An approach called the Life Course Model could significantly improve outcomes by keeping parents informed on the effectiveness of behavioral interventions and by ensuring consistency between home and school strategies.

The model’s primary aim is to foster collaborative family-school partnerships. Through meetings with the child’s academic and/or IEP team, parents can help make decisions regarding the best behavioral interventions to address the child’s needs.

[eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD and Classroom Behavior]

Daily communication about a student’s progress may also allow the teacher to advise on implementing interventions at home. However, successful student outcomes still rely on professional development and teacher training around ADHD interventions and strategies.

Life Course Model Implementation

These practice guidelines were created to help teachers address disruptive or noncompliant behaviors among students with ADHD by providing supports that build skills for independence and self-regulation. Interventions that reduce symptoms (e.g., medication) and accommodations that don’t necessarily build skills are given lower priority in the treatment plan sequence.

Life Course Model, Part 1: Services and Sequencing

Life Course Model, Part 2: Principles for Service Delivery

Behavioral Interventions for ADHD: Next Steps

• Free Download: Classroom Accommodations for Children with ADHD
• Sign Up: Free ADHD Teacher Training Program!
• Read: Could a Behavior Intervention Plan Help Your Student with ADHD? 

Marsha Ariol, M.S., is a third-year doctoral student in the school psychology program at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

George J. DuPaul, Ph.D., is a professor of school psychology and associate dean for research in the College of Education at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

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Sources

¹ Hustus, C.L., Evans, S.W., Owens, J.S., Benson, K., Hetrick, A., Kipperman, K., & DuPaul, G.J. (2020). An Evaluation of 504 and Individualized Educational Programs for High School Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. School Psychology Review,49, 333-345.doi: 10.1080/2372966X.2020.1777830

² DuPaul, G.J., Chronis-Tuscano, A., Danielson, M.L., & Visser, S.N. (2019). Predictors of Receipt of School Services in a National Sample of Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 23, 1303-1319.doi: 10.1177/1087054718816169

– How to improve executive function by developing “domino” habits
– How to foster a positive learning environment that leans more heavily on praise
– How to design a neurodivergent-friendly classroom
– How to model good planning and prioritizing skills for your child
– How to capture wandering attention without embarrassing students with ADHD
– How to use a daily report card system effectively
– How to manage multiple students’ accommodations efficiently
– How to spot and avoid burnout in twice-exceptional students who are gifted and have ADHD
– How to reduce screen-time battles and use music to spark focus

Get all of these resources and more in this concise, practical, 12-page guide to building stronger executive functions in children with ADHD.

Print it, share it, use it, and start off the new school year smart!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Navigating students’ emotional dysregulation can be one of the most challenging aspects of classroom management. In this one-hour webinar, educators will learn how to engage both proactive and reactive strategies for effectively managing emotional dysregulation in students.

Proactive Strategies Include:

• Building a Supportive Classroom Environment: Learn techniques for creating a classroom atmosphere that promotes emotional stability and resilience.
• Implementing Preventative Measures: Discover approaches to identify potential triggers and integrate preventative strategies that reduce the likelihood of emotional outbursts.
• Developing Emotional Regulation Skills: Explore methods for teaching students self-regulation skills and coping mechanisms that they can use independently.

Reactive Strategies Include:

• Deploying Immediate Response Techniques: Understand best practices for addressing emotional dysregulation as it occurs, ensuring interventions are effective and respectful.
• Engaging De-escalation Strategies: Gain practical skills for de-escalating tense situations and restoring a calm learning environment.
• Prioritizing Post-Incident Reflection and Support: Learn how to follow up with students after an emotional incident to provide support and prevent future occurrences.

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Classroom Management Strategies for Teachers: More Resources

• Download: Kid-Friendly Mindful Meditation Exercises
• Sign Up: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators
• Read: Top Emotion Regulation Difficulties for Youth with ADHD
• Read: 13 Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies for Educators Today
• eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD School Behavior

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on September 17, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Cheryl Chase, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Independence, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. She specializes in the diagnostic and neuropsychological assessment of various conditions impacting children, adolescents, and young adults including ADHD, Learning Disorders, and emotional concerns. She is PSYPACT certified and able to serve clients from the 40 participating states. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Chase is also an accomplished international speaker, leading workshops on such timely topics as executive functioning, dyslexia/dysgraphia, and creative ways to support those who struggle in school. Finally, Dr. Chase serves as an adjunct instructor at several colleges in the Cleveland area. She is an active member of the International Dyslexia Association, the American Psychological Association, and Learning Disabilities Association of America. For more information, please visit ChasingYourPotential.com or her LinkedIn page.

Listener Testimonials

“This webinar was beyond excellent. Dr. Chase’s strategies and encouraging comments ware great both for students — primary and high school — and teachers/parents/guardians. Thank you so much!”

“Excellent, well-informed speaker. Well paced and with a good amount of information to communicate in the time available.”

“There were great strategies that I had not been exposed to in previous trainings. Thank you!”

“From a parent perspective, thank you for the information provided to teachers. Very helpful for everyone! Loved when you reminded them to reflect on their own childhood.”

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
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These strategies will help your teen tap into their “grit.”

Teachers and parents can take advantage of these strategies for training focus, combatting procrastination, and prioritizing effectively to achieve the success that drives future motivation.

When we create learning environments and activities that help students feel safe and confident, we reduce their chances of experiencing failure and increase their chance at success.

Does delayed executive function maturity make it hard for your child to achieve his goals? Here, tips for practice, patience, and perseverance for children and teenagers with ADHD.

Traditional carrots and sticks don’t motivate students with ADHD – that much is clear. But these strategies do.

Why do adults and children with ADHD or ADD have strong motivation and executive function for some tasks and never find the cognitive spark to do others? Learn more.

Learn about seven important executive function skills, their relationship to motivation, and how to improve each skill. Learn more.

Foster Friendships & Regulate Emotions

Required reading for any parent whose child has felt excluded — or whose child has excluded others.

Students with ADHD thrive in a positive classroom environment, and peer interactions and relationships play a big role in shaping that learning experience.

While your child has strengths, it is the weak executive functions — the management system of the brain — that affect their social skills.

ADHD can cause specific immature behaviors, causing kids to be an outcast amongst peers. Learn how praise and getting involved in activities can help.

How to help your child make friends (and keep them) this year. Learn more.

Teach your child how to deal with a bully and become an upstander for other neurodivergent kids with these strategies.

Children and teens with ADHD may lose friends because of deficits in social executive function skills – the underlying processes that are involved in social skills ranging from perspective-taking to reciprocity and cognitive flexibility. Learn how to help them.

Initiate & Complete Homework

Research suggests that the soundtrack to your child’s homework should comprise these 21 songs, proven to change the electromagnetic frequency of brain waves for optimal focus.

Learn ways to treat dysgraphia – a disability that impacts writing abilities – and to improve handwriting for a lifetime.

With these homework routines, teachers and parents can replace after-school tantrums with higher grades..

Hurdles with writing trace back to executive functioning — our brains’ ability to absorb, organize, and act on information. Learn more.

12 ADHD-friendly strategies for creating calm, avoiding burnout, and staying organized during homework time.

Spare your family drama and fights by following this homework system designed for children with ADHD and learning disabilities.

Kids with ADHD often struggle with homework, but each one struggles in a unique way. Here are specific solutions that really work for kids with ADHD.

Secure Accommodations & Self-Advocate

These academic and organizational tips are designed to help high school students with ADHD finish homework, execute long-term projects, manage their time, earn high grades, and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

“Daily report cards are among the most powerful evidence-based tools that educators have to encourage better behavior in students. A strong report card system has a few key elements that make or break its effectiveness.”

Know your rights if the school refuses to evaluate your student for learning differences.

8 straightforward steps — from requesting a school evaluation to monitoring accommodations — to help parents develop the best IEP or 504 Plan possible for kids with ADHD.

Learn how to help a student with ADHD understand and communicate their learning needs to teachers and parents.

Here are some of our favorite solutions for addressing common ADHD challenges at school.

Here are some of our favorite solutions for addressing common ADHD challenges at school.

Remember Not to Forget

A working memory deficit could explain his difficulty working out math problems in his head or with reading retention. Take this self-test.

Improve working memory in children with ADHD by using these 10 exercises that lighten the mental load by externalizing reminders.

Learn faster. Retain more. Perform better on tests. Yes, really. With these research-based techniques for studying with ADHD .

Educators must do more to support students with learning differences for whom working memory is an area of need. The following are a few strategies and pointers for educators.

Research shows that students with ADHD don’t need to study harder or longer to conquer exams — they just need to study differently. Here’s how.

Weak working memory impairs a child’s ability to follow multi-step directions, tap into old information, or quickly recall lessons. These 15 exercises and strategies can help.

Verbal and non-verbal working memory are two essential batteries powering what Dr. Russell Barkley calls your brain’s GPS system — the one that keeps you on track, on time, and in control. Learn how to keep them charged.

Build Self-Confidence at School

Responding to bad behavior with neurotypical parenting techniques is counterproductive because it ignores the root problem. Here is a better way.

When teens with ADHD feel less than adequate, parents should use these strategies to help them bolster their self confidence, make healthy choices, and develop a positive perspective on the future. Here’s how.

Daily challenges and corrections at school can demoralize a child and trample her confidence. How to end the cycle.

These ADHD teaching strategies will help all students — but especially those with ADD — learn to the best of their ability in any classroom. Get started.

No child with ADHD can succeed at school if he believes he is less smart or less capable than his peers. Here is a better way.

Many children with ADHD, battered by daily criticisms and admonitions, have low self-esteem as early as second grade. Make a powerful difference with these reframing strategies.

Chronic stress at school can make kids (particularly those with ADHD or LD) dread going — and change their brains for the worse. Learn more.

Organize & Manage Time

The most critical tool for building these executive functions? The right planner. Here it is.

Want to make sure that your child gets his homework done every night — and learns about planning and how to prioritize? Teach them to use a homework planner.

11 tips for cementing your family’s routine.

Here, learn how to use calendars and clocks to teach your child the value of strong priorities and to help him be on time more often.

Paper planners outperform digital ones for ADHD brains. Here is what makes a great planner.

Chaotic desk? Forgotten homework? Missed deadlines? Your child needs these ADHD organizing tips.

Reliable schedules for mornings, after school, and bedtime make a tremendous difference in setting expectations, building good habits, and improving ADD-related behavior. Learn more.

Resist Distractions and Focus

dopamine menu lists an assortment of pleasurable, healthy activities — from appetizers like yoga poses to main courses like a HIIT class to sides like white noise — from which ADHD brains can choose when they need stimulation. Learn more.

Research shows that physical activity — even a little foot-tapping or gum chewing — increases levels of the neurotransmitters in the brain that control focus and attention. Learn more.

“Procrastivity” is a self-defeating ADHD time-management habit can be helped by cognitive behavioral therapy approaches that teach patients how to prioritize tasks. Learn more here.

You can’t train away executive dysfunction. But you can more consistently get things done by creating systems in your life that support these brain processes. Get started here.

Soothing, effective fidgets for students with ADHD who focus best when they are chewing, squeezing, picking, or — yes — spinning. See our picks here.

Children with ADHD experience a lower level of brain arousal, which means they are easily distracted by internal and external stimuli. Use these school and home strategies to improve focus and comprehension.

For inconsistent focus, use these teacher-approved accommodations to put some real muscle behind his 504 Plan and put the attention back on learning. Get started.

Control Impulses and Behavior

Back-to-school supplies for students with ADHD — from erasable pens and highlighter tape to wiggle seat cushions, and more — that improve focus, organization, and classroom engagement. See the list.

Educators share their top tips for developing stronger executive function skills and independence in students with ADHD and learning differences here.

The Good Behavior Game is one of many classroom behavior interventions — backed by research — that inspires better behavior from students with and without ADHD. Here is how to play.

Is your child experiencing behavior problems at school? Use this step-by-step guide.

Time-outs and lectures won’t magically cure the impulsive tendencies of kids with ADHD. But these real-world tips for teachers and parents just might.

Lack of impulse control may be the most difficult ADHD symptom to change. Medication can help, but kids also need effective behavior management strategies in place — clear expectations, positive incentives, and predictable consequences — if they are to learn to regulate their behavior. Get started here.

Teach students to regulate their emotions with these ADHD strategies.

Forge Stronger Executive Functions

Executive function deficits may look like absentmindedness or forgetfulness. Learn more.

Learn about your child’s seven executive functions — and how to boost them.

“Executive dysfunction is ubiquitous in children with ADHD, which helps to explain why so many students with attention deficit are reprimanded for forgotten homework, disorganized projects, running out of time on tests, and more.” Learn more.

Martial arts help build self-control, discipline, and persistence. Learn how.

Symptoms of inattentive ADHD are often mistaken for apathy or laziness. Learn the truth.

ADHD intentions don’t always translate into action. Learn how to align them here.

90% of kids with ADHD have an executive function deficit. Learn how to strengthen executive functions here.

Episode Description

School refusal and avoidance have grown more prevalent and problematic since the quarantine of 2020. The reasons behind school refusal and avoidance are different for every student, but the goal is typically the same: to stay at home and miss tests, class work, and homework. From elementary school through high school, absenteeism is growing — and pushing students further and further behind.

Underlying anxiety often propels and compels this behavior, which can present differently in different students — from stomachaches and headaches in some to signs of depression in others. For some students, this anxiety may stem from academic struggles. Students with ADHD may feel overwhelmed if they’re unable to keep up with teacher instruction, class work, and homework. They may also be worn down by years of criticism and correction at school. For others, social difficulties, such as bullying or peer rejection, may cause anxiety and the desire to avoid school.

It’s important for caregivers and educators to understand the underlying causes for each student’s school avoidance and absenteeism so that their individual needs can be addressed, and they can return to school feeling hopeful in a positive environment.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• About the underlying factors that contribute to school avoidance and absenteeism
• How these factors may affect students with ADHD, in particular
• How symptoms of school avoidance can look different across elementary school-age children and teens
• How to identify and meet the needs of struggling students
• About the evidence-based strategies that parents and educators can utilize to support students with school refusal behaviors
• Therapy options to help students transition back to the academic environment

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the  symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO; YouTube 

School Avoidance & ADHD: More Resources

– Download: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Free Guide to Working with Your School
– Enroll: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Master Class for Parents (use discount code: Additude)
– Share: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Course for Educators (use discount code: Additude)
– Read: Why School Stress Is Toxic for Our Children
– Sign Up: Free Back-to-School Master Class from ADDitude
– Read: 6 Good Reasons to Change Your Child’s School
– Download: Social Anxiety Facts and Falsehoods

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on July 9, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Alana Cooperman, LCSW, is a senior social worker for the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. She has extensive experience delivering evidence-based treatment to children and families with a range of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, selective mutism, and phobias. She also works with individuals with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and those struggling with emotion dysregulation. Mrs. Cooperman has provided individual and group therapy to children and adolescents in school settings for over 15 years.

Mrs. Cooperman has received training in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), functional behavior assessments (FBA), parent-child interaction therapy for selective mutism (PCIT-SM), and exposure and response prevention (ERP).

Mrs. Cooperman’s experience includes working on a multidisciplinary team, alongside school administrators, teachers, families, and other clinicians, to create student goals and individualized behavior plans. She has led numerous workshops for both teachers and families, teaching strategies to support children struggling with emotion regulation, anger, and anxiety. Mrs. Cooperman also has experience conducting comprehensive family intakes and child and adolescent risk assessments.

Listener Testimonials

“Great presentation – she was very knowledgeable.”

“This was a terrific webinar with a good amount of information presented in an understandable format without being overwhelming. Thank you!”

“I like how reasonable, manageable, and relatable the presenter was. It was motivating to access the cycle of interventions that she suggested. This will be very useful for my client in the upcoming months!”

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With patience and a few tried-and-true strategies, you can help your student harness their enthusiasm and energy in the classroom while minimizing blurting. Use these ideas to spark your next brilliant behavior plan or classroom-management strategy.

1. Try planned ignoring. During a classroom activity, acknowledge students who raise their hands and wait to be called on. (Be sure to repeat this expectation prior to and during the lesson.) When a student who was previously blurting is now raising their hand, call on that student right away, and praise their enthusiastic efforts to contribute while following classroom expectations.

[Get This Free Download: The Daily Report Card for Better Classroom Behavior]

2. Three nods and a deep breath. For students who struggle with waiting their turn to contribute to a conversation (especially when it’s an exciting one that relates to their interests), encourage them to work and refine their patience muscles with a quick exercise: When the urge to blurt comes up before a friend has finished their statement, slowly and slightly nod three times and then take a deep breath before jumping in. Even if the student does end up blurting, it’s the practice of mindfully waiting that counts. This exercise also teaches students to be active listeners.

3. Use self-monitoring tools. Sometimes, students are unaware that they are blurting and how often they engage in the behavior. Self-monitoring tools can raise their awareness (without causing shame) and help control its frequency. My favorite way to use self-monitoring in the classroom is for both student and teacher to track the student’s blurt count for a lesson/period and compare results.

If the blurt tally is the same, then the student gets to pick from the big prize box for recognizing the number of times they blurted. (If the tally is off, you should reward the student anyway for making progress, perhaps by allowing them to pick a smaller prize.)

Over time, once the student’s baseline number of blurts is established, you can set clear goals around limiting those interruptions. If five is the average for a lesson, then aim for the student to blurt no more than three times a lesson. Praise and reward the student, perhaps with additional time for recess for the whole class.

[Read: Impulse Control Strategies for School and Home]

4. Do an environmental check. Thinking critically about the environment in which our students learn is essential to maximize their learning and make sure everyone is on the same page with respect to the classroom rules.

• Review classroom expectations frequently with your students. Make sure that the rules are clear and easy to understand, and write them on the board or keep them on a poster hanging up for all to see. Ensure that students understand when it is okay to talk softly to friends in their desk pod and when it’s time to be absolutely quiet, like during tests.
• Consider seating. Put a student who blurts near your desk or away from other students who also blurt. Consider creating a designated space in your classroom that students can go to if they need to self-regulate to control blurting and other impulsive behaviors.
• Don’t overlook the importance of a clutter-free space. Where is my notebook? Pencil? Last week’s homework assignment? A cleaner environment can reduce these questions, which may come out as blurting. During transition times, have your students take a few minutes to do individualized environmental check to keep organized.
• Check noise levels. Soft music may calm some students, which helps with impulsivity, while others need absolute silence to avoid being “activated.” Think of what works for your students and consider using noise cancelling headphones for students who need quiet.

How to Stop Blurting: Next Steps

• Free Download: Solving Behavior Problems Rooted in Executive Function Deficits
• Read: Disruptive Behavior — Solutions for the Classroom and at Home
• Read: Behavior Problems at School —  A Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

The longer I’ve spent in this field, the more I’ve come to realize that the strongest educators are skilled at ignoring mildly inappropriate behaviors from students. This is a different tune from approaches of the past that emphasized, for example, trying to get students to face forward and not move a muscle while in class. Today, many teachers understand that as long as a student is learning and producing work, it’s okay if they have to stand or squirm around a bit during class.

As far as ignoring behaviors in some students, an educator put it to me this way: Fair doesn’t always mean equal.

[Get This Free Guide: Solving Classroom Behavior Problems]

The reality is that there will always be some students who are going to need more or different approaches to help them achieve the same goals that all students are being asked to achieve. This applies to students who struggle with behavioral challenges due to ADHD and/or other conditions that affect learning.

Children with ADHD are more likely than their neurotypical peers to be on the receiving end of commands, reprimands, criticisms, and negative comments because of ADHD-related behavioral challenges. These experiences add up, causing low self-esteem, academic underachievement, and other functional impairments. This is what makes a positive learning environment especially important for students with challenging behaviors. They need much more praise than probably all the other students in the class combined to counteract all the negatives that are dumped on them. These students don’t need further negativity, and that’s where planned ignoring comes in.

Keeping things positive for children with challenging behaviors — by focusing on the good and ignoring minor behaviors here and there, especially if the behaviors are attention-seeking — will help keep them motivated to continue to produce and succeed in the classroom.

Besides, if you maintain a positive environment for the entire classroom — liberally praising and encouraging all students — then every student is getting their fair share of positivity, which is what matters most.

Planned Ignoring for ADHD Behavior Problems: Next Steps

• Free Teacher Training: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators
• Read: The Good Behavior Game Is a Hit with Students — and Teachers
• Read: “My Student’s Daily Report Card Isn’t Working!”

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings: An Evolution in Education” [Video Replay & Podcast #461] with Gregory A. Fabiano, which was broadcast on June 28, 2023.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Students with ADHD thrive in a positive classroom environment, and peer interactions and relationships play a big role in shaping that learning experience.

Teaching your students to be kind and supportive of their fellow classmates, including their peers with ADHD and learning differences, starts with you, the educator. A positive classroom environment is one where praise and encouragement are liberally doled out to students — and where commands, demands, and reprimands are used sparingly.

[Sign Up for the ADHD Learning Series for Educators]

Constantly correcting or negatively commenting on a student’s challenging ADHD-related behaviors only opens the door for other students to do the same. So be sure to set a tone of collegiality and respect in the classroom. Create an environment where all of your students feel valued and appreciated for their contributions. Saturate your class with positive comments and don’t hold back on praising students for their efforts to collaborate and work well with each other. Say to your students, “I’m so proud of the way that you helped out your friend.”

Teaching Peer Kindness: Next Steps

• Free Download: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD
• Read: “Neurodivergent Kids Are My Favorite Students”
• Read: “Students with Learning Differences Need Outspoken Champions”

 The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude webinar titled “ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings: An Evolution in Education” [Video Replay & Podcast #461] with Gregory A. Fabiano, which was broadcast on June 28, 2023.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

The Good Behavior Game is one of many classroom behavior interventions — backed by research — that inspires better behavior from students.¹ It’s a simple game that doesn’t cost a single penny to set up, and it increases your ability to teach students in an engaged, disruption-free classroom.

How to Play the Good Behavior Game

To set up the game, start by identifying a few behaviors you’d like for your students, who will be split up into two (or more) teams, to work toward. You can set a goal, for example, of no more than three interruptions while you’re teaching a lesson.

[Get This Free Download: The Daily Report Card for Better Classroom Behavior]

The teams who meet the goal earn a reward at the end of the lesson. Rewards can range from a quick game of freeze dance to free reading or drawing time — anything that motivates your students to want to win.

Communicate the goal and rules of the game to the class, and then write them down for all to see for easy reference. Use a chart to mark and display each team’s progress toward the goal.

Benefits of the Good Behavior Game

Apart from imparting lessons in teamwork and camaraderie, The Good Behavior Game effectively encourages good behavior through the school day. If a team doesn’t win during one lesson, they will have another opportunity to play and win in the next lesson. Another advantage of the game is that it changes the focus of peer attention. Rather than laughing at a fellow student who may be breaking a class rule or otherwise being disruptive, students instead turn their attention to winning the game.

The game improves behavior in the long run. Compared to other first graders, students in classrooms that implemented the Good Behavior Game were rated less shy and aggressive by teachers at the end of the school year.²

[Read: Positive Teaching Strategies to Uplift Students with ADHD]

What About Behavior Games for High School Students?

Do behavior games work for older students? Absolutely. Here is one game that has proven effective for encouraging better behavior in high school students:³ At the beginning of class, set a two-minute countdown timer. If the timer goes off without a single disruptive or off-task behavior from any student, the class earns a point, and the timer is reset for another chance to earn. But if a negative behavior does occur, the timer is reset, and no point is earned. The goal is for the class to arrive at 17 points — or 34 minutes of no disruptions — so that they can win free time at the end of class. Teens are highly motivated to win the game because it cuts a lesson short by about five minutes, and they can use the time to talk with their friends, which is really important to them.

Play the Good Behavior Game with your class — and spread the word so that all students in your school can join in on the fun.

Classroom Behavior Games: Next Steps

• Free Download: How to Solve Behavior Problems Rooted in Executive Function Deficits
• Read: The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming Misbehavior in the Classroom
• Read: Impulse-Control Strategies for Students with ADHD

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹ Barrish, H. H., Saunders, M., & Wolf, M. M. (1969). Good behavior game: Effects of individual contingencies for group consequences on disruptive behavior in a classroom. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2(2), 119-124.

² Dolan LJ, et al. The short-term impact of two classroom-based preventive interventions on aggressive and shy behaviors and poor achievement. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 1993;14(3):317–345.

³ Christ, T. J., & Christ, J. A. (2006). Application of an interdependent group contingency mediated by an automated feedback Device: An intervention across three high school classrooms. School Psychology Review, 35(1), 78–90.

Q: “We’ve recently started a daily report card with one of my students with ADHD to improve their behavior, but we haven’t seen any changes yet. What can we do to make this tool work more effectively?”

Daily report cards are among the most powerful evidence-based tools that educators have to encourage better behavior in students. A strong report card system has a few key elements that make or break its effectiveness.

1. Well-Defined Goals

Your student’s daily report card should list a few clearly defined target behaviors. The following are some examples of well-defined daily report card goals for students with ADHD:

• Follows class rules with no more than three reminders per class
• Completes assignments within the designated time
• Completes assignments with 80% accuracy
• Complies with teacher requests with no more than three instances of noncompliance per class
• Engages in no more than three teasings per class
• Follows lunch rules (<3 violations)
• Follows recess rules (<2 violations)

Avoid listing vague goals like “I was well-behaved in class today” or “I had a good day today.” The daily report card should be clear so that everyone — educators, parents, and the students — understands what’s expected.

[Read: Behavior Problems at School — a Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents]

2. Well-Calibrated Behavioral Goals

You know you have a well-calibrated report card when the student has earned more Yeses than Nos on it at the end of the school day. If the student is getting mostly Nos and failing to meet goals, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Even if the goals that are currently on the report card are well-defined, the point is to set goals that are reasonably attainable for the student now. These goals can become more challenging once the student has demonstrated that they can consistently achieve them.

Bear in mind that, when starting a new behavioral support plan, it’s not uncommon for a student’s behavior to get worse before it gets better. A behavior analyst may be able to identify additional strategies to decrease instances of challenging behaviors.

3. Immediate Feedback

You should praise and compliment your student for demonstrating desired behaviors, but you should also provide immediate feedback — privately — if they break a rule reflected in the report card. If rule-breaking happens, say, “This is your first reminder for following class rules.” This framing works because it keeps students on track. Once a student gets close to the limit, they typically button down and really focus on following the rule.

4. Parent/Caregiver Involvement

Caregiver accountability is by far the most important aspect of the daily report card. Daily report card review will help parents or caregivers notice patterns to their child’s behaviors and intervene quickly with the help of the school if needed.

[Read: How to Team Up with Parents — Tips from Teachers for Teachers]

Caregivers must also implement home-based privileges or consequences tied to their child’s report card performance. The child can earn three minutes of screen time, for example, for every check mark they earned toward the goal behaviors. If screen time matters that much to the student, they will be more focused on meeting daily report card behavior goals throughout the school day. If setting up home-based rewards isn’t feasible, school-based rewards may fill this need.

Behavior Report Card: Next Steps

• Free Download: The Daily Report Card for Better Classroom Behavior
• Read: The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming Misbehavior in the Classroom
• Read: Behavior Problems at School – a Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings: An Evolution in Education” [Video Replay & Podcast #461] with Gregory A. Fabiano, Ph.D., which was broadcast on June 28, 2023.

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Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Misunderstood ADHD in the classroom leaves students with permanent scars. Pervasive misconceptions at school — held by educators and other students — hurt children. Many traditional school systems are due for repairs, beginning with specialized teacher training, support, and interventions to support neurodivergent thinkers.

Why is attention deficit still dismissed, overlooked, and misunderstood at school? It’s important to note that ADHD is not considered a learning disability in special education law.¹ Of the 13 categories listed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ADHD is classified under “other health impairments” and not as a specific learning disability. Perhaps it’s time for a change.

Explicitly naming ADHD in the IDEA could help unlock more specific and helpful accommodations in IEP and 504 Plans. It could also facilitate the teacher training needed to guarantee an equitable education. For now, though, that training is rare and misunderstandings abound.

The Misunderstood Era of ADHD

We asked caregivers to reflect on their child’s relationship with teachers, or to look back on their own experiences in the classroom. What do educators most often misunderstand about ADHD? About learning differences?

“My 10-year-old son is answering this question, and he says, ‘They often don’t realize that we need more breaks, and think more creatively about problems and solving them, which can sometimes look different than the way the teacher would want to see the problem solved.’” — Jonathan, Texas

[eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD School Behavior]

“My 14-year-old son is a student in a public high school in New York City. I can’t believe that the school still treats his occasional unregulated behavior with both detentions and suspensions. They take any backtalk from him personally and punish him for it instead of recognizing that it is a symptom of a neurodivergent condition and treating it as such.” — Josephine, New York

“[Educators think] ADHD students are not fit for public school, and that they will not flourish in a public school setting.” — Lisa, Texas

“As a former educator, I was not adequately trained to understand or identify learning differences. I took an entire credit course on ADHD and did not know that I myself had ADHD.”

“Because of my daydreaming, I often didn’t pay attention. Then my anxiety would keep me from answering when questioned by a teacher. I feel like I was written off as ‘stupid’ in elementary school.” — Debbie, Ohio

[Read: 10 Ways We Would Fix the U.S. School System]

“Educators do a great job trying to understand ADHD. School administrators that handle behavioral issues are where we run into problems…” — An ADDitude reader

“Educators don’t seem to have an understanding of invisible disabilities and take ADHD as a personal affront to their authority.” — Denise, Alabama

“Even now, too many educators believe having ADHD is a choice. It is not! I was labeled unruly and unwilling to ‘settle down’ or take my studies seriously.” — Cee, West Virginia

“Fidgeting does not mean that I am not listening. This accusation was placed on me at a teacher training. When I stressed out, I started to crochet to calm my mind and was written up for rudeness.” — Ann, California

“I think they don’t know a lot about the differences between ADHD and LD. Even today, educators use the term ‘ADHD’ just because a child cannot focus in class. They fail to understand that even kids with LDs will not stay focused when they do not understand what is being taught.” — Boon Eu, Malaysia

“I think they understand [ADHD], but they don’t have the resources to respond appropriately. The most important thing, in my opinion, is for teachers to be kind and not label kids as naughty or deliberately disruptive.” — Jen, Australia

“Educators with enough sensitivity or compassion can work well with ADHD kids because they can intuitively make changes to help the child. Others, who just aren’t as sensitive or compassionate, can be taught about ADHD but will never be excellent teachers for ADHD kids. I left the regular school system because I got tired of teachers telling me that my kids were lazy or just weren’t trying, even after we did educational assessments to prove that they had ADHD.” — Sarah, Canada

“Many teachers do not see past disruptive behavior. My report card always said I was ‘distracted’ or ‘bored.’ As a result, they put me in advanced classes and never even talked about [my] ADHD. My kids weren’t as disruptive as I was, but I feel like most people get annoyed and ignore the behaviors rather than try to question or find the source of the it.” — Stephanie, Florida

“Educators don’t understand that you can’t just try harder like everyone else. They think you can adopt neurotypical learning styles and succeed. So, they push these tactics that work for neurotypical students rather than receive training on what else to do.” — Anne, New Zealand

“Most educators, then and now, still marginalize students with any neurodivergent condition. Some of that seems to be on the parents; not all guardians are willing to have their children tested and diagnosed. It may seem odd that adults still worry about stigma — but as a parent to an ADHD teen, an ADD sufferer myself, and a language teacher for the past 12 years in elementary schools, it has become painfully obvious that these issues still aren’t adequately addressed. I believe this is due to the challenge of educating every unique individual in what, to me, has become an outdated and ineffective educational system — one in which we still warehouse youth. Large-group learning can’t help but require conformity. And that’s obviously not a solution.” — Sandra, Pennsylvania

“Most think it is an excuse and not a real diagnosis. Also, my child is autistic with ADHD. If the teachers have ADHD experience, they don’t realize or understand that there is a difference when comorbidities are involved. Different methods are needed.” — Maureen, Texas

“They think that ADHD is something that can be changed if the person tried harder. People with ADHD can be ‘extra’ if they are not in environments that are conducive to learning. Instead of realizing that the environment is the problem and making appropriate accommodations, they view the person with ADHD as the problem. They require students to ‘suffer through it’ because they think this will somehow make the ADHD go away.” An ADDitude reader

Misunderstood ADHD in the Classroom: Next Steps

• Download: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD
• Read: “We Are Behind the Times:” Only 4 in 10 Educators Receive ADHD Training
• Read: How to Talk to and Uplift Students with ADHD

Sources

¹Jones, L. (n.d.) Are kids with ADHD covered under IDEA? Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/are-kids-with-adhd-covered-under-idea

Sadly, this is an increasingly common situation, often referred to as “informal removal” or “off-the-books suspension,” which some schools use to “manage” students they deem to be disruptive. However, what ends up being disrupted is the student’s rights — their ability to learn and make academic progress, as well as to benefit from the social interactions of the school day.

What can you do when your student faces this situation? How can schools balance the rights and needs of students they deem to be disruptive with the safety and needs of other students, staff, and the school community?

Students’ Rights to a Free, Appropriate Education

Let’s start with some basic principles. First, no student can be excluded from school, or from part of the school day, without at least minimal “due process” notice of the school’s intent to exclude them and a chance to present their side of what happened. This right applies to all students, regardless of whether they have a 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Students with IEPs, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), are entitled to a free, appropriate public education. If a student with an IEP is acting out, having behavioral issues, or otherwise not functioning appropriately in school, the IEP team is required to look at the student’s IEP and examine how that student’s behavior may be related to their disability. This can be done through a functional behavior assessment (FBA), which should result in a Behavioral Intervention Plan. The presumption is that if there are consistent behavioral issues, the student’s IEP is not appropriate or adequate to address their disabilities.

[eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD School Behavior]

In addition, if a student with an IEP faces a suspension of 10 days or more, an FBA is required as part of a manifestation determination — a determination as to whether the student’s conduct is connected to their disability. If this is the case, the school needs to strengthen the services it provides to that student. This can mean adding supports to their day, placement in a smaller or more appropriate class, or otherwise helping the student moderate their behavior while adhering to the requirement of the IDEA that their education take place in the least restrictive environment.

Like those with IEPs, students with 504 Plans have been determined to have a disability and are entitled to the same kind of school day as their non-disabled classmates. If their day is shortened because they are sent home early or put on “home instruction” because of their behavior, they are not receiving the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled peers. They, too, are entitled to an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.

Keep in mind that schools are required to keep records of suspensions; informal or “off-the-books” suspensions often fail to comply with this record-keeping requirement.

Parents’ Role as Advocates

As a parent advocate, you need to be a detective, getting as much information as possible from your child and others (a cooperative teacher, a classmate, or a sibling) about what happened at school. Did your child push Sammy? Or did they push Sammy back? Has there been bullying going on that the school knew or should have known about? Or did this incident arise out of the blue? Have there been other issues you have not heard about?

Next, you need to be an advocate. When you get a call from the school, advise them that you will not agree to any kind of removal without an opportunity to hear the basis of the school’s action and to respond to these claims. You want to hear what happened and have a chance to present your child’s position. It can be as informal as a meeting with the principal, but you and your child have the right to this basic due process.

[Quiz: How Well Do You Know Special-Ed Law?]

If your child did something that merits action by the school, you should consider having them evaluated without delay. Do behavioral issues need to be addressed? Is a 504 Plan or an IEP needed, or are modifications to an existing plan warranted to provide the student with the behavioral support they need? Is the school proposing to suspend your student for 10 days or more or exclude them from a regular program to the extent that your child’s school placement would change? Either situation would trigger their right to a manifestation determination (reviewing whether their behavior was related to their disability).

Your child has a right to get the supports and services that they require. The school’s failure to provide these does not give administrators the right to exclude your student from the regular school day.

It’s important to note that very different rules apply when students bring guns or other deadly weapons to school. Every state is required by federal law to suspend such students for at least a year, providing them with alternative education. This is where a student’s right to be educated with appropriate supports comes up against the safety of the school community, and the law is clear that safety is paramount.

The National Disability Rights Network prepared a report on informal school removal in 2022 that looks at the policies, practices, and remedies for these situations. It can be found online at additu.de/isr-report and makes for informative reading.

ADHD Students’ Rights: Next Steps

• Free Checklist: Fight for Your Child’s Rights at School
• Read: When Behavior Interferes with Learning
• Q: “Can the School Expel My Child for ADHD Behaviors?”

Susan Yellin, Esq., is the Director of Advocacy and Transition Services at The Yellin Center for Mind, Brain, and Education, an innovative learning support and diagnostic practice in New York City.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

These ADHD disruptions, daydreams, and delays are largely beyond students’ control, but too often, they incur punishment from weary teachers rather than positive behavioral interventions. ADDitude asked more than 200 caregivers if their children received harsh or over-the-top punishment at school for their behavior, and the answer was overwhelmingly “yes.” Here are some of their stories.

Disciplinary Actions That Muzzle Learning

“We had to move our son from the school where we both, as parents, teach! The head teacher used the words ‘liar,’ ‘difficult,’ ‘defiant,’ and ‘sticks out like a sore thumb’ to describe his ADHD behaviors, such as not responding straight away to instructions or continuing to hyperfocus when an activity had ended. We were told that if his focus (cooperation) didn’t improve, he would be suspended, then excluded. He was five at the time and we held senior positions at the school. We were appalled.”

“Our son was always bullied, but he was the one who got in trouble and sent to the principal’s office. The school ostracized him. It was horrible.”

“I could write a book on this topic. Some of the punishments were so uncalled-for. What training is given to teachers and school administration for working with ADHD and LD students? Do teachers think ADHD is a fake diagnosis, a cop out? How can we change perceptions?”

[Sign Up: Free Teacher Training on ADHD]

“I am a certified special education teacher and the special education coordinator for the district. I see such a difference between the training given to the special education staff versus the general education staff when it comes to discipline.”

“My son has been suspended due to his behavior. I have worked extremely hard, with the help of ADDitude resources, to educate the teachers and staff and increase my support for them, rather than be seen as an adversary.”

“When my oldest was in elementary school, he was often punished with lost recesses, detention, and extra work — things that made the problem worse.”

“This happened repeatedly. The worst was in fifth grade when he was 10. His principal told our son that he could not go on the three-day overnight trip with his class because of his problems with ‘staying in place.’ The principal did not know that it was illegal to exclude a child with a disability from a school event. I didn’t either, but I learned from an advocacy group that I should tell the principal to call the Department of Education legal department, which he did. The decision was reversed. My son was told he was allowed to go just a few days before the trip.”

[Resource Center: School Advocacy for Neurodivergent Students]

“My child received many harsh punishments, much criticism, removal from the classroom, and seclusion.”

“My son is now nine. In kindergarten and first grade, he was often isolated from the rest of the class and kept inside at recess due to his inability to sit still, keep quiet, and engage in ‘whole body listening.’”

“I pulled my son out of school and am homeschooling now because of this issue. His infractions were blurting out in class, not being able to stay in line in the hall and be quiet, saying hi to classes that had their doors open as he walked the halls, and being ‘defiant’ because he was hyperfocused and reading a book instead of doing math. He was called problematic and made to walk laps at recess for hugging his sister when he was told to get in line. His teachers had no training about kids with ADHD.”

“We’ve dealt with inappropriate consequences for sure. A teacher working with our son used ‘planned ignoring’ when he tried to tell her something. He became frustrated, so she directed him into the hallway. He thought he was in trouble and couldn’t calm down. When the class left for an afternoon recess, he had to stay inside to work on the assignment he did not complete while he was in the hallway. His teacher didn’t explain the situation to him until I came to pick him up at the end of the day.”

“My daughter had a lot of misunderstanding, frustration, or anger from teachers who didn’t understand ADHD. One teacher has traumatized her so that she has trouble trusting female teachers. It is almost like PTSD.”

“My son was traumatized by the director at an upscale private school. He was made to sit for hours while he was told about every little thing he did wrong. My kid started talking about wanting to die because he felt worthless. Thank you, expensive private school, for ruining my eight-year-old’s sense of self-worth because he didn’t fit your mold. We were grateful to move to a local public school this year with a fantastic staff and administrators who work to make a positive environment for all.”

“My child was suspended, cited by the police, and placed on probation at age 17 due to fighting in class. He should not have fought, no question. But involving the police makes it all seem punitive.”

“The worst was when there was a minor infraction that one teacher chose to share with all the teachers and staff. I was horrified. My son is attending a new school now and is happier and getting great grades.”

“My daughter’s current teacher seems irritated and frustrated with her most of the time. It has caused her to have lower self-esteem and not want to go to class with that teacher.”

“My son didn’t fit their mold. Instead of helping, they’d send him away, out of their schools, to alternative schools. How much can a kid take? When he reached his breaking point and quit, I was OK with it. He’s doing great now! Great career, great income.”

ADHD Behavior at School: Next Steps

• Download: Your Child’s Rights at School
• Sign Up: Free Success @ School Course for Parents
• Read: Dear ADDitude, What If the Principal Is Unfair?
• Learn: How to Encourage Good Behavior in Children with ADHD

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Given the prevalence of ADHD, every educator should assume they’ll be teaching at least one student with ADHD (diagnosed or not) — likely many more. But, for myriad reasons, few of us receive adequate information and training about recognizing common ADHD characteristics or bringing out the best in students with ADHD.

This webinar will highlight some ADHD facts that educators need to know, and address some of the myths about ADHD in the classroom. Topics include how ADHD might present in girls, the different types of ADHD (and what they might look like in a classroom), executive function and ADHD, working with families of ADHD students, and easy accommodations that will work for ADHD — and other students — in your classroom. We will also address how undiagnosed and/or untreated ADHD, as well as our own perceptions and tolerance levels for ADHD behaviors, might impact a child’s social, emotional, and academic growth.

In this webinar, educators will learn:

• Commons facts and fallacies about ADHD
• Surprising ways ADHD might present in the classroom for different populations
• Why working with families of students with ADHD is important and how to do it well
• Evidence-based classroom accommodations for students with ADHD (and others) that can be easily implemented

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.

More on ADHD at School

• Download: “The ADHD Iceberg” Poster for School
• Read: 7 Surprising Ways ADHD Shows Up in the Classroom
• Read: How to Get Students Engaged in Learning

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on September 20, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Evelyn Polk Green, M.S.Ed., is a past president of both ADDA (the Attention Deficit Disorder Association) and CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). She is an adult with ADHD and the mother of two adult sons, Perry and Robert, both of whom also have ADHD. Active in ADHD and mental health advocacy for almost 30 years, Evelyn has served as a leader representing the family and educator voice in the ADHD and mental health communities in many capacities, including as a member of the Network on Children’s Mental Health Services funded by the MacArthur Foundation. Learn more about Evelyn here.

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is…

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