Treasure Boxes

Michelle Garcia & Vanessa Silva

Attention Deficit Disorder - General Strategies

• Bring to the student's attention science role models with disabilities with a similar disability to that of the student. Point out that this individual got ahead by a combination of effort and by asking for help when needed.
• Student monitoring, self management, discipline, and encouragement can be a very important aspect for academic success. Below are the two basic aspects of AD/HD facilitation.

• Self-monitoring techniques can be very effective in the school setting. Self-monitoring of attention involves cueing the student so that he/she can determine how well he/she is attending to the task at hand. Cueing is often done by providing an audio tone such as a random beep, timer, or the teacher can give the cue. The student then notes whether he/she was on or off task on a simple recording sheet. Self-monitoring techniques are more likely to be effective when tied to rewards and accuracy checks.

• Behavior management techniques must often be used in the learning environment. By examining a student's specific problem behavior, understanding it's antecedents and consequences, teachers can help students with AD/HD to develop behaviors that lead to academic and social successes.

• Provide supervision and discipline:
• Monitor proper behavior frequently and immediately direct the student to an appropriate behavior.
• Enforce classroom rules consistently.
• Avoid ridicule and criticism. Remember that students with AD/HD have difficulty staying in control.

• Providing Encouragement:
• Reward more than punish.
• Immediately praise any and all good behavior and performance.
• Change rewards if they are not effective in motivating behavioral change.
• Find alternate ways to encourage the AD/HD students.
• Teach the student to reward himself or herself. Encourage positive self-talk (e.g., "You did very well remaining in your seat today. How do you feel about that?"). This encourages the student to think positively about himself or herself.

• Bring to the student's attention science role model who has a disability similar to that of the student with an impairment. Point out that this individual got ahead by a combination of effort and by asking for help when needed.
• Reduce the amount of materials present during activities by having the student put away unnecessary items. Have a special place for tools, materials, and books.
• Reward more than you punish, especially with positive reinforcers.
• Try to be patient with an AD/HD student.
• Seat students with AD/HD in the front near the teacher with their backs to the rest of the class. Be sure to include them as part of the regular class seating.
• Place these students up front with their backs to the rest of the class to keep other students out of view.
• Surround students with AD/HD with good peer models, preferably students whom the AD/HD student views as significant peers.
• Encourage peer tutoring and cooperative/collaborative learning.
• A class that has a low student-teacher ratio will be helpful to a student with AD/HD.
• Avoid all distracting stimuli. Try not to place students with AD/HD near air conditioners, high traffic areas, heaters, doors, windows, etc.
• Avoid transitions, physical relocation, changes in schedule, and disruptions.
• Be creative! Produce a somewhat stimuli-reduced study area with a variety of science activities. Let all students have access to this area.
• Encourage parents to set up appropriate study space at home, with set times and routines established for study. Also, use this home area for parental review of completed homework, and periodic notebook and/or book bag organization.
• Educational, psychological, and/or neurological testing is recommended to determine learning style, cognitive ability, and to rule out any learning disability (LD is common in about 30% of students with AD/HD).
• A private tutor and/or peer tutoring will be helpful to a student with AD/HD.
• Have a pre-established consequences for misbehavior, remain calm, state the infraction of the rule, and avoid debating or arguing with the student.
• Avoid publicly reminding students on medication to "take their medicine."

Mental Retardation – General Strageties

• Bring to the student's attention science role models with disabilities with a similar disability to that of the student. Point out that this individual got ahead by a combination of effort and by asking for help when needed.
• Preparation for experience in the learning environment best occurs when all students of different backgrounds and abilities learn and socialize together in classrooms and other school settings. In these instances where all have a chance to achieve and receive instruction designed to develop and enhance successful living within the school and general community.
• Keep up-to-date on the student's accomplishments in therapy.
• Never assess a student's capabilities solely on the basis of their IQ or other standardized test scores (especially at the limits of the IQ definition).
• Each student with an impairment needs to be in an age/achievement appropriate learning environment with peers who are not impaired.
• After some time in the learning environment, which includes a mentally impaired student, the teacher, as an observer, should record the behavior that varies from the "norm" and which may indicate the need for referral for counseling and/or psychological intervention including drug therapy, if necessary.
• Develop a protocol for the student to tell you when he/she anticipates a need for assistance.
• When it appears that a student needs help, ask if you can help. Accept a "No Thank You" graciously.
• Encourage classmates to accept the student with a mental impairment.
• Be aware that a student with an impairment may frequently be treated with therapeutic medications that affect performance and speed.
• Acknowledge that high, but realistic, expectations should be maintained to encourage full realization of social and educational potential.
• Personal interactions with mentally impaired students:
• Speak directly to the student with an impairment as you would any other student.
• Involvement with other children: The teacher should, where possible, get to know the non-impaired students, engaging them and providing them a connecting link between these students and the students with impairments. The teacher shouldn't be seen as the person who relates only to the student with an impairment.
• Modeling for others: The teacher should be aware that his or her interactions with the impaired student will serve as a model for interactions with students who are impaired. This may be particularly important in assisting others in areas such as communicating with the student with an impairment about behavior that does not appear appropriate in science teaching/learning activities.
• Backing off: Often, interactions occur without the involvement of a teacher. At times, in fact, the presence of an adult may inhibit interactions, and it may be necessary to "Back off" and let things happen on their own.
• Interactions in the context of school activities: It is important to observe the interactions of the student with others in the learning environment. For instance, what types of interactions occur, and at what times? Some activities are more conducive to getting students together than others. The teacher should note and promote opportunities for interactions, even if that means revising plans for teaching skills to allow for spontaneous interactions and play. Remember that not all interactions are verbal. Cheering together, sitting together and watching an event or doing an activity, or working as a team field or laboratory to build something are all examples of nonverbal/verbal interactions.
• Learning strategies, such as mnemonics, provide quite good ways to access information, It can be an essential component in learning for many students with disabilities (a mnemonic is defined as a word, sentence, picture, device, or technique for improving or strengthening memory).