Help your students with ADHD thrive: Teach them these executive functioning and self-regulation strategies for the classroom and beyond.

<h2>Strategies to Help Students with ADHD Thrive</h2>

 As an educator, it can be heart-wrenching to see your students with ADHD
 struggle with everyday tasks. It’s been said that individuals with ADHD often
 feel like they’re working
 twice as hard for half the results. Sometimes students with
 ADHD are perceived as lazy, distracted, disinterested or even defiant.


 The truth is, most often, these kids are doing their best. 


 Their brains are maxed out, working overtime to perform simple tasks.
 Activities like keeping up with homework, being on time, taking turns, staying
 in line, and listening to the teacher can feel excruciating (if not
 impossible) for many students with ADHD. When performing tasks,
 they don’t always know where to start, what steps to take to continue, or
 how to finish!


 (Before we go on, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention
 the postive attributes of ADHD, which can include extreme
 creativity, curiosity, wonder, grit, spontaneity, courage, boundless energy,
 and a spirit of adventure! Students with ADHD often are the ones who make
 school interesting, challenging, rewarding and fun!)


 As for navigating the
 <a
 href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/adhd-and-stimulation-seeking-behavior?"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >challenges of ADHD</a
 >, there are plenty of
 <a
 href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/executive-functioning-in-the-classroom?"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >executive functioning</a
 > and self-regulation strategies to help. As an educator, you
 have the opportunity to teach your students these strategies,
 which can give them direction, order and a sense of peace and set them up for
 success throughout their lifetimes.

<h2>Executive Functioning and Self-regulation Strategies to Help with
 ADHD</h2>

 Teaching students with ADHD how to help themselves can improve their
 confidence, academic performance and social interactions. Direct instruction
 on how to approach executive functioning and how to self-regulate can do
 wonders for students. Here are some ideas:

<ul>
<li>
 Use timers – Time seems
 to either slip away or drag on for those with ADHD. To help regulate time
 spent on activities, teach students to use a timer. One method is to have a
 focus periods interspersed with rest or reward periods. For example, a teen
 doing homework could set a timer for intervals of 20 minutes of work and 5
 minutes reward. Options for timers are ADHD timer watches, old-fashioned
 kitchen timers, visual timers and digital reminders (<a
 href="https://www.additudemag.com/timers-gizmos-adhd-time-management-productivity/"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >ADDitude</a
 >).
</li>
<li>
 Chunk it up – Students
 with ADHD may feel they cannot tackle large tasks. Help them learn how to
 break large tasks into smaller ones. Then help them write down the small tasks
 and break those into even smaller tasks. Set the timers to accomplish each
 portion of the larger tasks with breaks between. Check off each subtask when
 complete. Help the student think of small rewards to help motivate them along
 the way (<a
 href="http://acentral.education/accommodations/chunking"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >Accommodation Central</a
 >).
</li>
<li>
 Move around – When
 appropriate and allowed, students can move around to help refocus. Teach
 students how movement breaks can help get the wiggles out and reset the brain.
 They can dance, jump, hop, skip or run in place and then return to work with
 determination and clarity (<a
 href="https://www.familyeducation.com/kids/neurodiversity/adhd/self-regulation-techniques-for-kids-with-adhd"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >Family Education</a
 >).
</li>
<li>
 Breathe – Take deep
 breaths to calm the amygdala, the brain's emotion-processing center. Teach the
 child to imagine their belly is a balloon they are trying to fill up for the
 count of five. Then, exhale to the count of five, deflating the balloon and
 sending the belly button toward the back. Do this several times (<a
 href="https://chadd.org/attention-article/calming-down-and-cooling-off/"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >CHADD</a
 >).
</li>
<li>
 Create your own routine
 – Help the student create a routine for an activity they are struggling with.
 It can be a daily routine, class routine, lunchtime routine, recess routine,
 hand-washing routine, etc. Brainstorm the steps in the activity together, put
 them in order, write them down and post them in a visible spot. Create a
 method for the student to evaluate their own performance regarding the routine
 (<a
 href="https://www.additudemag.com/sample-schedule-adhd-morning-after-school-bedtime/"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >ADDitude</a
 >).
</li>
<li>
 Check yourself – Teach
 the student methods for self-monitoring. Set a goal and create a tally sheet
 so they can privately monitor their own progress toward the goal. For example,
 if they tend to interrupt class, have them write a tally mark each time they
 interrupted, each time they wanted to interrupt but stopped themselves, and
 each time they appropriately raised their hand and waited their turn. This can
 build self-awareness and empower students who feel self-conscious about
 challenging social interactions (<a
 href="https://www.interventioncentral.org/self_management_self_monitoring"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >Intervention Central</a
 >).
</li>
<li>
 Reward yourself – Teach
 the student how giving ourselves little rewards can help motivate us to power
 through tasks that may feel insurmountable. Brainstorm a list of appropriate
 rewards for different-sized tasks in different situations (home, school,
 lunch, etc.). A few ideas are dancing, stars or tokens, screen time, time with
 friends, one-on-one time with a parent, playing an instrument, high fives, a
 snack, swinging, red-light/green-light, Simon says, a free pass from chores,
 lunch with the teacher, etc.
</li>
</ul>


<h2>Classroom Tips for Teachers to Help Students With
 ADHD</h2>

 In addition to teaching your students strategies for self-regulation and
 executive functioning, you can implement strategies designed to help teachers
 in the classroom.
 <a
 href="https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-strategies-for-teachers/"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >ADDitude</a
 >
 recommends teachers practice the three Rs of ADHD at school – routines, rules
 and reminders – and gives these practical tips to help teachers help their
 students:


 1. Post short, simple, positive class rules; for
 example, “please walk” rather than “do not run.”


 2. Create classroom routines, like writing the homework
 in the same place on the board each day.


 3. Give appropriate supervision, which may include
 pairing students with classmates.


 4. Reduce distractions; for example, seat students near
 the teacher.


 5. Prepare for transitions by posting daily schedules
 and giving reminders about what’s next.


 6. Allow for movement with activities like fidget toys,
 board washing, etc.


 7. Give frequent positive feedback and use questions
 rather than reprimands.


 8. Provide visual reminders; for example, posting
 important concepts on bright paper around the room.


 9. Use active class participation, like choral
 response, thumbs up or down to answer, etc.


 10. Encourage hands-on learning, like writing and acting out a play,
 using models or making videos.


 11. Teach metacognition (or thinking about thinking), talking through
 your decisions and thought processes to model decision-making strategies for
 students.


 We hope you find these ADHD strategies for students and teachers a welcome
 addition to your teaching toolkit. Don’t forget to bookmark this page, and
 while you’re here, check out our wealth of
 <a
 href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog?subCategory=Education"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >resources for educators</a
 >!


 Join us and embark on an exciting career adventure
 <a
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 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 >with Cross Country Education</a
 >
 today.

Executive Functioning and Self-regulation Strategies for Students with ADHD