Place the cloud in your hands, put it on one hip, reach and catch another, bring it back, place it on the other hip.
Release each cloud back into the sky. It will go back again to the sun.
Lullwater Student edition 1999

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE
Good exercise for all areas of the back. Incorporates calf raises and sweeping shoulder movements. Also good for clearing the lungs of stale air and promoting better balance.

EIGHT PIECES OF SILK
Standing with feet shoulder width apart, arms at side.
1. Push up the heavens
2. Draw the bow
3. Raise the arms one at a time
4. Turn the head from side to side
5. Circle the arms (swaying the head and wagging the tail)
6. Stretch out the hand, grab, pull, and spear hand
7. Lift the jar and pound the legs
8. Bend the back

Execute the cycle once. Repeat most steps several times before proceeding to the next. General applicability, works the entire body.

References:
http://qigongforbeginners.com
QiGong for Beginners—simple QiGong concepts and the best QiGong guidance.

http://vimeo.com/11377350
Learn Zhan Zhuang QiGong—Standing Meditation.

When looking forward to a new year, teachers both young and seasoned anticipate the blend of youngsters they will face that very first day. At that moment, the blend of personalities coming through your door will create a classroom atmosphere that will determine how the year will play out.

There is the shy, inattentive youngster—taking everything in, feeling inadequate, and questioning whether she is ever right. There is the overly self-confident youngster, sure only her way is the right one. The loud and bombastic character makes his voice an imprint in the class community. The opinionated student knows he’s always right and his way is to be known. Then there is the tormented soul, who never agrees with anyone. The impulsive but creative student thinks out of the box and shows an understanding beyond all others. These are the many faces of our youngsters with ADHD. Each contributes his or her own uniqueness. Each has a radar of sensitivity that questions himself or herself but defends others.

You, as their teacher, have the job of creating a warm atmosphere. You strive for an environment that exudes acceptance of others, an understanding of differences, with tolerance and forgiveness. It is your job to see that all your students are supported and honored for the gifts they bring, that they are safe to explore the unlearned and unknown.

I have a challenge for you… begin your year with Rachel’s Challenge.

Rachel’s mission, and now that of her family, is “to inspire, equip and empower every person to create a permanent positive cultural change in their school, business and community by starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.… If one person can go out of their way to show compassion it will create a chain reaction…”

This activity is simple. Use it instead of asking your class to write the traditional return to school piece describing their summer vacation or activities. Ask instead for each child to record those acts of kindness they did for others. Hand out colored paper strips preferably printed with Rachel’s Challenge – My Act of Kindness and Compassion.

 If your students are more mature, copy out some of Rachel’s statements from her website that share her philosophy of life. Paste these strips into rings, joining them into a chain much like we often do to decorate for holidays and celebration.

Record your own acts of kindness and how you show tolerance of others, how helpfulness becomes a gift. Starting your class on this road to discovery, the chain then becomes a constant reminder of all the acts of kindness and compassion streaming from your classroom.

You may choose to have the students tell about their acts out loud, sign them or not, depending on the nature of the group and your own comfort zone.  But be sure to start your year with positive affirmations.

By now you are probably asking, Who in the world is Rachel? Rachel Joy Scott, age 17, was the first victim of the Columbine High School attack on  April 20, 1999. 

This probably happened before your students were born, and certainly was an incident that should never have happened. Two boys, reacting to negative pressure and bullying had the Columbine High School on lockdown as they went on a shooting spree, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Something good has come of that tragic event, however.

Rachel was a unique teen with a winning smile and inward glow that had a desire to make a difference. Even at age 17 she had goals which included doing for others—including standing up for the other person through acts of kindness and compassion. She was confident and okay with whom she was, okay with being different, and didn’t feel dorky or weird. She expressed this when she wrote to a friend, “Don’t let your character change colors with your environment. Find who you are and let it stay in true color.”

Help your students begin the year by learning Rachel’s message. Help them to define what makes a good person. How understanding works when a person is supportive of others. How it is important to make a best first impression, to be challenged to think of others, and to identify what kindness and compassion are. Help your students to find those acts they have performed: “I opened the coke can for grandma as her arthritic fingers were hurting.” Students need to learn and identify small acts of kindness and learn to celebrate them so they can grow.

Yes, most of your students have been through an antibullying seminar by now, but this is the chance to invest in the positive interaction with one another. It is this understanding that will hit home on a personal note, developing a feeling of inner compassion and become one of the most power preventive measures we can have. The chain becomes a constant reminder and reinforcement of the good one can do toward another.

Hanging the first chain is just a start. Encourage additional chains all year long. Teachers, you will be leading the way by pointing out acts of kindness happening in your class, adding them to the chain becoming a model, encouraging students to add more.

Variations can be made on this common theme, depending on you own creativity, but never limited by thinking out of the box. Students can enlist chain making at home, perhaps bringing them in to share at Thanksgiving.

You can decide to go online and have your class record an Acknowledge an Act of Kindness Card, a postcard of kindness that gets sent along throughout the world. 

Capitalize on Rachel’s words written into an outline of her hand: “ These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott and will someday touch millions of people’s hearts.” Why not try stringing hands with messages, or create a chain of people joining hands? I can envision first-grader Jamie writing, “I helped my Mom without being asked.” And Sam—“I fed my dog.”

However you decide to proceed, the environment of your classroom will be changed. Think of what a better world we could have if everyone did just one nice thing for someone else every day. You will be helping each child to identify with his or her own self-worth and extending this feeling of confidence in self to the act of kindness and compassion for others. You are giving the message that your students’ ADHD, LD, Asperger, Tourette, OCD, ODD or whatever alphabet soup you encounter can be able to find themselves and be comfortable in being just who they are. Rachel is counting on you and so am I.

 Joan

P.S. While you’re preparing for the new school year, be sure to visit the School and ADHD and Teacher to Teacher sections of CHADD’s website for more information on teaching students who are affected by ADHD.

Many thanks to the folks at Learning Rx in Buckhead, Georgia, who introduced me to Rachel. 

My challenge to you, as a dedicated teacher, is to give yourself an inexpensive, stress-free vacation, a renewal of energy, hope, and feelings of self-worth. Vacation, you say, how in today’s tight economy can I afford a vacation? With teacher furlough days, I am barely making ends meet. I have no time, I have Teaching Credits to obtain to keep my license, kids underfoot, friends who think my three months off give me time to do things and be with them. I have a secret for you: If you don’t take care of yourself, there will be no one there for your children; yours, your family, your students.

Summer is the time for renewal. Time to get back in touch with yourself. Time to analyze how you are different. What strengths do you possess that make you the great person you have become? It is time for you to develop a sense of celebrating your achievements and honor the success you have achieved.

Just like during the fall, you need to schedule YOU TIME. You built in time to plan, to grade, to attend staff meetings, workshops. Therefore, it is time to create a schedule with YOU TIME so you can redefine yourself and cherish all the qualities you possess. Teaching is stressful, and none of us can continue in a high-stress life forever without time for renewal.

Begin with your calendar—find a time each day for yourself. It may be a half-hour in the morning before the children awake or after they go to sleep for the night. Your time may be beside the local pool, as your youngsters swim. What about the half-hour before everyone arrives home for dinner? The evening meal may be a bit later, but with the long day folks seldom notice.

Can’t afford that time, as there is so much to do? Laundry to do, clothes to fold, household to tidy, meals to make, errands to run, bills to pay, children to chauffeur, classes to attend, Little League to coach, and a part-time supplemental job. Let me ask you this: What happens if it all doesn’t get done? Does the world end? Granted, paying bills must be a priority, but do it, then reward yourself with time. You are the only one who can give you this privilege and you deserve it.

Next, what do I do with this time? For those of us in the hurry-up world of today, there is always a pile of to-do’s at the end of the day. Slow down. Give your multi-tasking lifestyle a break. Stop: Smell the roses!

Take a moment and reflect upon what passions you have and how you have put them aside. If your passion is reading, find something new, different from your normal focus, and stretch your mind. Read a novel that piques your interest, not a text to teach from tomorrow. Hit the library, the Nook or Kindle corner for their free or 99¢ offer. Wander outside and find a quiet corner. This is a good poolside benefit, or an early morning soothing trip for your mind.

If music is your passion, hunt for a favorite CD. Sit and listen. Give it more focus than just as background noise. Put it on your IPod and listen in your bedroom, then make the bed, instead of doing both at the same time with a get-it-done attitude. Look in the paper for outdoor concerts; many are free on the village green. Take the family or a friend along to share the enjoyment.

Maybe your passion is reconnecting those neurons you worked so hard to establish when you learned French. You have a dream of going to Paris and you want to be able to converse when you get there. Hold on to the dream. Check out French language discs from the library. Use them as your time away from life. A regular session of listening, or for the more visual, the interactive language training series for fifteen minutes a day will raise your competency, make you feel fulfilled, and renew your desire for travel and adventure. If languages are not your thing, explore travel videos, travelogues on the TV, or other fantasy trips to places foreign and unique.

Or maybe cooking is your passion. Use it to the fullest. Find new and exciting meals that support a healthy lifestyle. Enlist your family in picking out the fresh produce; fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and unique pastas so abundant this time of year. Explore farmers markets and local produce stands, selecting for even the pickiest eater. Moving from the McDonald, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A lanes to the household fruit bin does wonders for everyone’s attitude, activity level, and zest for living. That is where we want to go.

If you love the out-of-doors, plan picnics to the local parks, walk wilderness areas, hike the forgotten trail, bring others for a day of fun and exploration. If you’re lucky, you may have a beach or lake close by. If you have small ones and can’t find a sitter, create a secluded hideaway in your own back yard, even if it is under a beach umbrella in a far corner. Walk, bike, swim, play tennis, or just find a park bench and sit enjoying the view. You do not have to be active every moment of the day. Our brains need plenty of outdoor time, as well as plenty of time to just float and reflect.

Remember that it is hot in the summer, and for Atlanta it is already well into the 90s. Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate. For yourself, drink plenty of water and make it a family choice to run with the water bottle in hand. The way we act models for those around us.

You may really love summer because you can watch special shows you never have time to see during the year. Do it. However, make it a mini-vacation by turning off the lights, and really look and listen. For those with technological genius genes, record the show, edit out the commercials, and really have a wonderful viewing session. Most of us are watching while folding wash, editing a paper, or doing myriad other things. Remember: Multitasking really means not doing any of the tasks well. Shut off the distractors and focus. We need that discipline as much as the kids do.

Practice relaxation techniques. Take yoga via a CD, at the Y, or a local class. Learn the art of focusing within. You may also choose some of the other Eastern meditation techniques, or study Qigong or Tai Chi. Relaxation techniques are wonderful once mastered and help to give you the feeling of being centered and at peace with your surroundings. Lowering stress is so necessary to keep in focus and balance with all you have to deal with.

Reconnect with family and friends. Get reacquainted with neighbors and folks from your church or synagogue. Connect with the older members of your family and learn their stories, as they are so prone to tell them. Later you will be glad you did. Create a drop-in barbeque where everyone brings a dish to share. Pot luck at its finest! Have it in the backyard, so you don’t have to clean the house. Or go to a local park where no one can dare to look inside. This is time to enjoy friends: reconnect with some, get acquainted with others. Toxic folks not invited. This is your time to enjoy and renew. Do not let the toxic negativity of others have you question your motives, strategies or reasons. Your reason is simple. They make you less than you are, so stay away. Bring out the balls, bats, frisbees, and horseshoes. An old-fashioned ice cream social, here we come.

Find old friends via chat rooms, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the like. Join Skype for free and create a new sense of warmth between long-distance friends. Again, shy away from those whose negativity gets you down. Be careful you don’t become an Internet slave—relish, enjoy, and delete a lot. Remember, an early day look at your email may last all day. Don’t be kidnapped by the Net!

Why is all of this about you? Because, Teacher, we value you so. We want you to have the best summer ever. We want you to feel the love we have for you between the pages of each book, the song of each bird, the sound of lapping water, and the soft breeze as it passes by. You are special to us and we need you to know this. Have a peaceful, renewing summer filled with pleasant enjoyment.

Joan

Trust can be a noun or a verb, can be used as an idiom, and has viable synonyms. It is one word so small, but so vital and powerful when you consider the balance of trust each of us must have in life.

Trust is one of the areas with which our youngsters with ADHD have a great deal of difficulty. Trust is defined as reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of a person. It is the confidence of expectation that things will work out for the good. But for our youngsters, trust is a word of loss and insecurity. For many of us with ADHD, the phrase trust me has been heard all too often.

Consider how many times a youngster with ADHD tries his or her best, but best is not good enough. Consider how many times impulsive creativity is met with scorn. How many times did she pour out her heart, only to be told her product was unworthy? The fragile self-image of childhood is undermined and the result is a feeling that you are unable to perform. You have lost confidence; surely you are unable to be successful, and certainly you are indeed one of those names you have been called—lazy, clumsy, stupid, ditzy, space patrol, planet surfer, chandelier-swinger, spaz, or moron, and so forth. Is it any wonder that the ability of the ADHD child to have trust in himself or herself plummets after each comment?

Adults report that they are still beset with comments from childhood that never go away. It is as if each one has a backpack permanently attached to his or her mind. The backpack is full of negative tape recordings which, in response to a negative tone, word, or insinuation brings forth the multitude of times when they were told over and over again that their work was of inferior quality, their comment insincere, their behavior inappropriate, their idea insignificant, and their creativity indecipherable. It is no wonder that the child through adult will feel distrust in themselves and a feeling of lowered self-worth. It is no wonder such a person will begin to have difficulty trusting others.

To trust is to rely upon, to place confidence in someone. To trust another to be honest leads to the vulnerability to be bullied. For if you trust someone, you do as they ask. Once the vulnerability is evident the power of the bully has complete control. Once you are under someone’s control, child or adult, your heightened vulnerability makes you unable to move beyond being controlled by another.

To trust should enable you to have confidence, hope, and resilience. These are the powers we must strive to place in our ADHD youngsters. It is imperative that we build confidence by enabling success. For only if one can feel the thrill of success will one begin to have confidence that one can indeed succeed and move beyond the self-doubt. Only then can one begin to trust in oneself and others.

As teachers, one of the most effective ways of developing your students’ trust is to comment honestly and kindly. Pointing out the positive portions of their responses, answers, and projects is important. Remind yourself that they have already heard about their shortcomings. Remember to avoid the use of if only, but if, and I thought you would have, all indicating that even their best response was not good enough. As teachers we so want our students to be successful and to achieve greatness, that we are so quick to point out how much better something would have been if…!

I remember as a child wanting to be able to draw, and I spent hours trying to be creative, often long into the night. The only comments I can recall were how I could have used other colors, media, techniques, and subjects. My most horrifying nightmare came in fourth grade, when I spent an inordinate amount of time drawing a braided rug with a cat sleeping in the center. My mother, bless her well-meaning sarcasm, commented on the spotted cow I had drawn and asked why didn’t I just cut one out of a magazine and paste it on the page. Our impulses of the moment can cut to the quick. When the vulnerability of the ADHD sensitivity is involved, our words must be couched and monitored to hold them harmless.

Many words mean trust: to believe, to rely, to confide, to commit, to entrust, to intrust. Words that radiate from trust include the emotions of faith, hope, belief, and desire. If you do not have trust, you have distrust or mistrust. To trust is to rely on yourself as you become resilient and confident. This simple word is webbed to an emotion so strong. I feel this visual thesaurus tells the power of trust so well. I am sure you can add your own words to empower the wheel.

It is our job to re-establish a child’s belief in self. Each child should be able to trust in himself or herself, and in you. Each child should feel he or she could trust enough to try, to experiment, and to move out of his or her comfort zone. To trust is to permit oneself to go somewhere or to do something without the fear of consequences. A child must rely on us to develop that trust. That child is in our trust. She or he has been left in our care.

I trust you will be there for them.

Joan

Debriefing is using the players or students to determine how the event, presentation, or game could be changed, redesigned, and improved. This is a perfect time to capitalize on the thought processes of students with ADHD, as they are often at their best when challenged to think out of the box. Debriefing is important at the end of every game play. According to Gert Jon Hofstede, the act of debriefing is as important as playing the game itself.

During play, the focus is on the activity, the maneuver, the acquisition, the quest. This is much like any lesson session in the classroom if the students are engaged. However, at the end of the session, students and players move on to whatever comes next. Many times the winner of the game is announced when the game is over, and losers move on. In the classroom, the lecture is over and student minds move on. The teacher or lecturer then creates an exam to determine what the student has learned from the experience.

There is, however, a step between. Debriefing is a period of optimal reinforcement and learning that comes at the end of the game or lecture.

There are simple rules for this debriefing:

• Everyone has a chance to state an opinion, as we all see things in a different light.
• No one can criticize another’s point of view, as everyone may not agree on your point of view either.

This is a time when the event can be critically reviewed. It has been shown that this is the time that fine-tunes short-term learning and begins to place knowledge in that reserve, so needed, in long-term capture. 

The process is simple:

• What have you learned?
• What do you know now that you did not know at the beginning of this process?
• How did you like doing this experiment, event, game, or role-play?
• How would you change it to be more fun?
• Were things easier to learn?
• How could this lecture, event, experience have been less boring?
• What would you like to tell us about your experience? 

Reflect on the game I shared with you last month. The questions  

• Which way of learning did you like best?
• What did you think of having to respond in so many ways?

led to a discussion in which the students actually redesigned the content and varied some of the learning responses. Students found some of the words confusing, some of the response areas too similar, and were confused as to how they were supposed to answer.

The students’ creativity came immediately to light. They loved the interactive areas, moving cars down city streets, role-playing traffic scenarios. They were somewhat reticent to respond to the question, What would you do to keep those who were at a party and drinking from driving home? They indicated they wanted to help other players change their answers, and at times felt they knew what to do but questioned whether they could respond as expected when the time came. They were quite candid that some of the key instructional words were too confusing.

Together the students designed new instructional words for the acronym DRIVE that were clearer and had more meaning to them. Their results follow.

D         Demonstrate remained the same as it made sense and could be carried out easily. They loved to role-play. 

R          Reflect became R, Rapid Recall.

R, Reflect did not appear to the students to be significantly different from E, Examine. As a group, the designer, instructor, and players created an additional segment to the game and called it Rapid Recall. The player will identify and describe the meaning of as many road sign, shapes and signals as possible in 2 minutes. 5 points for a successful demonstration  (1/4 point per correct identity). 

The students determined that there was not enough chance to rehearse the road signs and that telling or describing what you would do under two areas was not beneficial. All of these questions or scenarios could be put together. They offered to cut traffic signs from the manual and make flash cards with the sign on one side and its descriptor on the other. Their involvement created initiative they did not have before and created a more interesting and involved section called Rapid Recall.

 I           Instruct  became  I, Illustrate.

Although I used the word Visualize when I asked the student to draw what the situation would look like, using sticker icons, and art material they interpreted Illustrate.  My instructions: Visualize what you would see, was interpreted by them as Illustrate as in drawing. We agreed that this was a better word to use and changed the acronym to I Illustrate, a much more meaningful scenario for the student. My instructions, which I thought were guiding them as to how to perform were obviously superfluous, and they could be more direct with their own interpretations.

V          Visualize

The V, Visualize acronym was retained as the student body determined that moving magnetized cars down printed street plots was actually a very visual representation. They kept all of the directions and activities intact for the I Instruct original acronym but the substitution of the word Visualize was more meaningful.

 E          Examine became E, Explain.

Again my terms and those of the students needed to be fine-tuned. The students said they “got it” when they read stories or scenarios of events and agreed they did have to examine the situation to determine what to do about it, but felt the word explain did the trick.

They liked the process, but clearer instructions were helpful.

Lastly: Get rid of the point system! In playing the game, it was difficult for the students to agree that anyone should not receive full value for his or her attempt, no matter how feeble, insecure, or inadequate the response appeared to the facilitator. This is a strong message as the student who is affected by ADHD is often fragile and in fear of failure. In a trusting situation students with ADHD often will reach out in sensitivity to the feelings of others, even if they can’t see their own shortcomings. Many of the insecure and impulsive students do not want a score, therefore insuring they are okay. Considering that students with ADHD often want to win, verbally show the bravado of being competitive, their underlying feelings are often more fragile and they wanted to get rid of the challenge to win. RESULT: “We learned a lot and had fun—we are all winners!”

This is a perfect example of the impact debriefing in the small can have on a game, activity or other interactive event. Giving the students ownership of changing what has happened, giving them the pride in being honest, and having someone listen to their suggestions and comments. Many youngsters with ADHD do not have the confidence to remark on their feelings as to how they learn, respond or interpret what goes on around them. In this way, the whole class has input, and the student with low self -confidence has a chance to respond.

What did I learn?

• My terminology sometimes comes from my point of view and needs to be more direct. Keep it simple and to the point.
• Students when engaged are quite aware of when their needs are met and when they are not.
• Students can tell you how they understand best, and often how they learn best.
• When trust is developed and a safe situation supported, candid dialogue can benefit both the student and the instructor.
• Everyone doesn’t have to win. (This interpretation of what happened by looking at the experience as a whole is macro debriefing.)

Debriefing in the large is the process of stepping back as a teacher, instructor, or facilitator and reflecting on what has happened. Going to other professionals and brainstorming what you learned from your results. I found that I wanted to call Gert and reflect on the honesty of the results that developed during our debriefing session, agreeing with him wholeheartedly that the debrief can essentially be more important than the game itself.

Have a great month and I’ll be back with another teacup of trivia next month.

Joan

Reference:  de Caluwe, L, Hofstede, GJ, Peters, V, (2008). Why Do Games Work? In search of the active substance. Klower: NUR

My client Susie is a very inattentive 20-year-old with inattentive-type ADHD, and we are working on getting her ready to take the Georgia driving exam. How hard can that be? Susie reads well, but only if you consider word pronunciation, pausing at commas and stopping at periods. She has learned the technique. However, content understanding is so missing. She daydreams, thinks of other things, like wondering if the Braves will play a good game that night, whether her dog dug out of the back yard, and whether she feels ill, so she doesn’t have to do work! Remind you of anyone you know?

The issue isn’t one of lack of intelligence. Perhaps some passive-aggressive tendencies interfere due to fear of failure. You can explain material to her until you are blue in the face, but the wandering attention and lack of focus get in the way, and you wear out long before she does. She responds best to visual prompts and remembers most clearly when she is actively involved in the learning. A real take on our learners who need active involvement to stay engaged. Therefore, how do we approach this in the most efficient way so that learning takes place?

Spinning the disks in my own ADHD brain, I came up with designing a game to make the concepts clear, the need for action inherent, and the approach energizing to retain focus. Printing off the Driver Manual, it became evident that it was written by politicians on the State Transportation Committee, and edited by a lawyer with an expertise in legal-eze.

Turning Right at a Red Traffic Signal
“Before turning right on red, drivers must come to a full and complete stop before the crosswalk. Do not block the crosswalk when waiting to make a right turn at a red light. This puts pedestrians at risk, forcing them to walk around your vehicle. After looking to your left to find a gap in traffic, you must look to your passenger side to ensure a pedestrian is not crossing in front of your vehicle.” - GA DDS 2009 Driver’s Manual, p.93

The first issue was to turn some high verbal, overly lengthy description into a simple step-by-step explanation.  Make it short and to the point – Keep It Straightforward and Simple.

TURNING RIGHT AT A RED TRAFFIC SIGNAL
1. Come to a complete stop.
2. Do not block the crosswalk.
3. Do not obstruct pedestrians.
4. Look left; find a gap in traffic.
5. Look right; check for pedestrian traffic.
6. Proceed cautiously into a right turn checking oncoming traffic.

The second step was to determine how to operationalize the information so it is interesting, has multiple possibilities of demonstrating competency and makes learning operational and fun. As students with ADHD tire easily using only one approach, varying modes of responses were developed to make the game fast, fun and constantly changing. The name of the game soon determined the multiple operational styles.

DRIVE – ALIVE
The word DRIVE becomes the acronym for the various styles of responses the player would perform.

D - Demonstrate
The player will nonverbally role-play the situation presented on a card. Other players may be called upon to assist so the situation can play out successfully.
5 points for a successful demonstration

R - Reflect
The player will give a presentation as to why a particular driving rule must be followed and the consequences of failing to do so. Statements should be convincing and clear.
5 points for a successful demonstration (1 point per fact given)

I - Instruct
Using printed street plots, the player will demonstrate the situation presented on the card. Some situations will relate to rules of the road, others will relate to common courtesies needed to be a good driver.
5 points for a successful demonstration

V - Visualize
Using printed icons, drawings and other available objects, the student will show using their own imagination and skill, how to relate and pictorially represent a situation and its outcome.
5 points for a successful demonstration

E - Examine
The player will examine a scenario and determine whether or not the situation was legal, proper for a driver to have done, or some part of the event needed to be done differently. Clear and concise understanding of good driving habits should be used.
5 points for a successful demonstration

Instruction cards will be drawn for each play. The color on the card will indicate the type of activity requested. Materials necessary for play will be in boxes, sorted by the type of play.

Actual road scenes, cars, school buses, railroad crossings were captured from Google Images to assist in demonstration. I felt that the closer to reality the visuals became, the more realistic the image reinforcement, the more serious the output. For consequential learning, scenes from automobile accidents and other serious outcome images were used, with tact and appropriateness, of course.

For the Demonstrate phase, a collection of hats, scarves, sunglasses enhances the ability to role play.

Scenario: Darin and Phelicia are walking across the street. Susie is approaching the intersection and intends to turn left. Portray the scene and demonstrate the correct safety precautions and procedures for the left turn.

For the Reflect phase, a simple microphone or podium sets the scene.

Scenario: You are at a party with a bunch of your friends. Some of the kids begin drinking beer and appear drunk. What do you say to them to be sure you all arrive home safely that night?

For the Instruct by showing phase, craft magnets were glued to colored blocks with stickers to represent various cars, trucks, buses. Using a simple cookie sheet, street plots with were placed on the cookie sheet. Adding pedestrians, trees to obstruct the view, cars traveling in various directions, you can easily create a motoring situation to address. The materials were easy to find, easily obtained through the internet, big box and/or art store, and in a short period of time, the highly verbal confusing text of the drivers’ manual has become an operational game.

Answer these questions: What do the signs tell you about how you should drive? Indicate the outcome if you do not obey. Show the outcome.

Instructions: Using the mountain road scene, instruct the proper way to navigate this pass using the car and the truck. On your tray portray what you should do. Can you pass safely? What do the lines in the road tell you?

For the Visualize phase, a box of drawing paper, color markers, icons of signs and vehicles printed on sticky labels assists those who are grapho-motorically delayed. Everyone has a chance to succeed.

Instructions: Draw a picture showing what you should do as you approach a schoolbus loading children.

An easy way to develop stickers or icons is to import simple Google images into an Avery label frame. Stickers can easily be removed and placed on diagrams, avoiding the need to draw with accuracy, enhancing the feeling of success.

For the Examine phase, pictures of auto accidents, judges, court scenes, police all help the player to bring his/her message home.

Answer question: When an officer approaches your vehicle, what violations will result in your immediate arrest?

DRIVE – ALIVE is not completed yet, unfortunately, but using the DDS Manual, having Susie describe events as we wander through the manual, it is a work in progress. Demonstrating, Reflecting, Instructing, Visualizing, Examining all enhance the learning process.

Teaching is a challenge, especially when our learners hit a brick wall.
I hope this gives you some idea as to how to take one simple subject, and by presenting it in multiple ways, create an exciting learning outcome. I’ll let you know how the game develops as our time together progresses.

Joan

As teachers, we are often aware what activity we want to do next, and how we want to move our class onto our next teaching topic or experience. But somewhere along our way, we seem to leave some of our students behind. We don’t do it intentionally, and they do not linger because of belligerence or willfully defiant behavior. Their ADHD brains have mechanisms that interfere.

Students with ADHD have a difficult time sensing the passage of time, and once in focus, even if on the wrong thing, have an even more difficult time voluntarily putting activities aside and shifting gears. The more highly stimulating the activity, the better they are at keeping their focus, therefore, moving onto other activities and subject matter becomes difficult to impossible.

Many of us with ADHD have the compulsivity to do just one more thing before moving on. It makes us late for appointments, angry when distracted, and irritated with ourselves and others when forced to move on without finishing. Therefore, shifting gears is one of the hardest things for the ADHD brain to accomplish. Yes, neurological documentation exists to explain why this is true, but I’ll leave that to the neurologists at Johns Hopkins and Massachusetts General to explain.

HOW TO KEEP THE BALL ROLLING

So, what are we as teachers supposed to do to get the ball rolling, or maybe even to help it to stop? The first step is awareness. Knowing that all of your students are not on the same page and working at the same pace is a given.  I don’t need to make you aware of that. Next, is to identify those who always seem to be lagging behind. But the most important key is to know what triggers these students to pay attention!

Let’s begin by analyzing how we can get students to shift out of one activity and be ready for the next. Many tricks we use will help the whole class to focus and know when to finish. A total class approach is the best strategy, as we do not want to single out the student that habitually is not ready for change.

AUDITORY PROMPTS

1. Call out: 5 minutes until math class, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute.
2. Ring a bell at: 5 minutes until reading class, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute.
3. Play soft music, preferably classical, to indicate a winding-down time. Increase the volume as time draws near. Stop the music abruptly as a final clue.
4. Use a metronome to denote time.  Speed up at intervals, with a super blitz speed and stop at the end.

VISUAL PROMPTS

1. Blink the classroom lights at prescribed intervals.
2. Have a paper stop light that moves from green, through yellow at a 5  minute signal. 
   • The Yellow moves through 3, 2 minutes.
   • Red comes on at the last minute signaling the student to put things away.
3. Note the time left on the board. Count down as time progresses to the final finish.
4. Post time-left-to-finish cards on an easel at the front of the room. Use time sequences that match the age of the students and complexity of the course.
5. Set up a large Time-timer that has a red wedge indicating the time remaining. The triangle reduces as time passes until no red is visible.  The benefit of this timer is its silence.

MOTORIC PROMPTS

1.  Stand next to the first student. Motion for the student to stand at his desk, but to keep working. This sequence begins about 3-4 minutes before transition. 
   a. Each student’s goal is to stand and finish the task they are working on, and then begin to put their material away. 
   b. Student 1 becomes the clue for Student 2  to do the same.  As a chain reaction, each student stands and finishes.  
   c. When it is time to insist upon final completion, have Student 1  put his hands on his head, indicating he is ready for something new. As before, each student repeats the behavior.
   d. This exercise takes a bit of rehearsal until the students know the routine, but is fun, nontraditional, and the kids love it.
2. A simpler form of the above activity is for a bell to ring, and all students stand, finish, and put away.
3. Another adaptation is to use one of the other verbal or visual prompts and have the finished students sit upon their desks or stand when their tasks are completed.
4. Assign a prompting partner. When a child is not focusing well enough to be aware of the many cues you are giving, help him to select a non-threatening partner. The partner must have guidelines, rules and limits, as the intensity coming from the bright, accomplished student may seem as bossy and maybe even intimidating. Selections must be made carefully.

ALLOWING THEM TO FINISH

What if you really want the student to finish the task before changing to another activity? Sometimes it is so difficult to get students started on a task, you want to take advantage of the momentum.

1. Make special arrangements with the student to let him know he can continue.
2. Give some students the option to continue on if they feel they need more time. Students raise their hand requesting more time when the count down begins. 
3. Give the child something tangible, like a post-it-note with OK written on it to let the child know he or she can continue. The drifting mind may forget he has been given the extra time. Or, the insecurity developed over time makes him sure you didn’t respond.
4. Use other similar responses to connect and communicate, “go ahead and finish”  to your students.

INITIATING OTHER ACTIVITIES

What if the follow-up activity is to move or leave the room?

1. Tap on the first desk in a row, to line up.
2. Whisper to a student by name—this is made easy by having each student’s name on a card, and you can shuffle these so the order is always random.
3. When students enter the room, give them a number written on an index card, shuffled again to make them random.  This number can be used as line placement, indicating who answers first, a way to jumble partners and many other events.  As the student’s number changes daily, everyone gets a chance.

If the end of the activity includes turning in material remember that:
1. Systems of passing in papers should be routine and predictable.
2. Often inattention to details and lack of focus in the ADHD brain also includes being physically present, but completely unaware that it is time to turn in papers. 
   a. By the time the student becomes aware it is “paper time”, or “homework return” time, the moment is gone. 
   b. Shuffling into the desk, book, backpack becomes a scramble of anxiety.  Papers that become wadded as they are shoved into desks, pants, backpacks are impossible to tell one from another. 
   c. Anxiety raises, and the ADHD mind shuts down, retreats into safe territory and decides the paper can’t be found. 
   d. Again a partner can be a great asset. 
   e. Standing up to hunt, having help hunting, having a silent partner that gives out positive vibes, instills confidence that the paper can be found and reverses the negativity of the situation.
3. Teachers each have their own strategies for turning in papers.  The more organized the better for all. 
   a. Bins at their certain place in the room can be sorted by subject, child, or even down to the level of assignment. 
   b. Some teachers have students initial a chart when they turn in papers such as homework.
 
Sometimes, mini movement breaks help youngsters to keep focus. Scheduled activities are programmed to help students sift gears positively.  When organizing this approach, it is important to have a built in list of rules and requirements as to how to return to task.

HOMEWORK THE HORIBLE

Homework—have we done it or not?

1. It is hard to believe that someone can actually spend two hours on an assignment, have two or three meltdowns, and finally finish the work, get it into the backpack—only to forget to turn it in.
   a. First of all you have to understand that once an assignment is completed, or even stopped, it has been addressed and moves completely out of the ADHD line of focus and is stored in Neverland!
   b. It isn’t that the student doesn’t care, but when the assignment has been thought about, if even briefly, it is often “considered” done. 
   c. If this action has created pain, and the situation is especially emotional, it is removed off radar. Therefore, with the fleeting attention it has been given, the impulsivity to move on to greater and better, more stimulating activities, the original task is long forgotten. 
2. Oh, I’m not making excuses, the work needs to be done and turned in to prove its existence. However, knowing how the neurological system works, gives us a clue as to how we must proceed. Knowing the system, we need to analyze how to repair these nonproductive behaviors.
   • Organizational skills are abominable.
   • Sense of timing is offbeat.
   • Inattention supports lack of focus on detail and a seeming lack of concern about performance.
   • Impulsivity interferes with the ability to carry through to completion.
   • Social skills and the focus on responsibility is delayed.  Often students with ADHD are a third behind their peers in maturity.
3. Okay, how do we repair the system? The earlier in the day a homework assignment is requested, the higher the possibility it will be turned in. As a rule, homework must be turned in at the same time, in the same way, at the same place each day. 
      • All of this helps—think consistency + consistency + consistency.
Consider other ways to turn in assignments:
      • Via email
      • Faxed to the school office
      • Filled in online
4. Is this too much handholding? The object is to create a support system, but at the same time to encourage the student to be responsible for turning in his own homework assignments. A certain amount of points are given for physically turning in the assignment; 10 points, for example. Lesser points are given for backup material emailed, faxed etc.; say, 5 points.  Or, start with faxed in material and add points if the paper gets to school.  You need to play “let’s make a deal” with the parents. Points can then be used for rewards.  Rewards are given at home, partnering home and school. Remember, punishment for trying, stops trying. Reinforcement, especially when unexpected makes the student feel better and work harder.
5. Have parents monitor the time it takes the student to do homework.
   a. When did they sit down to the task?
   b. When did the student actually begin?
   c. How long did the student work before stopping or “hitting a wall?”
   d. What emotional responses happened?
   e. How long a break did the student take?
   f. How much was accomplished?

JOIN RANKS AND UNDERSTAND

Parent-teacher communication on homework and similar issues often means that  teachers and parents view the task in completely different ways, including the amount of struggle, the ability to perform, the student’s ability to work independently on his or her own, and the ability to understand the material. Communicate, communicate—remember that some of the adults involved may be having some of the same trouble shifting gears as the students.

The Homework Autopsy chart is easy for a parent to fill out and reveals information to share between parent, student and teacher. Fill in a Homework Autopsy to determine what is really going on during homework.

NOW, HOW TO GET STUDENTS TO START!

The next issue becomes how to get a student started on an assignment during class.

Frequently we introduce an assignment, give clear instructions, note the page, which parts to read, the questions to answer, the time the assignment should take and when it will be due. 

Feeling confident we were as clear as could be, we gaze over our class watching the eager beavers dig in and begin. 

Oh, but alas, there is one, maybe two or three, whose eyes glaze over like a deer’s in the headlights, not ready or able to begin.  How do we get them to simply start.? Some strategies I’ve found helpful include:

1. Clustering slow starters in an area where you can move easily from one to the other.
2. Leaning close, note where the child is stalled.  Many times they haven’t even put their name on the paper. 
   a. Start with a whisper – “Put your name on the paper.”
   b. “Read the first part of the instruction.”
   c. “In your own words, what does it tell you?”
   d. Many times a few seconds of prompting gets through the stall, allows  the fog to lift and facilitates the initiation to understand the directions.
3. Taping an index card on the student’s desk with a list of steps is helpful. In order to encourage activity, put a paper clip on the card that can be slid down the list. The student has a constant reminder as each step is passed. The list should be specific to the area of instruction. Short simple key words should prompt action.
4. If the instructions are quite lengthy, give the child your list. Even a two-step sequence  is difficult for some students.
5. Instructions may be written on the board, but this still creates difficulties for some. Many youngsters with organizational difficulties also have shifting problems when looking from the board to the paper. They become lost and often have to reread the material over again each time they look up. They often forget what they have done, or what they are to do next. This is a result of their poor short-term memory. A list beside them brings the focus closer and makes success more easily attained
6. Verbal rehearsal helps many youngsters. Being able to hear the directions reinforces them into their short-term memory. Listing the steps as 1, 2, 3  helps to distinguish and differentiate the steps. Speaking aloud and describing  his  performance reinforces the action in the student’s mind and helps him maintain focus.

Well, this might not be all there is to it, but I hope you’ve at least remembered some of the techniques you have let slide, or you believe may need to be retried. So, get into your old Model T, crank that shaft and get it going. You’ll feel so much better, your relationship with your students will soar, your communication with parents will become solid and meaningful, and everyone’s attitude about learning will change as success comes within reach.

Here’s to success, 
Joan  



Looking at a regular classroom, there are those who are very linear, organizing their thoughts as the curriculum unfolds, filing information in their expansive file-drawers with information readily available and easily found. Then there are those who have impulsive, creative minds that wander from pillar to post. Organization is a mystery, partial understanding leads to misinformation, and sequencing comes erratically as one is thinking without order. ADHD brains on impulse scatter and dump ideas as they come their way. Storytelling is a circular affair, overrun with details, lacking sequence, and often jumping off track to tell another story.

Is there an antidote for those whose brains seem scrambled and disorganized?

Mindmapping was created by Tony Buzan in the mid 1980s and clearly explained in his workbook, The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential (Plume, 1996). The process at its core is very simple. I found that students from fourth grade on readily adapt to the system, and when they are comfortable with the process, they automatically use it for notetaking and brainstorming for written assignments, increasing memory and understanding. No, this is really not a miracle cure, but from the time I heard Tony speak in 1988, I have continued to use this technique on an ongoing and reliable basis.

Well, what exactly is mindmapping and how does it work?

A mindmap is a diagram used to represent works, ideas, tasks, or other facts linked and arranged a central key word or idea. Mindmaps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas. Mindmapping is an aid in studying and organizing information, problem solving and decisionmaking.

Characteristics of mindmapping include drawings, color, clustering, symbols, and arrows or trails to indicate relationships, leaving a pictorial approach to the subject. Relying on the concept that a picture is worth a thousand words, one mindmap may help a cluster of ideas, enhancing relationships and factual knowledge. Rehearsal is a vital part of the memory process, as is sleep.

One of the easiest ways to understand mindmapping is through Gabriele Rico’s Writing the Natural Way (Tarcher, 2000). As our learners with ADHD are hands-on folks, they are eager to be involved. Learners who are numb to learning take on a new spark.

Let’s begin with a simple writing exercise. Each child in the classroom has a large piece of drawing paper, and an assortment of colored Pentel markers with a fine point, as well as lined writing paper and a pen or pencil. Write a simple word like green in the middle of the whiteboard. Circle the word as a focus. Jump around the room encouraging students to give words or ideas that pop into their minds when hearing the word green. Cluster the ideas that fit together, writing them in the same or similar color. After the bustle dies down, have the students write a story about green. There is no right or wrong approach; therefore, everyone is a winner. Continue by allowing the students to volunteer to read their stories.

Next use a well-liked word like ice cream. Students write “ice cream” in the center of the drawing paper and add whatever they like. I would tell the students that when the ideas began to rush like a train they were ready to write their stories. I encouraged them to use symbols instead of words to help them remember ideas, to draw or express themselves in any way that had meaning to them. It was a task of sanctioned doodling and creative expression.

The student wrote:
It’s a warm sunny day and I’m at the beach. It is so hot I bought an ice cream cone. It had chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream and it was yummy. Oh golly I have to eat fast it’s dripping all over my fingers.

An earlier version from this student was:
 I ate ice cream at the beach and it dripped.

I continually found that with the brainstorming of words in front of them, the student wrote more fluidly, and had a richer story full of descriptors and often humor.

The rules are simple:
1. Start at the center.
2. Use pictures and more pictures.
3. Use colors.
4. Connect everything on the map that you want to use.
5. Use key words or phrases, don’t write too much.

The student now has a tool to reinforce his or her own creativity, a visual to follow and tracking of ideas. Many soon add to their stories and feel much more successful then when asked to write from a starter sentence, such as I ate an ice cream cone and…

As students with ADHD often have trouble adjusting to new ideas and shifting gears to a new way of working, many repetitions will be needed to make the student comfortable with this new process.

How else can we use mindmapping?

Classroom lectures and other repetitive processes are often met with little or no reaction. Students sit, sometimes listen, and engage very little in what is being presented. This is a perfect time to introduce mindmapping as a hands-on intervention that encourages the doodling so often seen, but with style and purpose.

History is a prime example of subject matter that is hard to remember. Facts and situations are often muddled in the student’s cranial storehouse. Often students are not even aware that history is a story of people who lived before them, and that events relate to who they are and what they have now. Let’s change that. Using the mindmapping skills begun in story writing, turn the process toward notetaking and factual recall.

Begin again by writing the focus title in the center of the paper. As information is collected, draw and note critical information, and add embellishments and comments as the story progresses. When the story has been told, the students then rehearse the story immediately at the end of the mindmapping. This process is critical to short-term memory. Students then have a chance to add information they daydreamed through or failed to enter.

Homework is to rehearse the frame once more in the evening, get a good night’s sleep, and read it again at breakfast. As many students do not carry through on assignments and fail to see the value of this exercise, a class rehearsal is held at the beginning of the next history class. In this way you are ensuring better success in memory.

An example of a student’s mindmap after hearing the Paul Revere video follows.

If everyone in the class is encouraged to mindmap their responses, all will be focusing on what they know. While often mindmapping is a technique forced on a few students because they are learning differently, it is my philosophy that all students can benefit from this strategy. It is a win/win situation. For notetaking the list of activities should include:

1. Outline the issue
2. Brainstorm what you know about the issue
     a. Color code to show relationships
3. Q and A
     a. What do we know
     b. What don’t we know
4. Rehearsal
     a. At the end of the exercise
     b. Before and after sleep
5. Chart the student’s progress as to the volume of information retained

Students affected by ADHD will often be silent, as they are reticent to participate due to fear of failing or trying something new. Have patience. Encourage the sharing of mindmaps until they are a more comfortable response method. Mindmaps are the backbone of graphic organizers, and students may move on to these more structured response sheets. Technology supports the technique using Inspiration and its derivatives; FreeMind is a free software.

However, the freedom to initiate and involve the student in a more active learning through interaction and visualization is often the key to concept development. I like the hands-on approach first. The technology adds bells and whistles that need to be learned in order to produce a map. On the positive side, the software can lead the student directly to an outline of the material.

Is this the answer to all your problems? Definitely not! However, the results seen by others include:
1. The super learner gets it right off the bat, is on target and enjoys this new learning style.
2. The moderate learner may not get it at first but when the “aha” comes, they find it a comfortable prop to explain concepts and ideas.
3. The struggling learner finds the idea a release from the struggle of getting ideas onto paper, has a reference to help, and is in the trenches gaining concepts despite their reluctance to learn.

Yes, the ADHD brain’s style of learning is a puzzle to some. We do appear to learn differently. We’re not broken, just focused in another direction, or off to explore something new. Visual reinforcement is vital, as many of us rely upon it to supplement the muddle our brains get into when trying to search for facts or issues.

I believe that I found mindmapping valuable because it spoke to my learning style. After I met Tony Buzan and took his workshop, I instantly recalled why his methods made so much sense to me. It was the way I operated. I immediately recalled a world history exam in high school. I don’t remember the question, but I do remember my answer: Page 237, Paragraph 3, second line. I think the teacher wanted to know some general’s name and year… needless to say, I did poorly on the exam and was berated before the class for my obstinate and belligerent response to the question. It sounded okay to me at the time, and still does today.

We all learn differently, act differently, and retain information differently. For me, learning definitely includes a need for visualization. So, I leave you with my story and hope you can benefit from theses experiences.

Until next month,

Joan