Hooooo Boyyyyy

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Home : 2003 : September : 22

Hooooo Boyyyyy
By Julianne

Yup, had that kid at least two or three times. I've got two this year, one boy and one girl. They're so hard to manage and it doesn't help one bit that mom or dad doesn't "believe" in medication. Often they don't want
to give it because of the stigma associated with it. Or they don't believe it will help even though they haven't given it a try.
Of course, you know you need to document this kid. Along with keeping a log of his behavior, try to keep track of how he is falling behind his peer group. Pick a child at his same level in math or reading and track the two of them. Does your ADHD kid keep

up? Is he learning? That is a line of evidence for mom and the special education team.

Second, if he's not on meds your only recourse is to try to create an atmosphere in which he can work with as little interruption as possible. You can't have him creating a circus atmosphere in your room. Find a place for him to be and keep directing him back to it. Some ADHD kids do well at the back of the class where they can wiggle around and not be noticed by the rest of the class. You can mark a square of masking tape around his desk and allow him the freedom to stand and move in that area. If he can't stay in that area you go for the punishments. I would think that 15 to 20 minutes is just too long to expect many first graders to stay on task. Try to redirect him every 3 to 5 minutes. Then move up to 7 minutes, etc. When you are on the carpet have him sit in a chair at the back of the group. You'll probably have to keep reminding him to keep his pockets on the chair.

You can try giving him something to do with his hands. A piece of masking tape, playdough, smooth pebbles, a paper clip to twist can all focus the child's energy while they listen. It may not seem like they're hearing you as they maniuplate an object, but it can be very effective.

Well, there are lots of good resources for ADHD kids on the Internet and you could go there for some more help to your immediate problem. Of course, the real answer is to address the underlying cause and figure out a way to fix it. Use your special ed. team, other teachers, principal and support staff as much as possible on this. Keep bringing him up at team meetings until you get some help. Make sure your principal knows he's still having trouble. They tend to forget if you don't remind them.