A majority of the students who come to us for tutoring have some sort of label. ADHD is a common one. Approximately 3-5% of the school aged population suffers from ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) according to the Children’s Disabilities Information. ADHD affects the ability to concentrate and retain information. Some signs of ADHD include: careless mistakes, poor listening skills and a lack of attention to detail.
Here are some tips for tutoring ADHD students:
- Student should be in a calm environment that is free of distraction. It’s easy to do in a one on one tutoring session. In a classroom with 25-30 kids “calm” is harder to achieve. It’s best for an ADHD student to sit at the front of the class when at school. It’s also best to arrange seating for the ADHD child to be surrounded by calm children. Do not place 2 ADHD children side by side.
- When tutoring it is best to teach while doing an action such as building blocks or drawing on a piece of paper. It’s hard for ADHD students to sit still and focus.
- When teaching new concepts allow the student to respond orally. It is difficult for ADHD students to slow down to write when they readily know the answer.
- ADHD students like to know what will come next. Before you start the lesson give them a checklist of what will be learned that day.
Tutors working with ADHD students should keep a close relationship with the parents. Let the parent know what was covered and what the child is expected to cover between lessons.