Skip to main content
FamilyEducation
FamilyEducation
Family Education

FE-Menu

  • Pregnancy
    • <blank>
      • Pregnancy Tracker
      • Trying to Conceive
      • Signs & Symptoms
      • Pregnancy Health
    • <blank>
      • Baby Names
      • High Risk Pregnancies
      • Preparing for Baby
    • <blank>
      • Concerns & Complications
      • Labor & Delivery
      • Postpartum
  • Baby Names
    • <blank>
      • Browse All Baby Names (A-Z)
      • Top Names for Boys
      • Top Names for Girls
      • Baby Name Generator
    • <blank>
      • Baby Name Lists & Ideas
      • First Names By Origin
      • Browse All Last Names (A-Z)
      • Last Names by Origin
  • Babies
    • <blank>
      • Caring For Your Baby
      • Baby's Health
      • Feeding Your Baby
    • <blank>
      • Your Baby and Sleep
      • Baby's Growth & Development
      • Baby Hygiene
    • <blank>
      • Baby Safety
      • Baby Products
    • <blank>
  • Toddlers
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Growth and Development
    • <blank>
      • Toddler Behavior and Discipline
    • <blank>
      • Your Toddler and Sleep
  • Kids
    • <blank>
      • Health
      • Childhood Development
      • Fitness & Nutrition
      • Childhood Safety
    • <blank>
      • Communicating with Your Kids
      • Childhood Behavior and Discipline
      • Fostering Responsibility
      • Instilling Values & Manners
    • <blank>
      • Childcare
      • Neurodiversity in Kids
      • Adopting Children
  • Teens
    • <blank>
      • Teen Health
      • Teen Puberty & Sex
    • <blank>
      • Behavior & Discipline
      • Teen Social Development
    • <blank>
      • Values & Responsibilities
  • Activities
    • <blank>
      • Printables
      • Indoor Activities
      • Learning Activities
      • Arts and Crafts
      • Performing Arts
      • Food Activities
      • Outdoor Activities
    • <blank>
      • Books
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Online
      • Quizzes
      • Games
      • Celebrities
    • <blank>
      • Parties
      • Travel
      • Toys
      • Holidays
      • Gifts
  • Learning
    • <blank>
      • By Grade
      • By Subject
      • College
      • Preschool
    • <blank>
      • Back to School
      • Study Skills
      • Learning Styles
    • <blank>
      • Homeschooling
      • Parental Involvement
      • Your Child's School
  • Family Life
    • <blank>
      • Mom Life
      • Dad Life
      • Family Relationships
      • Having a Healthy Marriage
      • Divorce
    • <blank>
      • Health & Fitness
      • COVID Resources
      • Managing Your Home
      • Moving Your Family
      • Pets
    • <blank>
      • Family Finances
      • Work
      • Families and Food
  • NewslettersNewsletters
    Newsletters

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. School and Learning
  3. Learning Styles
  4. Classroom Modifications For Students With ADD/ADHD

Classroom Modifications for Students with ADD/ADHD

Is your child struggling in the classroom and unable to stay focused? Ask his teacher to try these eight tips with your child.
by: the Council for Exceptional Children
  • facebook share icon
  • pin
  • twitter share icon
  • email share icon
  • Print page icon

Modifications
Is your child struggling in the classroom and not able to stay focused on his schoolwork? Ask your child's teacher if she can try these tips from special education teacher Francisca Jorgensen with your child.

1. Make sure your child has an "advantageous" seating location. This may not always mean placing her in the front and center of the classroom. Her teacher needs to find the most productive "fit" for your child.

2. Provide an individualized, written schedule that your child can refer to when needed.

3. Assign your child a "study buddy" if he needs one-on-one attention to complete assignments.

4. Stabilize the school environment as much as possible, making sure that school supplies are in the same location each day.

5. Provide a second set of textbooks for your child to keep at home.

6. Consider keeping your child in the same classroom all day or moving her learning environment as necessary, depending on her needs.

7. Provide technological accommodations such as a laptop computer. This might lessen your child's tendency to lose papers.

8. Appoint a single person, such as an instructional aid, to whom your child reports to for help.

The medication question
Sometimes, modifying your child's school environment does not work and he continues to fall further behind. At this point, it may be necessary to consider Ritalin or other medication for ADD/ADHD. If you decide to use medication, Ms. Jorgensen recommends that a team should be implemented to gauge your child's new productivity levels. Team members should include you and your child's teachers, along with a doctor's close supervision. This process helps ensure an appropriate dosage of the medication and an individualized schedule for your child.

This medical strategy, coupled with environmental controls and solid teaching practices, often yields compelling results. Although the use of Ritalin is not always necessary, for some children it is the difference between learning and failing.

Ms. Jorgensen is a special education teacher in the Arlington County Schools in Virginia. These tips were excerpted from her testimony before Congress on the use of Ritalin to help students with ADD/ADHD.

Source: Adapted from "Advocacy in Action" and "Classroom Modifications for Students with ADD/ADHD" published by the Council for Exceptional Children in CEC Today, June/July 2000.

What's hot

  • MoneyinHands School and LearningTop 10 Graduation Gifts
  • 8 Printable Thank-You Cards for Teacher Appreciation Week School and Learning8 Printable Thank-You Cards…
  • 5-Year-Old Write Backward School and LearningI Need Help! My Five-Year-Old…
  • "Thanks, Teacher!" Card Kids Can Color School and Learning"Thanks, Teacher!"…
NewslettersNewsletters
Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.
Family Education
FamilyEducation does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Information on our advertising guidelines can be found here.

FE Footer

  • Newsletter Center
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Editorial Team
  • Expert Panel
  • Cookie Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info (for CA Residents)
sandbox learning logo
Family Education is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational reference sites for parents, teachers, and students. 

factmonster logoinfoplease logoTeacherVision logo

sandbbox logo
©2022 Sandbox Networks Inc. All rights reserved. Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company.