B. Other Health Impairments: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

4. Meeting the Challenges

When addressing intervention strategies there is a difference between strategies that are effective for average students with ADHD and the gifted child with ADHD.

Whereas simplifying tasks for average students with ADHD is known to be effective, we need to provide complexity and more intriguing tasks for the gifted child with ADHD.

Shortening time to complete tasks is generally good for a child with ADHD, but with 2e students we need to adjust work time based on the complexity of the task

So,

Average Student with ADHD

• Simplify tasks
• Shorten work time
• Decrease stimulation

Gifted Student with ADHD

• Provide complexity and more intriguing tasks
• Adjust work time based on complexity of task
• Works better with a high level of intellectual stimulation 

Remember the importance of dual differentiation for the 2e learner.  Even as you teach compensatory strategies and/or offer specific programs (such as executive functioning skills training), you also create learning environments to nurture and expand students' strengths.

For 2e students -- Strategies: Build on Strengths

• Ensure students know their areas of strength, not just their weaknesses.
• Have “go-to” projects in area of students' interest to encourage them to finish essential work; then allow them time to work on those projects as an incentive.
• Reinforce creativity in process and products; teach creative thinking skills and creative problem solving.
• Celebrate the achievement of realistic short-term goals.
• Ask student to become a “resident expert” in area of interest.
• Help student explore college and career opportunities.

Strategies to Support Attention and Organization – Build Executive Function Skills

Since the gifted child with ADHD struggles with executive function skills, it is critical that we help them self monitor/self regulate. To do this we need to provide explicit instruction having students use self talk to produce self awareness, visualize past experiences that have (and have not) worked, and modulate their future behaviors. Asking themselves questions like these below can prove to be effective.

Executive functioning is essentially self-monitoring. Use explicit instruction to teach students to:

• Self-direct attention to produce self-awareness.
• “Am I behind in my planning?”
• “Am I disorganized?”
• Visualize past experiences.
• “What worked or didn’t work in the past?”
• “What actions do I need to change?”
• Engage in self-talk to modulate their future behaviors.
• “What specific elements do I need to research for my project and why?”

Other Strategies:

• Use visual schedules.
• Cue and re-cue often.
• Provide rubrics, outline and graphic organizers for assignments.
• Use intermediate deadlines for long-term projects.
• Take the time to help student write assignments in planners.
• Pay attention to where the student is in proximity to the teacher and model peers.
• Help students learn how long tasks take.
• Help students set realistic goals
• Use technology

There was much more information in Part 1 on executive function skills.  Suffice it to say here, it is important that educators understand how to help all students build their executive function skills.  It is crucial to the success of students with ADHD.

Strategies: Activity and Hyperactivity

• Provide opportunities for purposeful movement (e.g., sharpening pencils, running errands).
• Give quiet objects to occupy hands (fidgets, Koosh balls, self-adhesive Velcro strips under desk or tabletop).
• Encourage stretching exercises to ease the urge to move large muscles.
• Allow student to sit on the floor in a place that will not distract others.
• Use hands-on activities as much as possible

Strategies: Curriculum for Gifted with ADHD Learners

The goal of programming for twice-exceptional students is to maximize success while minimizing failure and frustration. As far as strategies to adjust curriculum for these learners we need to:

• Use curriculum compacting to minimize repetition and recognize student mastery of concepts and skills.  This frees up time for student to work in area of interest
• Supply ample advanced-level resources in areas of interest as well as in curriculum areas.
• Use research-based acceleration strategies as needed to minimize boredom.
• Integrate higher-level thinking activities into content and lessons.
• Provide content extensions that emphasize depth, complexity, and novelty.

Some General Selected Accommodations for Learners with ADHD

• Positive behavior supports
• Extra time to process information and complete work
• Reduce distractions (especially when focus is extra important, such as when testing)
• Frequent breaks
• Break work into smaller chunks
• Repeat information and instructions
• Structured and consistent environment
• Planning and organization
• Checklists and schedules (visuals are more effective than words)
• Reminders for careful work completion
• Provide opportunities to be active
• Praise for persisting with challenge