Behavioral

Behavior Management

“Prevention is the best behavior management strategy” (Dendy, 2000, p. 225). McEwan (1998) shares that when she was an elementary principal she and her and staff made certain that:

the rules and expectations for behavior in the school are clearly stated and consistently applied in all classrooms and learning areas. Consequences for breaking the rules are swiftly and fairly administered to all students but especially so for students with ADHD (p. 100-101).

Discipline must be given fairly and dealt with firmly as the consequence must fit the infraction. Administrative support for both the teacher and the student is imperative. Administrators are encouraged to advocate the establishment of rules and regulations for their school with faculty and staff members. Daily reminders of these rules should be displayed clearly for all to see.

Understanding adolescent ADHD, administrators and teachers should keep in mind the potential “pitfalls” and contributors to inappropriate classroom behaviors. Some of the more prevalent ones are: (a) unclear classroom rules and expectations, (b) unclear teacher expectations, (c) negative relationship between the teacher and the student as seen through the eyes of the student, (d) unstructured classroom routines, (e) unrealistic amount of assignments that are too long in length and too short in interest level, (f) overcrowded classrooms where students are seated too close to one another, especially near the ADHD student, and (g) a learning environment in which the students have no choices and/or where their opinions do not count.

Teachers who employ effective behavior management strategies consistently for all students fair much better than those that do not. Successful ADHD teachers know how to duck and dodge behavior problems before they start by having their “bag of tricks” filled with lots of proactive classroom management strategies, have positive ways to build good rapport with their students, know how to manage structured classrooms efficiently and fairly, establish clear and concise classroom rules, give reprimands while allowing the student to keep his/her dignity, prepare for transitions well in advance so as to troubleshoot problematic situations, schedule appropriately so that the down time is short, and set up a strategically sound classroom that enables ADHD students to freely move about with the least amounts of distractions to others.