Impact of ADHD on Classroom-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Disucss about the Impact of ADHD on Classroom Performance. Answer: Introduction Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is described by persistent and developmentally unsuitable complicatedness with concentration, rashness and hyperactivity. Aggression, nonconformity and angst are some of the behavioral problems associated with ADHD. Children with ADHD are not likely to make friends or grab teachers attention in the classroom. They are often perceived as students with special needs. On the academic front, students with ADHD are expected to perform poorly. In addition, their chances of being retained during elementary school are higher than students without ADHD. DuPaul, Weyandt and Janusis (2011), point out the three most basic interventions for students with ADHD, which includes behavioral intervention, adjustments to academic directives and home-school communications program. They further argue that pharmacological treatment to reduce ADHD symptoms however affective is not sufficient. The authors have also laid stress on the behavioral impact of students with ADHD on classroom. The ratio of students with ADHD to that of students without it is quite low and thus it is difficult for teachers to address their impulsive behavior. Interventions to tackle ADHD Students with ADHD tend to be weak when it comes to self-regulation that is organizing themselves on their own. In addition, they have a weak working memory that leads to poorer academic performance and reduced interactions with peer. Teachers face troubles controlling these students, which in turn affects the overall environment of the class. Academic intervention Hart et al., (2011) have highlighted the academic as well as behavioral impact on classroom with students having ADHD. They have studied the behavior of ADHD students in different groups and found that those students responded better during small-group instructions. This brings forth the issue of the degrading academic performance of the students with ADHD and the lack of concrete solution in schools to assist them. A systematic approach to address this issue has to be adopted. Teachers need to be given training on the ways to detect and address issues of students with ADHD. The school-based services to assist ADHD students must be evaluated and updated as per the situation and needs of the students. Teachers must encourage other students to be more lenient and humble towards their peers having ADHD syndrome. According to Martinussen et al., (2006), ADHD is identified in preschool age children. However, they also put forward views that low scores and poor grades at the school level is the result of inattentive behavioral dimension and not hyperactive impulse behavior. They outlined the facts that ADHD symptoms may not be perceived in its early age as it starts with mild then goes to moderate and then becomes severe. Therefore, it is important for teachers, they say, to understand the mild and moderate behavioral symptoms like inattentiveness to studies. Hart et al., (2011) opine that lot of students with ADHD syndrome receives school-based services that include behavioral and learning involvement. However, it has been found that these services are of little or no effect to these students. A deeper study on their behaviors and its impact on academic performance have to be carried out. It is essential for teachers to realize that ADHD symptoms occur on a continuous basis and must be addressed at an early age. Evidences are there that support the fact that students with ADHD respond better to situations where they are given the opportunity to respond and in situations where they get feedback from the educators. Encouragement and confidence building play a significant role in boosting the morale of a student and especially students with ADHD. It is a prerequisite for teachers to develop a classroom environment that fits the features of each student. in addition, teachers also have to keep on interacting with the students with ADHD so that they do not feel left alone or separated. The students without ADHD may also be encouraged by the teachers to befriend the students with ADHD and involve in productive tasks such as reading and other activities. Behavioral Interventions Both antecedent and consequence-based strategies are included in the behavioral intercessions for students with ADHD. In accordance with this method, teachers can post rules that need to be followed by students in the classroom. Antecedent refers to the events leading up to any unwarranted behavior as per DuPaul, Weyandt and Janusis (2011). Thus, in order to prevent that incident from occurring, teachers can strategize and analyze the rules that they want every student to abide by. However, they must be cautious not to include too many rules as it might have an adverse affect on the students with ADHD. In addition, the rules should be written in a positive manner that is, the students must not be instructed to behave properly but must be asked what things they have to do are. Consequence-based strategy to manage behavioral impact includes management of a specific situation to adjust the regularity of that behavior. Teachers in schools have applied several consequence-based strategies to counter the hyperactive-impulsive behavior of students with ADHD. Some of which are conditional positive corroboration, response cost and self-management interventions. The most common and useful method however is the conditional positive corroboration. In this method, the teacher appreciates and praises a student suffering from ADHD syndrome for the successful completion of any task. Teachers also reward the students with things like poker chips or sticker points that can be exchanged at the end of the day to play computer games or do other activities. It must although be bore in mind that the reinforcements must not be commonplace as it might reduce the students interest in completing a task. Teachers must evolve fresh ways to reward the student and keep them involved an d in the task. DuPaul, Weyandt and Janusis (2011) argue that behavioral intervention and stimulant prescription are alone not enough to improve the academic performance of the students with ADHD. Academic intervention that directly addresses the academic weakness of the students is necessary to improve academic performance. A teacher-intervened instruction is an effective method to better academic performance of ADHD students. Studies have found that students with ADHD respond better when taking notes or appearing for tests during direct teacher instructions. It also needs to be mentioned that in the age of technology, computer-aided teaching also boosts the academic performance of not only students with ADHD but also everyone. Utilizing computer-aided teaching to teach subjects such as mathematics and other readings could significantly improve academic performance of the students with ADHD. Teachers can also promote peer instructions in reading, spelling or doing math. Peer instructions or tutoring also benefit students with ADHD to improve their academic performance. Academic intervention if exploited properly could largely assist students with ADHD in improving not only their skills in academy but also feel related to the classroom environment (DuPaul, Weyandt Janusis, 2011). Martinussen et al., (2006) while stressing on the need for interventions, also state that a single-method-to-all approach is unlikely to yield considerable results. According to them, children with ADHD must be intervened as per their individual requirements. In order to meet this demand, they have developed a method that involves a five-stage process. The first stage is the analysis of classroom curriculum and activities; second stage is identification of strengths and weaknesses of the students; third stage includes goals to be set for students and categorize progress indicators; the fourth stage comprises action plan identification, management, instructional plan utilization and the final stage includes supervising progress. These five stages could assist the teachers to understand and work upon the academic needs of the students with ADHD. Through these five stages, the teachers could focus on the four key areas of learning for the students. These are context of learning, language of instruction, child strategies and instructional supports. All these key areas when clearly addressed may greatly assist the teacher to implement strategies with a clearer view to approach students with ADHD. As advocated by Hart et al., (2011), small-group instructions for students with ADHD is an improved way to help students with ADHD learn better in classrooms. They further lament that there are few or no research carried out to evaluate systematically the practices that assist in handling these students. Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that researches and experiments have been done to devise ways for improving the behavior and academic skills of students with ADHD. The essay discusses the prominent methods and process involved with additional recommendations as to how teachers and educators can equip themselves to handle such students. ADHD is a problem that needs attention from an early age as discussed in the essay above and a cooperative attitude from both teachers and parents is needed. Every student has unique syndrome of ADHD and it must be treated accordingly. Behavioral and academic interventions are although the two basic methods but variations and modifications must be done in order to help the students with ADHD. Medicinal treatment while effective only decreases the symptoms but does not help in confidence boosting. This has to be done by the teachers at school in the classroom. Once this is achieved, ADHD students may no longer feel isolated. References: DuPaul, G., Weyandt, L., Janusis, G. (2011). ADHD in the Classroom: Effective Intervention Strategies.Theory Into Practice,50(1), 35-42. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2011.534935 Hart, K. C., Massetti, G. M., Fabiano, G. A., Pariseau, M. E., Pelham Jr, W. E. (2011). Impact of group size on classroom on-task behavior and work productivity in children with ADHD.Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders,19(1), 55-64. Martinussen, R. L., Tannock, R., Chaban, P., McInnes, A., Ferguson, B. (2006). Increasing awareness and understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in education to promote better academic outcomes for students with ADHD.Exceptionality Education Canada,16(2/3), 107.