A Guide to Teaching Students How to Focus with ADHD
5-11 percent of U.S. children have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD).
Diagnoses have also been increasing in the last few years, as practitioners learn more about this condition. Still, it can be tough to identify solutions for working with children who have ADD or ADHD–especially if you are a parent or a teacher!
One of the biggest issues children with attention deficit disorders face is focus. It may seem as if your student or child is always distracted, especially in learning environments.
Luckily, there are plenty of tips and tricks for teaching children how to focus with ADHD without resorting to medication.
Keep reading for the insight!
Helping Kids Focus: The Teacher’s Guide
Do you have a student with attention deficit disorder? If so, you may be at a loss for how to work with this student.
This is because individuals with ADD or ADHD can become easily distracted. They may be able to hyperfocus on one thing, such as a board game or an art project.
But this focus can completely disappear the moment the student walks into a classroom. They often struggle to focus on homework assignments, class projects, and lectures.
Medication can help children with ADD or ADHD control where they place their attention. As a teacher, however, you can’t control a child’s prescriptions. Plus, you’ve got other kids in your classroom!
Here are some ideas for helping kids focus in a learning environment.
Limit the Student’s Distractions
This may sound easier said than done, but it can be important–especially for younger children.
Try to seat your ADD or ADHD student away from distractions. For example, move that student’s desk away from an open classroom door. Open doors can be highly distracting, especially when other students and teachers are constantly passing by.
Windows exposed to the outside, the busy world can also distract students with ADHD.
Consider seating your student with other focused students. This may not always be effective, but it can increase the odds of your student following along with a class project, group discussion, or assignment.
ADHD students will easily tune out if they aren’t engaged in a classroom setting. They can, however, respond well to movement. Keep desk areas accessible so that you can move around the classroom and position yourself near your ADHD student(s) when needed.
Pay attention to what your student has on his/her desk, too. School supplies of all kinds can be distracting. The same goes for cell phones, books, and other devices.
Get To Know Your Student
Students with ADHD may not realize they have an attention deficit disorder for various reasons. They may be embarrassed at their inability to focus. Or they may feel singled out for lagging behind.
Do your best to get to know your student. Have real, compassionate conversations with him/her. Ask your student what excites them to get a sense of how they like to learn.
Start to anticipate your student’s behavior. Does she lose focus more easily after lunch? With certain friends? When does she sit up and listen?
Once you get to know how your student sees the world, you’ll be able to help them focus more easily. Students are also likely to respond better to teachers who show they care about them.
Change It Up & Show Kids How to Focus With ADHD
Students with ADHD will quickly tune out if things start to get too routine. To keep everyone in the classroom focused, change up the way you present material.
Instead of standing at the whiteboard delivering notes, start with a group discussion, for example. Make learning as interactive and collaborative as possible.
If you can, try to have your students talk more. This puts the onus on them and will minimize the number of glazed eyes in the room!
Engage and Inspire
Students with attention deficit disorders love feeling inspired and excited. If classroom material feels too boring, they’ll quickly lose focus.
Increase focus by making your lessons intriguing and engaging. You may already do this if you work with younger children.
This may mean bringing some performance elements into your lessons. Maybe you invite guest speakers in to talk about something. Perhaps you have show-and-tell afternoons or classroom skits.
Whatever the case, aim to captivate while teaching to boost focus.
Learn More About ADD / ADHD
This may sound like a given, but it’s important for all teachers. The more you understand how individuals with ADD or ADHD operate, the better you’ll be able to meet their needs.
Some schools offer workshops on assisting students with attention deficit disorders. You may even want to attend conferences on this!
You may also be able to speak with your student’s parents to learn more about behavior patterns and medication.
Otherwise, the internet is always your friend. Tons of material on ADHD and ADD is out there. There will only be more as research on this disorder continues.
Modify If Necessary
Get comfortable tailoring some assignments to your student’s specific needs. What does this look like?
Let’s say that your ADHD student loves rockets. Maybe they spend all of their free time designing model rockets and learning about NASA.
If the group is focusing on creative writing, encourage your ADHD student to write about rockets. Introduce spelling words that have to do with outer space or rocketry.
In addition to interests, you can also cater to learning styles. If your student learns best while standing, for example, bring in standing desks! If your student prefers to hand-write rather than type something, enable this option.
The Parent’s Guide: Teaching Kids How to Focus With ADHD
What happens when your child comes home from school? How do you help them focus on something, such as their homework?
Parenting and teaching can be similar. However, as a parent, you’re probably more aware of your child’s behaviors, interests, and distractions. Use this to your advantage.
Then keep these ideas in mind for promoting focus at home.
Make Learning Interactive and Specific
If you are helping your child with homework, make learning as interactive as possible. ADHD children love actively engaging with things, even schoolwork.
Bring in colored pencils, highlighters, and glitter. Have your child draw a picture of what he learned in a book, for example. Use M&Ms to perform simple math.
If your child is struggling through an assignment, have him or her teach you. This can solidify the learning material itself. Plus, it lets your child be the authority–a role most kids will quickly embrace!
Ask Your Child to Tell a Story
When your child comes home, your first question is likely, “How was your day?”
Instead of asking this next time, invite your child to be a storyteller. Ask them to tell you the story of their day, from start to finish. This puts your child in the spotlight, which ADHD children love.
What’s more, it also can hone your child’s narrative techniques. If they start to wander when telling the story of their day, you can gently coax them back.
This can set the standard for focusing. It can also promote your child’s memory recall, which can be challenging in ADHD individuals.
Hang Out Outside
Spending time in nature is vital for everyone, especially children. There’s also so much to learn from the outside world!
When possible, make nature a part of your child’s experience. If you’re trying to get your child to focus on learning specifically, go for a nature walk. Ask your child to point out things that they’ve been learning about in school, such as trees, insects, or animals.
Or, work on an outdoor project together. Build a sandcastle together or a fort in the forest. Work with your child when doing this.
Promote Mindfulness
When possible, encourage your child to understand when they get distracted. Have open conversations about the nature of this distraction.
Discuss ways to encourage mindfulness of focus. Does your child need a verbal reminder from someone else? Or can they start to recognize when their mind’s wandering and take steps to address it?
ADHD children also need a lot of positive reinforcement. Promote healthy, positive self-talk, such as “I can focus today” or “I will complete this assignment without distraction.”
Use ADHD Focus Tools
ADHD focus tools can be important for keeping your child engaged in all environments. Fidget toys, for example, can keep those busy fingers satisfied.
The same goes for focus coloring books and reading guides.
If you’re not sure what to start with, bring home a few and see what your child appreciates the most. Notice which tools promote the most focus.
Final Thoughts: How to Focus With ADHD
It can be challenging to encourage children with ADHD to focus. This is especially the case if you are a parent or a teacher.
The most important thing to keep in mind is meeting your ADHD student on their terms. Get to know your student or child, and help them find focus solutions that work for them specifically.
Want more tips for teaching kids how to focus with ADHD? Check out our other posts here!
