Tips for Helping High School Students with ADHD

Introduction

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common condition that affects people of all ages, including high school students. Recent studies have shown that between 5% and 10% of children ages 4-17 have ADHD—that's more than 3 million kids! ADHD can make it difficult for high school students to focus on their work and stay organized, but there are many ways to help them succeed. This article will explain some ways teachers can help their students with ADHD; we’ll also give tips for parents and tutors who want to support their child or student with this disorder.

Help create a routine.

Start with a routine that doesn’t feel too rigid. It is important to create a routine that is flexible enough to accommodate the time changes from summer and winter schedules (if your student goes away for the summer, remember that they may need more sleep than usual). Students may need more transition time, use visual and audio cues to let students know that a transition is coming soon. You can also develop classroom routines for said student that include bell work, transitions, and exiting behaviors.

Keep the focus on their strengths.

When you're dealing with a high school student with ADHD, it's easy to focus on their weaknesses. But this can lead to a negative attitude and further frustration for everyone involved. Instead, try focusing on what the student does well and use that as an opportunity for discussion about how they can continue to improve in the areas where they are struggling.

Also, give consistent positive feedback about their good behavior or academic progress - this will help them develop positive self-esteem and build their confidence over time.

Provide learning strategies.

Provide learning strategies and support.

One of the most effective ways to help students with ADHD manage their time is by using a timer. Timers can be used to help organize thoughts, activities and tasks. In addition, they teach students how long it takes them to complete a task or activity so that they know how much time is needed for planning and preparation before starting an activity or assignment.

Teach these skills in small, manageable steps until the skill becomes automatic at home or school.

Make sure they set goals and talk with them about them daily.

The next step is to make sure that the student has goals, and he or she understands what they are. Talk with the student about his or her goals every day if you can, even if it's just at the door coming into the classroom. Make sure your goal setting is not too difficult to achieve; you don't want to give him or her a sense of failure. You can also create a system with them so they can see how much progress they have made toward achieving their goal each day. This is also a great tool to incorporate for all students. For example, have students use the agenda for the day to write a daily goal for themselves as bell work.

You can also use tracking charts to help: For instance, if your students want to improve their reading comprehension, maybe you could set up a chart where every time there is a quiz on vocabulary or reading comprehension in class (or both), they get points for getting all questions correct and miss one point for missing one question. After every quiz period ends, go over this chart together and talk about how many points were earned from each quiz and how many more points need to be earned before achieving their goal of mastering this skill area. If necessary add more quizzes until all areas are covered and mastered by all students involved so no one feels left behind!

Help improve self-esteem and self-image.

When a student with ADHD is struggling with their self-image, it can be hard to know how to help. As their teacher, it's important that you focus on the positive and avoid giving students too much criticism. Instead, try giving them positive feedback when they do something well or succeed at something difficult and share this with parents when you can. This will help build their self-confidence and show them that they have value as an individual. Keep in mind that while you may be frustrated by their lack of motivation or inability to see things through to completion, don't focus on this too much when talking with your student—instead of focusing on what they aren’t doing or struggling with at the moment (which could make them feel worse), instead emphasize all the good things about him/herself: “I know you're really smart! You did great studying for that test!”

Take a break as often as possible.

Students with ADHD may need to take breaks as often as needed, and it is ideal for them to have a set time where they will take a break from the work they are doing. Add in brain breaks during class as it can help all students take a moment to process the information that you have just given. You can also have students use a POMODORO technique when working individually (25 minutes working, 5 minute break). Learn more about the POMODORO Technique and limiting distractions here. In addition to taking breaks at regular intervals, students with ADHD may need more frequent movement or alternative activities in order to remain productive. For example, students who have difficulty focusing on their current assignment may find it helpful if they get up every five minutes or so and take a quick walk around the room before returning back to their desks.

Use technology in a positive way.

Be sure to use technology in a positive way. Technology can be used to help organize thoughts, study skills, time management, organization and communication with parents. You can offer digital or physical planners to help students organize their time more effectively. Learn more about using planners here. I will often help students add assignments or tasks directly into their cell phone so that it will give an alert when they need to work on a certain task. This tends to help the student work on it right then, instead of forgetting what they need to do because it is hidden inside a planner. Visual cues and color coding can be very helpful. Match colors to certain tasks like homework or in-class assignments or activities.

Reward good behavior and good study habits.

Rewards can be tangible or intangible. A reward can be an actual thing that you give to your student, like bonus points or a homework pass. An intangible reward is something that's more about making their day better, like telling them how proud you are of them for their hard work because they've been studying so much and deserve a break from homework. The latter is easier to implement, especially to create fairness among the classmates.

The idea behind rewards is to motivate good behavior and help students focus on the task at hand. Some kids with ADHD need rewards more than others—it depends on how severe their ADHD symptoms are and what kinds of things they respond well to as motivation. You may even want to take note of what a student responds best to.

Allow for flexibility in the curriculum to be able to take note of differences from day to day in the student's ability to focus or complete assignments, or other symptoms of ADHD.

Placing the student with ADHD into a traditional classroom can be challenging. Here are some strategies that may help:

• Provide tools such as choice boards or project-based learning opportunities where students can demonstrate mastery of material in a way that works for them. This allows them to choose how they will show their knowledge and skills rather than being forced to learn solely based on lecture-style. which may not work for many students (ADHD or otherwise).

There are plenty of effective ways to support students with ADHD.

• It's important to remember that ADHD is a learning disorder, not an excuse for bad behavior or laziness. There are some effective ways to support students with ADHD:

• Help them color-code their tasks

• Reduce distractions

• Break work into more manageable parts that have flexibility in how they complete the task

• Help them stick to a routine

• Use visual cues and reminders of what students need to get done

• Incorporate movement and brain breaks

• Create choice for students

• Provide frequent, positive feedback

• Ask questions instead of criticizing

• Give advanced notice of transitions

• Communicate with parents regularly

Conclusion

The key to helping students with ADHD is understanding their needs. It’s important for teachers and parents alike to find an approach that works for them. We hope this article has given you some ideas on how to help your child with ADHD succeed in school.

Use this Tips for Helping Students with ADHD Guide to send home with students so that parents and students are able to receive the support they need both in school and at home. The guide is available in color and black and white so it can be easily printable or can be sent through email when needed. And if students need any more help with organization or an accountability partner, I also offer individual coaching for students with exceptionalities like ADD and ADHD or a Free Academic Success Planning Resource Guide you can send along to all of your students.