Laura (M2) : Hello and welcome to Good Teacher, a podcast channel dedicated to school teachers. Today’s topic is ADHD in schools.
The podcast will be presented by myself : Laura Bouchet and my colleague Alix Pénicaud, we are two psychologists specialised in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Alix (M1) : Indeed, we will inform you about the adaptations and accommodations that are possible in the school environment for students with ADHD. We will start with a presentation on ADHD, and then we will outline different possible adaptations to be implemented in the classroom.
Laura : School is a place of learning and socialisation that influences the mental health and good development of children and adolescents. However, the school environment isn’t suitable for all pupils, for example, children and adolescents with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity : ADHD.
Alix : Most of the time, it is at school that the full impact of the disorder is revealed, when the child is confronted with demands for motor stability, passive listening and organisation.
Laura : Like specific learning disabilities, intellectual disability and autism, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. A neurodevelopmental disorder is characterised by a delay in development and results in cognitive, behavioural and sensorimotor impairments that lead to impaired personal, social, academic or occupational functioning.
Plus précisément, le TDA/H regroupe 3 symptômes associés : l’inattention, l’impulsivité et l’hyperactivité
Alix : More specifically, ADHD includes 3 associated symptoms: inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity
– Inattention, the child has difficulty in planning and organising, does not seem to listen and is easily distracted, resulting in an inability to stay on task.
Laura : Impulsivity is characterised by a difficulty in waiting, the need to act, the tendency to interrupt the activities of others. The child responds too quickly to requests and acts before thinking, without waiting for all the instructions or evaluating the negative consequences of his actions.
Alix : Hyperactivity is characterized by incessant fidgeting, the inability to stay in place when conditions demand it. The child is animated by unnecessary and inappropriate movements. Their activity is disordered and unproductive.
Laura : ADHD symptoms must be present in at least 2 spheres among school, family and peers and have been present for at least 6 months.
The consequences are mobilised in terms of school, relationships and self-esteem.
Alix : There are 3 types of ADHD:
– Dominant inattention
– Dominantly hyperactive
– and Mixed
The most frequent form is the one with dominant inattention.
This disorder is three times more common in boys than in girls.
In most cases, it persists into adolescence and adulthood.
Laura : Thus, given that learning requires a lot of attention, students diagnosed with ADHD are confronted with various difficulties and the repercussions in the school context are numerous. Indeed, for these children, schooling is more complicated, more cognitively costly and requires a lot of effort. One of the challenges is therefore to adapt schooling to them but also to make them feel good.
Alix : Indeed, inattention, poor concentration skills and the need for motor discharge hinder their learning and make it more costly in terms of time and energy. It’s therefore necessary for pupils with ADHD to adapt their schooling.
Laura : We are well aware that for you, the teachers, it’s not always easy to set up adaptations but it’s important for the pupil in order to favour his learning, his well-being and to avoid academic disengagement.
Alix : First of all, it’s important that the child feels that he is in a safe and caring environment. Children with ADHD often want to do well but don’t always succeed, which is painful for them: it’s therefore important to encourage and reinforce their successes.
Laura : To reduce inattention and promote concentration
– It’s best to sit the child next to quiet children and keep them away from all distractions.
– You can offer noise-cancelling headphones if necessary and alternate relatively short periods of work with breaks where you can offer fidgets for example. Fidgets are objects that help focus attention by providing a motor outlet for tension and desire for movement, for example a hand spinner.
Alix : In order to promote organisation and planning,
– It’s important to structure the environment for these pupils, perhaps with the help of visual aids or a timer to help them keep track of time.
– It’s also important to give only one instruction at a time, which is easy to understand, and to avoid double-tasking.
Laura : To limit restlessness, you can provide alternative seating to encourage movement and increase opportunities for movement in the classroom.
Alix : To limit impulsivity, you can display the class rules visually and intervene at the first signs of disorganisation.
Laura : Finally, it should’nt be forgotten that children with this disorder are aware of it and suffer from it. They may be stigmatised, seen as insolent and thus not fit into the school environment. However, it’s not their will, it’s not because they don’t want to but because they can’t.
Alix : It’s therefore important to diagnose and treat them early in order to adapt the pedagogy as quickly as possible and for the family to understand the disorder and accompany it throughout its development.
These children don’t only have limitations, they also have resources and can be very relevant when they have an interest in a task.
Laura : We hope that this podcast will be useful to you and will allow you to better understand ADHD and the importance of its management. It will also make it easier for you to identify children who are likely to have this disorder in order to guide them and adapt their schooling.