1. Support is Variable  Students come to our classrooms with different subtypes of ADHD and with different degrees of severity. Some will have more or less support at home. Less support at home exacerbates the intensity of the symptoms of ADHD and supportive home environments can help reduce the severity of the symptoms (Alizadeh, et al., 2007).

2. Typical Difficulties for the ADHD Student and the Staff  Lack of Inhibition  Speaking out of turn.  Wandering around class at inappropriate times.  Maintaining attention  Lack of organizational skills  In trouble with Administration  Not finishing work  Forgets instructions  Trouble with peer relationships  Low grades  Poor self-esteem  Poor memory

3. Medication for Intervention  Stimulant medications include Adderall, Concerta, Vyvanse, and Ritalin.  Non-stimulant medication includes Straterra being most prescribed. Although medications are effective in reducing many of the symptoms of ADHD they are not sufficient alone to provide the support necessary for success in school and other areas of student’s lives (DuPaul & Stoner, 2003 as cited by DuPaul, et al., 2011).

4. Intervention Possible at School  There are a few areas in a student’s life that need intervention in order to deal with ADHD effectively at school. These areas include behavioral, self-regulatory, academic, social / relational, and home / community programming.

5. Behavioural Intervention Antecedent-based intervention involves changing aspects of the environment that will typically be difficult for the child to deal with in an effective way.  This could be things such as making the rules concise, clearly explained and clearly displayed.  Regularly reviewing expectations for certain situations.  Reducing task requirements so that the child doesn’t have as much to focus on at one time (chunking). Coupling this with positive reinforcement is also very effective. The size or number of these tasks can be increased slowly as the student develops greater capacity.  Choice in the type of assignment necessary to meet the learning objectives.  Preferential Seating.( DuPaul, et al., 2011)

6. Behavioural Intervention (Continued) Consequence-based intervention involves altering the environment as a result of positive task completion.  These changes are typically in the form of positive reinforcement, which can also be associated with some kind of token economy.  Rewards should be frequent, individualized and varied.  Response cost consequences involve the removal of a privilege because of unfavorable behaviour. Used when positive reinforcement alone is not effective.  Timeouts from positive opportunities. ( DuPaul, et al., 2011)

7. Self-Regulation Intervention This strategy enlists the student to evaluate their own performance and behaviour.  Involves the use of a 3-5 point Likert rating scale. After the student has rated themselves they compare it to the teacher’s rating. If the evaluations match then the frequency of teacher evaluations is reduced.  This strategy helps the student to think about and become more responsible for choosing their behaviour. ( DuPaul, et al., 2011)

8. Academic Intervention  Direct instruction regarding academic skills such as note taking, studying, organizing a binder.  Use of electronic devices seem to hold attention for ADHD children in place of typical paper pencil tasks.  Peer assistance can be a reciprocal experience benefiting both the ADHD student and the peer assistant in areas of self-esteem, retention of material, and interpersonal communication skills. ( DuPaul, et al., 2011)

9. Home / School Communication Programs  Daily Report Card systems can be effective when the circumstances at home and between the student and their parents are positive. Simple feedback gives context to the parents regarding what skills and strategies they can discuss. This method would not be as effective with students that exhibit more intense levels of ADHD. ( DuPaul, et al., 2011)

11. Social Relationship Intervention  This entails actual instruction regarding interpersonal communication skills. This is an effective way to instruct your whole group of students in important skills without creating a situation where the ADHD child feels they are at a deficit compared to their peers. ( DuPaul, et al., 2011)

12. Elements that Should Already Exist  As educators we should constantly focus on our student’s strengths. Individual planning should be a large element of what we do (Sosa and Tomlinson, 2011).  Administration should be careful to match students with appropriate staff and environments as much as possible.  The student should be involved in the processes of choosing and molding the interventions that they will be learning. In this way they develop more ownership of their progress, which increases confidence and self-esteem (Rief, 2012).  All members of staff involved with these children should work as a team with similar objectives and initiatives.

13. References  Alizadeh, H., Applequist, K. F., & Coolidge, F. L. (2007). Parental self-confidence, parenting styles, and corporal punishment in families of ADHD children in Iran. Child abuse & neglect, 31(5), 567-572.  DuPaul, G. J., Weyandt, L. L., & Janusis, G. M. (2011). ADHD in the Classroom: Effective Intervention Strategies. Theory Into Practice, 50(1), 35-42.  Rief, S. F. (2012). How to reach and teach children with ADD/ADHD: Practical techniques, strategies, and interventions (Vol. 3). Jossey-Bass.  Sousa, D. A., & Tomlinson, C. A. (2011). Differentiation and the brain: How neuroscience supports the learner-friendly classroom. Solution Tree Press.