Classroom accommodations are a vital part of the management process for children and teens who struggle with executive functioning problems.

Consider using “structured flexibility” with struggling students.  Structuring can assist students in improving their executive functioning weaknesses while the flexibility of accommodations can facilitating success in their academic and personal efforts.

Structuring

Consider these ways to structure instruction for students’ success in the classroom.

• Set reasonable accuracy goals and collect the entire groups’ work at once to reduce time pressures when the ADHD student wants to be “the first one done” and he makes careless errors.

• When giving instructions,

  • Establish eye contact,

  • Give directions one or two steps at a time,

  • Provide demonstrations of the desired outcome

  • Have your student paraphrase what you have said.

• Assist the student in planning for completion of multiple step assignments.  Help him identify the steps needed for successful assignment completion as suggested in previous posts.  A consistent step-by-step procedure will help the child develop this skill over time.

For more suggestions, consider my series of articles on active learning strategies.

Flexibility

Consider these ways to flexibly accommodate a struggling student’s weak executive functions in the classroom.

• Consider modifying the test environment for the student to accurately assess her ability.  Individual administration in a distraction-limited area with frequent breaks will provide a more accurate assessment than group administration.

• Allow students with attention problems to think out loud when they are problem-solving.  This way you can gain insights into their reasoning style and slow them down before they respond impulsively.  This will allow you to begin to restructure inaccurate perceptions and peer decisions.

• Teach the student to “stop” before acting impulsively, “think” about the effect of his or her intended action, “say” to themselves or others what they will do, and “do” the chosen behavior.

• Help the student to identify a “support-network” of peers and adults who can help give hints about when to slow down.

• Allow the student to break activities down into manageable portions.  By completing one page or a section of an assignment and taking a brief mental break, he will be better able to maintain the mental energy needed to complete the assignment.

For additional suggestions consider my series of articles Classroom Accommodations: The Art of Flexible Structuring.

Need Help Applying These Suggestions?

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(c) 2009, Monte W. Davenport, Ph.D.