ADHD Accommodations Within the Classroom

I think a great deal of the accommodations or things I do in the classroom with my ADHD kids comes naturally. I got into teaching with the idea that everything that didn't work for me needs to be fixed and changed into something that I understand, so other students who think like I do can understand as well. But I have a lot of newer teachers or teachers who are uncomfortable with ADHD kids ask what exactly I do to keep them engaged and help them become successful in the classroom.

The truth is.....I really have no idea! I approach each student with the belief that the traditional classroom has not worked for them and they do not trust the traditional methods of learning that they have experienced so far as a student. I also take into account their extreme negative self-concept that generally comes from seeing others succeed where they have been unable to do so. So, when I go into teaching, I have to #1 find what they are interested in and #2 make those things teachable in a way they get.

But there is another very significant part to teaching kids with ADHD that I think instinctively do but other teachers find invaluable. In an effort to help those teachers, I have found a list of accommodations that best suit ADHD kids from Kindergarten to High School and will help teachers and parents who are not familiar or comfortable with kids with ADHD or want to know how best to accomodate them.

ADHD Modifications

I hope that you find this list helpful and useful for you in your classrooms. As I continue on this journey as a teacher with ADHD, a mother to a child with ADHD, a spouse to a person with ADHD, and a teacher to kids with ADHD, I will hopefully start to become more introspective about what I do and how I do it.