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ADD/ADHD News

June 30th 2010

Six Ways to Improve Your ADHD Child’s Ability to Learn

Many American children have been diagnosed with ADHD and need extra help in focusing on their schoolwork. Here are some tips on how you can help.

By Sandy Bloom of GreatDegree.com

Teaching children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be a challenge. Fortunately, it’s one that can be overcome with additional effort, determination, and heart.

Educators, health care professionals, and parents should all work together in managing a child’s ADHD, in order to have the most effective results, said Dr. Simi Mann, a psychiatrist in Dallas, Texas. Parents can also take the initiative by taking online parent education classes from home or lessons in working with ADHD children.

The key to teaching any child is to keep the subject interesting and exciting, according to Mann. That principle, she says, is even more important for a child with ADHD.

“If they aren’t already able to focus, they definitely won’t be able to focus on something they aren’t interested in,” she said, adding that children with ADHD require constant stimulation, otherwise they get bored and easily distracted, which leads to behavioral outbursts.

Here are 6 simple tips on how parents can make learning easier, and more effective, for their ADHD child:

1) Provide a quiet learning environment: ADHD children are easily distracted. Set aside a quiet place for them to study and learn where they don’t daydream or get distracted by pets, loud noises, the TV, or the computer.
2) Give specific goals and be encouraging: It’s been proven that all children, especially those with ADHD, respond well to positive reinforcement. Make sure you let them know when they’ve done a good job, and urge them to keep it up. Setting certain goals and providing rewards for reaching these goals it is the best way to motivate your child to work hard and stay focused.
3) Divide big assignments into short ones: A long task may seem daunting for someone with a short attention span. But if the long task is split up into sections, it’s easier to keep focused for a period of time.
4) Help your child stay organized: Good organization helps your child knows where to pick up where they left off when they go in and out focus. Keep their books, notebooks, and folders labeled and color-coded.
5) Allow breaks to relieve pent-up energy: Children with ADHD need to combat hyperactivity. The best way for them to do this is to release that energy by moving around. Ask your child after completing a homework assignment to get up and do a chore before tackling a new assignment. A stress ball could also be helpful and incorporating physical activities into the lesson is also effective.
6) Make it fun: The more fun learning is, the more likely your child will stay interested. Turn a math activity into a game or puzzle. And act out the story when you are reading to them. These are ways to release stored energy and keep your child focused.

Additional Links:

http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_teaching_strategies.htm

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