Some students require special educational and behavioral attention due to the wide range of behavioral characteristics that they display. These include students suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Asperger syndrome. These students are often difficult to deal with in class because they exhibit a wide range of disruptive behaviors that may derail the delivery and performance in a normal classroom setting.
Students with ADHD are usually loud and try to seek attention from the rest and even the teachers. They are also hyperactive and want to be involved in everything and they will throw tantrums if they are denied a chance to show themselves off (Green 1994).
They can easily disrupt a class by using their fidgety behaviors. The students with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders also squirm very much and their squirming can be very disruptive to a classroom setting (Woodbury, 2008). They are also very oppositional and do not follow orders and instructions easily mainly because they are always inattentive. Their behaviors can be a big source of agony to the fellow students and the teachers because they are easily distractible, they always blurt out and they keep on moving here and there in a way that disrupts others (Hanna, 2006).
On the other hand students with Asperger syndrome usually have difficulties in social interactions and are usually withdrawn (Faraone 2003). Unlike the ones with ADHD, these students do not have attention-seeking or obnoxiously disruptive behaviors but can also be can also disrupt class due to their weird asocial behaviors. They have weird obsessions that can be a source of disruptions and their speech behaviors are usually one-sided meaning that they can easily disrupt the class with their awkwardness in speech. These students are also very insensitive to the feelings of others and this may cause friction in the classroom setting. Their clumsiness is the main source of disruption in the classroom.
However, ADHD and Asperger syndrome are mild behavioral challenges that do not require the students to be separated from the others (Bogadshina, 2003). These are students that do not need special classes because their behavioral challenges can be easily dealt with by the teachers. This means that principles of inclusion can be applied to be able to handle these students (Hartman, 2006).
There are various ways in which the teachers can manage to handle students with Asperger syndrome and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. To start with, a teacher needs to establish clear and straightforward rules that are supposed to be followed by anyone in the classroom setting. This will help in reducing the disruptiveness of these students with behavioral challenges because, with these rules, the teacher will be able to consistently enforce consequences for behaviors that are against the set rules (Asari, 2003). The teacher can also set a reward system where the ones that are good at observing the rules that have been set are rewarded. This will motivate the students with behavioral challenges to behave decently.
Secondly, students that have the two behavioral challenges should be made to sit near the teacher. This is because the teacher will be able to pay additional attention to the students and this will help in limiting distractions in the class. While teaching in a class that has students with ADHD and Asperger syndrome, the teacher should ensure that they give instructions that are simple and easy to follow (Faraone, 2005). The directions and the instructions should be one step and the students should be made to repeat the instructions after the teacher to enhance understanding.
The attention span of students with behavioral challenges is usually low as compared to other students. This means that when it comes to classwork, the teacher should break down assignments for the students that have attention problems. The students with ADHD and Asperger syndrome should be given enough time to finish their assignments. The teacher should also write down assignment instructions for these students if they have difficulty copying the instructions.
It is very hard for students with behavioral challenges to sit down for a very long period (Berthoz, 2003). This means that the teachers should create frequent breaks to let the students move physically. Without these breaks, the students will become disruptive because they will tend to move around the place disturbing the classroom setup. It is not a must that these breaks be created for all the students. The teacher can plan simple tasks for the student with ADHD and Asperger syndrome that will ensure that they have move frequently (Myles, 2003).
These simple tasks include taking books to the library or getting materials from the store. They can also be sent out to have a sip of water or to the water fountain to freshen up. These breaks are very important especially for the students with ADHD because they utilize the extra energy and help them to remain focused (Woodbury, 2008).
Finally, the teachers should also identify the strengths of these students and work on them. They should reward them for their efforts and also praise them in the presence of others. This will help in reducing attention-seeking behaviors in the students with ADHD and clumsiness in the students that have Asperger syndrome.
Bibliography
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Faraone, S. V., 2005, “The scientific foundation for understanding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as a valid psychiatric disorder”. Euro- Child Adolescent Psychiatry 14, 1-10.
Faraone, S., V, 2003, Talk about Your Child’s Mental Health: What to Do When Something Seems Wrong, Guilford Press, New York.
Green, C., 1994. Understanding ADHD, Doubleday, London.
Hanna, M., 2006. Making the Connection: A Parent’s Guide to Medication in ADHD, Ladner-Drysdale, Washington.
Hartmann, T., 2003. The Edison gene: ADHD and the gift of the hunter child, Park Street Press, Rochester.
Berthoz, S., 2006. “Response”. J Autism Dev Disord 36 (8): 1143–5.
Myles B. S., 2003. “Behavioral forms of stress management for individuals with Asperger syndrome”. Child Adolescent Psychiatry 12 (1): 123–41.
Woodbury, S., 2008. “Asperger syndrome”. Euro- Child Adolescent Psychiatry 18 (1): 2–11.