A Teachers Guide To ADHD Classroom Management

Well another school year is either already underway or about to get started and there is a good chance that your class will include at least a couple of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD for short. While the challenges presented by children with ADHD may push you to the brink there are some basic principles for ADHD classroom management that just might help you to provide these children with the best learning experience possible.

As you may be aware ADHD is not easy to identify and there is no specific checklist of symptoms that one can refer to. To complicate the issue even further ADHD tends to overlap with other conditions such as learning disabilities and mood disorder. In fact, research tells us that ADHD only exists alone about 30% of the time.

Few would argue that managing children with ADHD can be a daunting task especially if the child tends to be hyperactive. Nevertheless, the experience will provide you with an opportunity to gather more knowledge about the condition itself and the manner in which it can be best managed.

The first rule of thumb for teachers is to make sure the child/children in question actually has ADHD. In order to achieve this don't be afraid to consult with other school staff, behaviorists, child psychologists, and psychiatrists for help. Remember this condition often co-exists with others and it is always a judgment call as to whether a student has ADHD.

Once you feel confident that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the culprit, and will be a part of your classroom, and subsequently a part of your life for the next year, then it is time to move forward to find solutions.

If you feel that the child requires some child ADHD treatment, or may benefit from alternative means of treatment like a homeopathic remedy for ADHD, make sure to talk to the parents about it.

As a teacher you know that concentration and knowledge retention are paramount for achieving academic excellence. ADHD children tend to struggle in both of these areas. If you can provide them with an environment that helps them carry out certain tasks that is both structured and shielded from distractions it should prove to be a giant step in the right direction in your quest to gain control over attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

A few other ideas along these lines are to provide ADHD students with a reference list to refer to when in doubt, convey constant reminders about assignments and testing dates, and place reminders and post-it-notes on classroom bulletin boards.

Another important aspect of ADHD is that of easily losing interest. You many need to make frequent eye contact to make sure your students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder do not lose interest and start to daydream. The closer the child is to you the easier it will be to accomplish this.

You should also strive to make studying fun by providing stimulation in various forms but be careful not to overdo it. In other words making learning fun without turning it into a carnival like situation.

ADHD children do not generally respond well to pressure and may buckle under it. You may want to simplify instructions and break up complex tasks into smaller sub tasks. Avoid timing tests and evaluations and do your best to give exercises that are rich in content rather than boring and lengthy.

And lastly implement behavior modification techniques that reward positive behavior and accomplishments.

In conclusion, a teachers job is never easy and when it includes a healthy dose of attention deficit disorder classroom management it only becomes more challenging. Recognizing that these children are simply different and are in general inattentive, highly creative, and oftentimes spontaneous just might help you mold one of your potentially problematic ADHD children into the next Einstein.

Robert D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field.

To learn more about ADHD along with information about safe and effective herbal and homeopathic ADHD remedies Click Here

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Stress Relief - Hobbies That Are Great for Stress Management

Almost any hobby could be good for stress relief, given that it wasn't the thing that caused the stress in the first place. The old truism; "a change is as good as a holiday", really is true. So, the hobby that you are already passionate about is likely to be a great place for you to unwind and recharge. The degree to which your hobby can absorb and excite you is exactly the degree to which it will help you relieve work related stresses. If your hobby can take you to the "zone" it is great for you.

The "zone" is a place where you are infinitely energized and time means nothing. That said there are several types of hobbies that lend themselves readily to relieving stress.

a. Physical hobbies: Getting your body moving is an excellent way to reduce and relieve stress. Ideal hobbies in this category would be activities like drumming. The more that you can abandon yourself to the beat and move with it, the better. Other physical hobbies would include almost any sport, yoga and dance. Especially good for stress relief would be any activity that took you into the outdoors for long stretches of time.

b. Intellectual pursuits: This would include crossword puzzles, sudoku, reading "whodunits" or fantasy or romance, researching your genealogy and Geo-cacheing. These all offer the benefits of allowing your brain to change tracks and focus on a new challenge.The best of all the hobbies here is the kind that work to calm and silence the mind. Most of the traditions of meditation are excellent for this.

c. Creative challenges: Creative challenges move your mind away from the stress. They also develop your ability to problem solve and think laterally. Simple examples of this category of hobbies include sketching, drawing, painting, sculpting, building, carpentry, gardening, writing and cooking new dishes.

All of these require that you be completely conscious in the current moment, aware of what is actually happening and able to choose the best response to it.

In an ideal world, if you could find a hobby that delights you and has you physically moving, intellectually stimulated, spiritually grounded and sparks you to be creative - all at the same time - you have the precise hobby for you.

Here are five that leap to my mind as fitting all of those requirements:

drumming circles at dusksand sculpting at the beachdance in a parktai chi in the forestbuilding a mandala or labyrinth in your garden

The most important of all the elements is how much pleasure the hobby gives you! That is vital. Time is limited. It is essential that you have play-time. It is vital that the play-time makes you smile.

Go forth and enjoy!

Karen Pasqualucci is a passionate, lifelong learner. She is an author, artist, entrepreneur, internationally accomplished speaker/trainer, a third degree black belt in Taijitsu and a homeschool mom of three. She shares her newest insights on her blog at http://doodlemeanings.com/ and gives away free Mandalas simply to make you as addicted as she is to the pleasures of mandalas:)
Come and get 'em!

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