Perhaps before we consider how to teach children with hyperactivity we need to know what hyperactivity is!
Hyperactivity – could you describe a hyperactive child?
Is it the little girl who squeals as she runs around the nursery or classroom getting rid of pent up energy? Is it the young lad who can’t sit still for longer than five minutes before getting up and moving to another activity? Perhaps the teenager who messes around at the back of the classroom?
Is it from birth with the baby who never seems to sleep, or the two year old who refuses to have an afternoon rest.
Maybe the schoolchild who stays up late watching television, or the teenager who plays computer games long into the night? And at what age are children considered hyperactive?
The most common age that children are diagnosed is seven years of age; there are significantly more children diagnosed with ADHD in the US than in the UK.
ADHD or hyperactivity explained
It’s very important not to think that a child is hyperactive just because they don’t seem to need a lot of sleep or always have boundless energy. Children and young people need exercise; they need an outlet for pent up emotions and energy.
Unfortunately in today’s world it’s a fact that children and young people don’t get enough exercise – for some this leads to weight gain and lethargy but for others it means that they might be considered hyperactive.
For some children a better sleep and exercise routine makes all the difference, for others managing their behaviour effectively and putting stricter daily routines in place enables them to cope better and be less destructive.
Historical context of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
Up until the late 1980’s very few children in the UK were diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). In order for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD they must now exhibit several symptoms:
- You’d be concerned if they constantly suffer from some, if not all of the following signs:
- Being clumsy and accident prone, having poor hand and eye coordination
- Being erratic and disruptive (fits and tantrums)
- Compulsively touching everything and everyone
- Being in constant motion/appearing restless (i.e. wriggles legs)
- Disturbing other children, being aggressive and argumentative
- Unable to concentrate, never finishing anything they begin
- They usually have a normal or high IQ but may do badly at school
- Jekyll and Hyde moodiness
- Being often uncooperative, defiant and disobedient
- Being talkative
Diagnosis of ADHD
The NHS has specific guidelines related to the diagnosis of ADHD so that children are not incorrectly labelled.
To be diagnosed with ADHD, a child must have six or more symptoms of inattentiveness, or six or more symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness. They must also have been displaying symptoms continuously for at least six months and:
- Show symptoms before the age of 12
- Show symptoms in at least two different settings – e.g. at home and at school
- Have symptoms that make their lives considerably more difficult on a social, academic or occupational level
- Have symptoms that aren’t just part of a developmental disorder or difficult phase
Can babies be diagnosed as hyperactive?
Babies are not usually diagnosed as hyperactive but you’d be concerned if they constantly suffer from some, if not all of the following:
- Constantly unsettled, restless, crying and difficult to settle
- Suffering from colic and sickness linked to feeds – feeding itself may be problematic
- Being excessively thirsty (a sign of Essential Fatty Acid deficiency)
- Constantly dribbling although this is common in ALL babies when they’re teething
- Suffering from night terrors, cot rocking and/or head banging
N.B. most if not all babies will have one or more of the above signs now and again during their first eighteen months of life which is perfectly normal. If however you’re at all concerned then you should ask your doctor or health visitor for advice. Some young children sleep well and are generally content but problems often begin once the child becomes more mobile and when the diet is varied.
If you’re at all concerned about your child then you should ask your doctor or health visitor for advice
Having a better understanding of what ADHD is, how exactly can we manage a child with ADHD in the classroom? Good question and here are some ideas!
First off you should look at the Hyperactive Children’s Support Group website which has some excellent information.
Working in partnership with the child’s parents and any other professional who might be involved is of prime importance so that you’re all managing the child’s behaviour and symptoms using a coordinated approach
The child might be eligible for support in the classroom (if they don’t already have this). You can discuss this with the child’s parents and investigate the possibility of applying for specialised support. The new Children and Families Act offers simpler, improved and consistent help for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Create an individual support plan
Another step that might help would be to create an individual support plan (individual education plan) for the child that would describe:
- Targets for the child – what you want them to do (these could be linked to EYFS or key stage outcomes)
- How to support the child in meeting these targets, e.g. small group work, different teaching styles, individual teaching assistant support, using rewards e.g. a star chart.
- How often the child will receive this support
- How you’re going to involve the parents and what help you’d like the parents to give at home
- The date you’re going to review the targets
- The outcome – filled in at the review date
Strategies that work for many hyperactive children are:
- Knowing what comes next in the daily timetable. Hyperactive children on the whole don’t like surprises!
- Shorter work periods
- Smaller teacher/pupil ratio and more individualised instruction (possibly SEN support)
- Interesting lessons
- Use of positive reinforcement such as “well done I can see that you’ve tried hard with this task”
Of course it’s not always possible to structure timetables to suit individual children and not all schools can employ sufficient staff for a small teacher/pupil ratio.
What else can you do?
Well your own attitude can make a big difference, try to have positive expectations, monitor and check learners’ work so that they know that you are interested in what they are doing. Make sure your instructions are clear, direct and understood by all.
A sense of humour is always a positive attribute and patience is vital. Having said that it’s also important to be consistent and firm, setting definite boundaries for behaviour. You’ll find it very useful to know about different methods and interventions that you can use for managing difficult behaviour.
You could suggest to hyperactive children that they take advantage of break times to play physical games such as football, netball, rounders, or just a game of tag. If you have access to a Forest School or outward bound activities, make full use of those resources, you’ll find that hyperactive children thoroughly enjoy being in and learning from the outdoors.
Working with parents of hyperactive children
Because hyperactive children have so much energy and a short concentration span it’s very useful to be able to suggest to parents that they find different ways for their children to make use of their energy and participate in physical activities.
Some activity ideas are:
- Joining a martial arts club or dance class
- Games or sports that require concentration are excellent because they require the child to concentrate as well as use up some of their boundless energy
- Joining cubs often provides hyperactive children with a sense of belonging and doing something worthwhile
- After school classes such as swimming, dance, drama or music all help to keep children busy
- Taking part in creative activities such as arts and crafts can be extremely motivating especially for a child with ADHD
- Being outdoors and taking part in outdoor activities are beneficial for very active or hyperactive children
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