ADD/ADHD- Molly Shelton

Special need	Special Need: Attention Deficit Disorder
Characteristics	These are the three characteristics found in Children with ADD/ADHD 1. Inattentive, but not hyperactive or impulsive. Doesn’t pay attention to details Makes careless mistakes Has trouble staying focused; is easily distracted Appears not to listen when spoken to Has difficulty remembering things and following instructions Has trouble staying organized, planning ahead, and finishing projects Gets bored with a task before it’s completed Frequently loses or misplaces homework, books, toys, or other items 2. Hyperactive and impulsive, but able to pay attention. Hyperactive o Constantly fidgets and squirms o Often leaves his or her seat in situations where sitting quietly is expected o Moves around constantly, often runs or climbs inappropriately o Talks excessively o Has difficulty playing quietly or relaxing o Is always “on the go,” as if driven by a motor o May have a quick temper or a “short fuse” Impulsive o Acts without thinking o Blurts out answers in class without waiting to be called on or hear the whole question o Can’t wait for his or her turn in line or in games o Says the wrong thing at the wrong time o Often interrupts others o Intrudes on other people’s conversations or games o Inability to keep powerful emotions in check, resulting in angry outbursts or temper tantrums o Guesses, rather than taking time to solve a problem 3. Inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive (the most common form of ADD/ADHD) (Helpguide.org)
Misconceptions	The misconceptions are that just cause a child is inattentive, hyperactive or impulsive he/she has ADD/ADHD. This is not the case. Students may have these symptoms due to stressful events going on in their life or medical/learning disabilities that trigger this type of behavior. This can affect a child’s learning because the right testing may not be done if the child is just assumed to have ADD/ADHD.
Resources	To find out more about this disorder there are many books and articles that can be found at the local library and on the internet. There is also the Attention Deficit Disorder Association that provides much information. Their site is add.org. Another organization is called CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit disorder). This information can be found at chadd.org.
Individual Accommodations/ Curricular Modification(s)	In my classroom we keep these students engaged and simulated so that they do not get bored and tune out the lesson. We do this through the use of manipulatives. I also do a lot of group work activities. This way the students are engaged, speaking with the other students to get the task done. If the student is working in a group it is less likely that the ADD student will zone out or become inattentive or hyperactive. Lastly, we make sure our students don’t have anything in their desk or on their bodies (such as bracelet or headbands) that can become a toy and keep them from focusing. I believe what we have done in my classroom are the most effective ways to keep students with ADD/ADHD involved as one with the full class. However, these teaching strategies keep these students engaged and make them less likely to become inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive.