Information on ADHD and how to teach students with ADHD

1. Secrets of the
ADHD Brain

2. A letter from a
Mother…
One mother shares what she wishes all teachers
knew about the ADHD students in their
classroom.

3. Table of contents
03
Characteristics of ADHD
04
Classroom
Management
Strategies
01
ADHD Experiences
& Simulations
02
What is ADHD?
05
Do This, Not
That!

4. ADHD
Experiences &
Simulations
01

5. This is ADHD…
You promised you’d be there on time. You even set a departure time
reminder. But when the alarm sounds, you tell yourself, “I just need two
more minutes on this.” Time somehow slips by, and you’re not sure how,
but you end up an hour late.
The sink is overflowing with dishes. You know you need to wash them,
but the thought alone is overwhelming. Another day goes by, dishes
piling higher.
You remember you have a bill to pay. You try to sign in to your account,
but you’ve forgotten your password. While you wait for the password
reset email, you get sidetracked. Before you know it, that initial bill is
forgotten.
This is ADHD – or, more accurately, executive dysfunction – in action.

6. IN THE BRAIN OF AN ADHD PERSON…ALL DAY LONG!!!
01

7. 01

8. Through the Lens of Student’s Lives w/ ADHD
01

9. 02
What is
ADHD?
Is it real or is it an excuse?

10. What ADHD is NOT!
“ADHD is not a behavior disorder. ADHD is not a mental illness. ADHD
is not a specific learning disability. ADHD is, instead, a developmental
impairment of the brain’s self-management system.” And while it is
among the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in
childhood, with 1 in 10 children between the age of 5 and 17
receiving an ADHD diagnosis, it is also not a phase or condition a
child can grow out of.
02

11. 6.1
Million children in the U.S.
9.4%
Of children aged 2-17 years old.
ADHD affects around
OR
8.8%
Percent of children (aged
3–17 years) with ADHD
Currently in Texas…

12. What is ADHD?
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder
that affects both children and adults, though symptoms often manifest in childhood
and can persist into adulthood. ADHD is characterized by persistent patterns of
inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that can interfere with daily functioning
and development.
02

13. What is ADHD?
02

14. “ADHD is the most over
diagnosed, and
simultaneously, the
most under diagnosed
psychiatric illness
today.”
Dr.K, LIcensed Doctor in USA
02

15. Combined
● Features a combination
of inattentive,
hyperactive, and
impulsive symptoms.
● For this to diagnosed, 6
or more symptoms each
of inattentive and
hyperactive/impulsive
ADHD must be present.
Types of ADHD:
Predominantly
Hyperactive-Impulsive
Predominantly
Inattentive
(formerly known as ADD)
● Characterized by
significant difficulties
with sustained attention
and organization
● Inattentive ADHD is more
commonly diagnosed in
girls than in boys and can
present as “spacey,
apathetic behavior.”
● National Institute of
Mental Health says this
type of ADHD is less likely
to be identified and to
receive treatment.
● Marked by hyperactivity
and impulsivity without
prominent inattention.
● Need for constant
movement: fidgeting,
getting out of seat,
being unable to sit still,
interrupting others,
running around, etc…
● More commonly
diagnosed in boys.
02

16. What is ADHD?
Importance-based
Nervous System
Interest-based
Nervous System
“NeuroTYPICAL” “NeuroDIVERSE”
LINK
TO
VIDEO
02
● Importance. A task
is deemed important or is
required for a priority.
● Secondary
Importance.
important to someone
important to them.
● Rewards /
Consequences.
Option could lead to a
reward or a consequence.

17. INTEREST-BASED NERVOUS SYSTEM
means a task can be completed if it
includes…
Interest
● Find a way to allow personal interests in
non-preferred activities
● Pair 1 highly interesting task with the more
mundane tasks (ex. walking and reading)
Competition
● “Gamify” tasks if possible
● Allow for partner competition (how fast can you
finish with most correct?)
The ADHD brain loves a challenge, but only in a “FELT-SAFE”
environment. Most people with ADHD greatly enjoy the feeling
of accomplishment that comes from completing a difficult task
or testing their skills, but ONLY if the feeling comes w/o
shame.
Novelty
● Use different writing utensil
● Complete task in new order
● Change location
Students often feel a sense of renewed
energy or tolerance for non-preferred tasks
when there is some novelty introduced.
Urgency
● Set arbitrary deadlines or chunk the task.
● Set a schedule (1st - Then)
The difference here is that when faced with urgency, many
neurotypicals feel stressed in a way that makes it difficult to
be productive or complete tasks. On the other hand,
people with ADHD are often fueled by urgency, even going
into periods of hyperfocus, where they can disregard all
distractions and be fully “zoned in”.
02

18. The dopamine theory of ADHD claims that inadequate dopamine
decreases motivation and focus and affects learning and
memory. It also reduces the reward that people with ADHD
experience from completing tasks. 02
The Search for…

19. Executive Function
(AKA - CEO of the brain)
Broadly speaking, executive functioning refers to the cognitive and mental abilities that help people engage in
goal-directed action. They direct actions, control behavior, and motivate us to achieve our goals and prepare for future
events. People with executive dysfunction struggle to organize and regulate their behavior in ways that will help them
accomplish long-term goals.
7 Major Types of self-regulation associated with Executive Functioning:
● Emotional: using words and images
along with self-awareness to alter how
you feel about things
● Self-Motivation: motivating yourself
to do things when no outside
consequences exist
● Planning and Problem Solving:
finding new approaches and solutions
● Self-Awareness: commanding
self-directed attention
● Self-Restraint: inhibiting yourself
● Non-Verbal Working Memory:
holding things in your mind to guide
behavior
● Verbal Working Memory: retaining
internal speech

20. 02

21. Characteristics of
ADHD
03

22. DESIRABLE TRAITS
● Resiliency
● Ingenuity/Creativity
● Spontaneity
● Boundless energy
● Risk Takers
● Intuitive
● Inquisitive
● Observant
● Empathetic
● Sensitive to the needs of
others
● Imaginative
● Inventive
● Innovative
● Resourceful
● Good Hearted
● Gregarious
● Typically very good with
animals

23. ● May exhibit frustration or
emotional dysregulation in
response to challenges.
● Commonly coexists with
other conditions such as
learning disabilities, anxiety,
or mood disorders.
● Struggle with
proprioception dysfunction
Characteristics of ADHD:
● Inconsistency in focus…
● Demonstrates selective
attention, easily distracted
by irrelevant stimuli.
● May hyperfocus on tasks of
interest while struggling
with mundane or repetitive
tasks.
● Demonstrates selective
attention, easily distracted
by irrelevant stimuli.
● May hyperfocus on tasks of
interest while struggling
with mundane or repetitive
tasks.
● Academic
underachievement due
to difficulties in
sustained attention and
task completion.
● Difficulty maintaining
peer relationships due
to impulsive behavior.
● Tendency to interrupt
or intrude on others’
conversations or
activities.

24. Characteristics of ADHD:
● Difficulty with Organization & Time Management
● Procrastination
● Prioritizing
● Task Initiation & Task Completion
● Test-taking difficulties
● Careless mistakes
● Forgetfulness
● Difficulty focusing on details
● Impaired Executive functioning
● Difficulty Following Instructions
● Inconsistent Performance - across settings
● Inability to express emotions appropriately / Intense
Emotions
● Oppositional defiance
● The need for the “why?”
● Struggle to make/keep friends
● Teacher-Student relationship
● Low Self-esteem
● Transition difficulties
● Children may climb, run, etc…
● Sensory sensitivities
● Proprioception dysfunctions
● Witty and/or sarcastic humor
● Often tell lies
● Risky behaviors
● Interrupt others
● Typically animal lovers
● Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria
● Fidgety
● Make random noises w/o awareness
● Unable to read social cues
● Self-focused behaviors
03

25. Rejection Sensitivity
Dysphoria
DEFINED:
Rejection sensitive dysphoria
(RSD) is extreme emotional
sensitivity and pain triggered by
the perception that a person has
been rejected or criticized by
important people in their life. It
may also be triggered by a sense
of falling short—failing to meet
their own high standards or
others’ expectations.
MORE ON RSD:
● Not a formal diagnosis, but rather one of the
most common and disruptive manifestations of
emotional dysregulation
● Not thought to be caused by trauma
● Dysphoria is the Greek word meaning
unbearable; its use emphasizes the severe
physical and emotional pain suffered by people
with RSD when they encounter real or
perceived rejection, criticism, or teasing.
● ⅓ of adult patients with ADHD report that RSD
was the most impairing aspect of their personal
experience of ADHD, in part because they never
found any effective ways to manage or cope
with the pain.
03

26. What Triggers Rejection
Sensitivity Dysphoria?
● Rejection (the real or perceived withdrawal of love, approval, or
respect)
● Teasing
● Criticism, no matter how constructive
● Persistent self-criticism or negative self-talk prompted by a real
or perceived failure
03

27. How Rejection
Sensitivity Dysphoria is
coped with?
● They become people pleasers. They scan every person they meet to figure out what that
person admires and praises. Then they present that false self to others. Often this becomes such a
dominating goal that they forget what they actually wanted from their own lives. They are too busy
making sure other people aren’t displeased with them.
● They stop trying. If there is the slightest possibility that a person might try something new and
fail or fall short in front of anyone else, it becomes too painful or too risky to make the effort. These
bright, capable people avoid any activities that are anxiety-provoking and end up giving up things
like dating, applying for jobs, or speaking up in public (both socially and professionally).
● Some people use the pain of RSD to find adaptations and overachieve.
They constantly work to be the best at what they do and strive for idealized perfection. Sometimes
they are driven to be above reproach. They lead admirable lives, but at what cost? 03

28. Because the neurodiverse have a lack of
proficiency in the skills required to thrive in a
neurotypical environment, these things occur…
● Students with ADHD do not fit in the standard school system, which
is built on repeating what someone else thinks is important and
relevant.
● People with ADHD are disorganized, because just about every
organizational system out there is built on 2 things -- prioritization
and time management-- that ADDers do not do well.
● People with ADHD have a hard time choosing between
options/alternatives, because everything has the same lack of
importance. To them, all of the alternatives look the same.
03

29. “Punishment will not grow
more white matter or
improve attention.”
So we must TEACH compensatory skills for coping with the
challenge.

30. Classroom
Management
Strategies
04

32. ● Humor / Playful
● Explicitly define what you mean by a task being “done,”
not just completing as much as they intend to.
● Constantly encourage them to keep going as soon as
you catch them doing the “right” thing
● When change is necessary, roll with the punches - it’s
okay to change your plans
● Reduce demands on working memory by providing
written instructions.
○ Use task checklists - have the student check off
the task as they complete it.
● Teaching Self-awareness of physical traits when
becoming dysregulated.
STRATEGIES to USE…
04

33. ● Pre-made response cards
● Picture desk cards/Silent Q’s
● Write-on response tools
● Full class games
● Zen Zone or Calm Zone
● Catch them being “GOOD”
● Reduce the # of problems or tasks to complete on an
assignment - allow student to show mastery of concept
● Behavior contracts
● Removal of distracting items
● Multiple seating options
● Teach self-monitoring
STRATEGIES to USE…
04

34. ● Gamify your activities / assignments
● Have kids run in place or be active for a
minute
● Have two work stations so that kids can get
up and move between assignments
● Let kids use fidget toys
● Give kids graphic organizers (like key steps
to write an essay)
● Computer if handwriting is messy or
difficult
● Timer, like Time Timer
● Speech to text if necessary for longer
assignments
● Use Novelty in instructions and directions
● Maintain a schedule/routine
● Behavioral Momentum
STRATEGIES to USE…
04
● Prepare students for transitions and
provide support through transitions
● EMPHASIZE time limits
● Provide rewards consistently and often
● Be Brief & Clear!
● Arrange the environment to facilitate
attention
● Provide OPTIMAL stimulation
● Buddy Checks - teaching self-awareness
also
● Stand and Deliver (working
standing/moving)
● Use the Freeze Game to grab attention
● TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT THEIR ADHD!
○ It’s their journey and having
knowledge can help students

35. BRAIN BREAK IDEAS / MENU

36. FOR THE INATTENTIVE TYPE:
● Close your eyes & Visualize
● Hands up like an antenna; down when you get my
message
● Use an accent when giving instructions
○ Whispering is another alternative
● Non-verbal hand signals
● Use Alerting strategies
○ Saying student’s name
○ Changing the volume or pitch of your voice
○ Something unexpected
■ Bouncing a runner ball off the wall
STRATEGIES to USE…
04

37. When educators lack an
understanding of ADHD,
students are more likely to hear
statements like these at some
point in their educational career:
“You’re not trying hard enough.”
“You have so much potential; if
only you would apply yourself.”
“You need to learn to control
yourself.”
These unhelpful comments and
harsh punishments tear down a
child’s self-esteem while offering
no strategies for improvement;
they are counterproductive at
best and cruel at worst.

38. Do This,
Not That!
05

39. A student blurts out in
class.
05

40. Don’t Do This:
Withhold recess. Research has
shown that punishing a child by
denying their participation in
something appealing (and physically
exhausting) is counterproductive.
Students with ADHD need to be
active to release excess energy and
refresh their brains.
05
Do This:
Talk privately with the student:
“I’m so proud that you almost
always know the answer to my
questions, but I want to give
everyone else in class a chance
to answer. You can help me by
always raising your hand and
waiting until I call on you. If
you’re worried that you’re going
to forget the answer, write it
down.”
A student blurts out in
class.

41. A student talks
continuously and doesn’t
complete classwork.
05

42. Do This:
Talk privately with the student.
Review the class rules. Remind
them that they need to do their
classwork and talk less.
● Send the student an
agreed-upon signal as a
reminder to stop talking
● While lecturing, walk toward
and stand near the student.
● Set up a point system with
“OOPS Cards,”
○ Similar to Redo strategy,
but gamified.
Don’t Do This:
Speak sarcastically to the student
in front of the class or isolate them
by having them stand in the hall or
sit far away from peers.
A student talks continuously and
doesn’t complete classwork.
05

43. A student doesn’t stay
seated during classroom
instruction.
05

44. Don’t Do This:
Tell them to sit down and be still.
Students with ADHD often learn
better while moving their bodies.
Do This:
Place the student’s desk at the end
of a row so they can fidget or move
around without disturbing
classmates.
● Build movement activities into
schedule as often as needed.
● Assign a fidgety student 2
seats; one could be a standup
desk and the other for
collaborative activities.
A student doesn’t stay seated
during classroom instruction.
05

45. A student is argumentative
with a teacher.
05

46. Do This:
FIRST- check yourself! Don’t take
things personal. You are the adult
in the situation. Then…
If irritability is unusual for this
student, talk with them privately
and ask questions, such as, “This is
unlike you. What’s wrong?” If the
oppositional behavior occurs
frequently, bring this student up in
SST’s - Undiagnosed learning
problems may be contributing to
the defiance in the classroom.
Don’t Do This:
Send the student to the principal’s
office or yell at them in front of
classmates, especially. By
continually criticizing a student in
front of others, the teacher may
unintentionally set up that student
for bullying behaviors among their
classmates.
05
A student is argumentative
with a teacher.

47. A child frequently falls
asleep in class. Their work
is incomplete, and their
grades drop.
05

48. Don’t Do This:
● Send the student to the
principal’s office or
Counselor’s office.
● Spray them with water to
wake them up or do
anything to scare them
awake.
05
Do This:
● Make a referral with the
counselor to check in with
student - concerned.
● Try the 2 x 10 strategy
● Discuss with family a possible
concern with the student
getting restful sleep, possibly
due to breathing issues.
A child frequently falls asleep in class. Their
work is incomplete, and their grades drop.

49. Resources & References
● A letter from a Mother…
● Why ADHD brains crave stimulation?
● 8 executive functions
● Teaching students with ADHD
presentation
● What all teachers should know about
ADHD
● Threatening consequences Causes
Misbehavior
● What I wish my son’s teacher knew about
my son’s adhd
● OHI document
● Classroom accommodations to help
student with adhd
● RSD
● ADHD Classroom Accommodations
● Undivided - ADHD 101
● ADHD & Big Emotions
● ADHD Truths about emotions - Video
● Eisenhower Matrix - Decision Making
● Motivational Interviewing Implementation
Checklist - SCRIPT ish
● If-Then plans (slides)
● CHADD teacher card
● Discipline strategies for ADHD kids
● Video - Facts & Myths about ADHD
● More personal stories from others with
ADHD diagnosis - podcast
● Through the lens of Student’s lives with
ADHD - additional videos
● ADDITUDE magazine
● Intense Emotions
● Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria
● OPTIMAL stimulation
● The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming
Misbehavior in the Classroom

50. Resources & References
● Intense Emotions
● Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria
● OPTIMAL stimulation
● The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming
Misbehavior in the Classroom
● CharacterStrong’s LoHi Strategies
● Behavior Support & Discipline Rubric
● Dysregulated Students need Regulated
Teachers
● Tips for Making Learning fun
● Crest of Strengths activity
● Transition Strategies

51. CREDITS: This presentation template was
created by Slidesgo, including icons by
Flaticon, infographics & images by Freepik.
Thanks
Do you have any questions?
keelie_taylor@roundrockisd.org
512-704-0974
RRISD General Education Behavior Instructional Coach
CPI Certified Instructor
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