Spies, Lies, and Codes

Attention Deficit Disorder, Discalculia

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."

Teacher Presentation

• Consult with special education personnel to determine specific strengths and weaknesses of each student.
• Maintain eye contact during verbal instructions.
• Make directions clear and concise. Be consistent with all daily instructions.
• When you ask an AD/HD student a question, first say the student's name and then pause for a few seconds as a signal for him/her to pay attention.
• To help with changes in assignments, provide clear and consistent transitions between activities and notify the student with AD/HD a few minutes before changing activities.
• Repeat instructions in a calm, positive manner.
• AD/HD students may need both verbal and visual directions. You can do this by providing the student with a model of what he/she should be doing.
• You can give an AD/HD student confidence by starting each assignment with a few questions or activities you know the student can successfully accomplish.
• Self-monitoring techniques can prove effective in the school setting. Self-monitoring of attention involves cueing the student so that he/she can determine how well he is attending to the task at hand. Cueing is often done by providing an audio tone.
• Behavior management techniques must often be used in the school. By examining a child's specific problem behavior, understanding it's antecedents and consequences, educators can help students with AD/HD develop behaviors that lead to academic and social success.
• Develop an individualized education program. By identifying each student's individual strengths and specific learning needs, you can design a plan for mobilizing those strengths to improve students academic and social performance.
• Gradually reduce the amount of assistance, but keep in mind that these students will need more help for a longer period of time than the student without a disability.
• Require a daily assignment notebook as necessary and make sure each student correctly writes down all assignments. If a student is not capable of this, the teacher should help the student.
• Initial the notebook daily to signify completion of homework assignments. (Parents should also sign.)
• Use the notebook for daily communication with parents.

 *Information for these modifications were taken from http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/add.html

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Dyscalculia

Treating dyscalculia:

Helping a student identify his/her strengths and weaknesses is the first step to getting help.  Following identification, parents, teachers and other educators can work together to establish strategies that will help the student learn math more effectively.  Help outside the classroom lets a student and tutor focus specifically on the difficulties that student is having, taking pressure off moving to new topics too quickly. Repeated reinforcement and specific practice of straightforward ideas can make understanding easier. Other strategies for inside and outside the classroom include:

• Use graph paper for students who have difficulty organizing ideas on paper.
• Work on finding different ways to approach math facts; i.e., instead of just memorizing the multiplication tables, explain that 8 x 2 = 16, so if 16 is doubled, 8 x 4 must = 32.
• Practice estimating as a way to begin solving math problems.
• Introduce new skills beginning with concrete examples and later moving to more abstract applications.
• For language difficulties, explain ideas and problems clearly and encourage students to ask questions as they work.
• Provide a place to work with few distractions and have pencils, erasers and other tools on hand as needed.
• Help students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses.

Understanding how a person learns best is a big step in achieving academic success and confidence.

 from: http://www.ncld.org/LDInfoZone/InfoZone_FactSheet_Dyscalculia.cfm

Accommodations for Math Disabilities or Dyscalculia:

Children with math disabilities or dyscalculia generally have problems in math computation, function and application of math concepts and in understanding the basic math functions. For example, they may reverse their numbers when they are writing. Students with math disabilities or dyscalculia may need some or all of the following accommodations:

• Provide math books in larger print
• Give the student graph paper to keep numbers in their correct columns
• Provide manipulatives to help the student understand in a concrete way the abstract nature of numbers.
• Provide a student with a calculator for more complicated math functions and teach the student to use it.
• Do not penalize student’s grade for the reversing of numbers.
• Allow extended time for assignments and tests.

from: http://www.bpchildresearch.org/edu_forums/accomodations.html

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