| The following strategies are offered for
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| | performance. The concept of previewing
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| enhancing attention and managing
| |
| | should be explained to the students and
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| attention problems. This listing is by no
| |
| | they should be aware of the fact that the
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| means exhaustive, but rather is meant as
| |
| | activities they are engaging in will help
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| a place to begin. The best resources for
| |
| | them develop previewing/ planning skills.
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| strategies are the creative, inventive
| |
| | It is helpful if they are first given
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| minds of enlightened assessment
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| | practical examples of planning, such as
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| professionals, teachers and parents, in
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| | planning for a party.
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| partnership with the students they serve.
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| | 10. Use Behavior Modification and
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| Together they can create multiple
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| | Self-Assessment
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| alternative strategies.
| |
| | The use of behavior modification and
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| 1. Take the Mystery Away
| |
| | self-assessment strategies can be helpful
|
| The first and perhaps most important
| |
| | in increasing desired behaviors (e.g.,
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| management strategy is to insure that all
| |
| | task completion) and/or decreasing
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| students understand how attention works
| |
| | behavior problems (e.g., impulsive
|
| and identify their particular profiles of
| |
| | blurting out during class). The specific
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| attention strengths and weaknesses. Then,
| |
| | behaviors that need to be changed should
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| students should be taught attention
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| | be identified (e.g., completes reading
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| management strategies.
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| | classwork; raises hand before answering
|
| 2. Understand Consistent Inconsistency
| |
| | questions; brushes teeth before going to
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| Teachers and parents should understand
| |
| | bed; puts dirty clothes in laundry). The
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| that the inconsistency of children with
| |
| | specific consequences for behavior change
|
| attention problems is not evidence of a
| |
| | should also be identified. The
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| poor attitude or lack of motivation. It
| |
| | consequence for positive behaviors must
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| is a part of their biologically based
| |
| | be more rewarding to the student than
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| attention dysfunction, and is beyond
| |
| | failure to complete the positive
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| their easy control.
| |
| | behavior. For example, if the child is
|
| 3. Explore the Option of Medication
| |
| | allowed to stay up an extra 15 minutes in
|
| For many children and adolescents,
| |
| | the evenings, this behavior must be more
|
| medication can be helpful in dealing with
| |
| | rewarding than leaving his/her dirty
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| attentional difficulties. Medication can
| |
| | clothes on the bathroom floor.
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| improve mental alertness and the
| |
| | Additionally, performance of the targeted
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| intensity and duration of concentration.
| |
| | behavior must be the only way that the
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| In addition, it may diminish impulsivity
| |
| | student is able to obtain the reward. In
|
| and hyperactivity. The student and his
| |
| | the previous example, the child is only
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| parents may wish to explore this option
| |
| | able to stay up the extra 15 minutes at
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| with his physician.
| |
| | night if he puts his dirty laundry in the
|
| 4. Allow for Movement and Breaks
| |
| | designated place. School-home notes can
|
| It is helpful for students who have
| |
| | be used to communicate back and forth
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| problems with inconsistent alertness and
| |
| | between home and school. In both
|
| mental effort to be provided with
| |
| | settings, charts and graphs can be used
|
| opportunities to move around. For
| |
| | to monitor progress toward the goal.
|
| example, at school, teachers could ask
| |
| | Students should be encouraged to assess
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| the student to erase the board, collect
| |
| | their own behavior in addition to being
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| papers or take a message to the office.
| |
| | assessed by the adult. They could be
|
| At home, parents and/or the student could
| |
| | given an additional reward for accurate
|
| schedule regular breaks and change work
| |
| | self-assessment.
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| sites. That is, the student could work
| |
| | 11. Discourage Frenetic Work Patterns
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| several minutes at the kitchen table and
| |
| | To help students refrain from rushing
|
| several minutes on the living room floor.
| |
| | through their work, teachers and parents
|
| Each time the location is changed, the
| |
| | could avoid making statements such as,
|
| student may experience a burst of mental
| |
| | "You can go out to recess as soon as you
|
| energy. Additionally, students may need
| |
| | finish your assignment" or "You can watch
|
| to be doing something with their hands
| |
| | television when you finish your
|
| while seated. They may doodle, roll a
| |
| | homework." Offers such as these may
|
| piece of clay or perform some other
| |
| | inadvertently encourage students to work
|
| manual tasks that enhance their alertness
| |
| | too quickly and carelessly.
|
| and arousal.
| |
| | 12. Get Organized
|
| 5. Vary Instructional Strategies
| |
| | A notebook with three sections labeled
|
| Teachers should use a variety of
| |
| | "Work to be Completed," "Work Completed"
|
| instructional strategies and these should
| |
| | and "Work to be Saved" may be used to
|
| be changed approximately every 15 to 20
| |
| | help students organize their assignments.
|
| minutes. For example, they could deliver
| |
| | Color-coding notebooks for different
|
| information for 15 minutes via lecture.
| |
| | subjects may also be helpful for
|
| This strategy could be followed by small
| |
| | organizing work.
|
| group work or cooperative learning for 20
| |
| | 13. Use Daily Planners
|
| minutes. Next, students could engage in
| |
| | A student should use a structured daily
|
| individual seatwork or watch a video.
| |
| | planner to help him organize his
|
| 6. Use Signals
| |
| | assignments and activities. A planner
|
| The teacher and parents should have a
| |
| | that is broken down by subject within the
|
| private way of signaling students when
| |
| | day and has sufficient room to write all
|
| they are tuned out. For example, a gentle
| |
| | the information he needs would be
|
| tap on the shoulder may be effective.
| |
| | preferred. ELAN Publishing offers a
|
| Also, the student's teachers and parents
| |
| | number of good student organizers.
|
| may need to signal him when something
| |
| | Alternately, he may benefit from using a
|
| important is about to be stated. Looking
| |
| | personal digital assistant (PDA).
|
| right at him, his teacher or parent could
| |
| | 14. Set Up a Home Office
|
| say, "Now listen very carefully. I am
| |
| | At home, parents should guide their child
|
| about to give you important instructions
| |
| | adolescent with setting up his/her own
|
| about tomorrow's test."
| |
| | well-organized "office." Parents should
|
| 7. Leverage Interests
| |
| | schedule a weekly time that their child
|
| Attention is enhanced when interest is
| |
| | adolescent will dedicate to straightening
|
| heightened. Thus, students should be
| |
| | up the office and making sure all office
|
| encouraged to read, write and talk about
| |
| | supplies are well-stocked (e.g.,
|
| subjects in which they are interested.
| |
| | post-its, pencils, pens, highlighters,
|
| Additionally, students' attention is
| |
| | paper, paper clips, stapler). The student
|
| enhanced when information is personally
| |
| | should find his/her best time(s) for
|
| relevant to them. For example, if
| |
| | studying (his/her most alert times of
|
| students need to learn a chronological
| |
| | day), and post these times as his/her
|
| timetable, the teacher could begin with
| |
| | "Office Hours." The student should also
|
| having the students develop a
| |
| | experiment with different kinds of
|
| chronological timetable of the important
| |
| | background noise levels that work best
|
| events in their own lives.
| |
| | for him/her when doing homework of
|
| 8. Minimize Noise & Other Distractions
| |
| | studying. Some children/adolescents
|
| Students who are easily distracted should
| |
| | actually concentrate better in a noisy
|
| benefit from a structured auditory
| |
| | environment or while listening to music
|
| environment. They may need preferential
| |
| | while others may need to use ear plugs.
|
| seating near the front of the classroom
| |
| | 15. Allow Time to Wind Down
|
| so that noise and distractions from other
| |
| | Many students with attention problems
|
| students are minimized.
| |
| | have trouble falling asleep at night. It
|
| 9. Develop Previewing and Planning Skills
| |
| | is helpful for them to have an
|
| Teachers and parents can help students
| |
| | established routine for going to bed at
|
| develop previewing and planning skills by
| |
| | night. For example, they could read a
|
| requiring them to formulate plans for
| |
| | book or have a book read to them. They
|
| writing reports and completing projects.
| |
| | can engage in stretching exercises before
|
| For example, when completing a book
| |
| | getting in bed. They could drink a glass
|
| report, the students could submit plans
| |
| | of milk or hot chocolate prior to going
|
| for how they are going to accomplish this
| |
| | to bed. They might also listen to quiet,
|
| task. They will likely need specific
| |
| | easy music while falling asleep. "White
|
| instruction, followed by modeling, then
| |
| | noise," such as a fan, may also be
|
| guided practice, and finally feedback on
| |
| | helpful in facilitating sleep.
|
