The following suggestions may be helpful in providing assistance to a child with behavioral/ attentional difficulties in the classroom.  Many of these strategies are good for all children and should routinely occur in many primary classrooms, but are specifically helpful when that classroom contains children who struggle with AD/HD.

Classroom Environment- A safe, orderly classroom environment is critical.

1. Childproof the classroom to the greatest extent possible.  The impulsive behavior of child with AD/HD can easily result in accidents.
2. Establish a system to keep materials organized.  Containers can be color coded and labeled with a picture of the objects stored there.
3. Make a place for each child’s belongings.  Label this space with the child’s name or an identifying symbol that the child has chosen.

Structure and Routine- Provide a consistent sequence of activities during the day and clearly define specific rules, expectations for behavior and consequences.

1. Post the daily schedule on a chart using pictures of the activities shown in the order they will occur.  As the children begin to relate to time and the clock, add clock faces to the pictured activities.
2. Use a consistent signal to get the children’s attention and focus them.  This might be ringing a bell, playing a chord on the piano, flashing the lights, or calling, “freeze.”
3. Repeatedly teach the specifics of how you want the children to behave throughout the day.  Explain and model each desired behavior and have the children practice it many times.  Examples are: how to stand and walk in line, how to move from one learning center to another, and how to get the teacher’s attention.
4. Praise the child with AD/HD for appropriate behavior as frequently as possible.  Recognize what he or she is doing right by giving specific praise that lets the child know the exact behavior that you like.   For example, “Joey is staying in line and walking quietly. Thank you, Joey.”  Remember that praise is not sufficient for some younger children with AD/HD, so be willing to use the more powerful rewards when necessary. 
5. Set consequences for inappropriate behavior and follow through.  Try to use natural and logical consequences as much as possible, for example, “You will need to sit by me for the remainder of free play today because you are having a hard time keeping your hands to yourself and not hitting and pushing the other children.”
6. Catch the child with AD/HD before he or she "loses it” and redirect him or her.  This redirection might be giving the child a task he or she likes to do or asking him or her to do something like help the teacher.  Or, the redirection could be reminding the child that an activity he or she likes such as recess or snack is coming up soon.

Transitions- As much as 15 % of the school day may be spent in transitions, and this is often a very difficult time for the child with AD/HD.  Teach and practice how to make transitions.

1. Give the child advance warning of a change in activity, for instance, “You have three more minutes to play before it will be time to clean up.”
2. Use auditory and visual cues to signal changes in activities.  For example, walk around from group to group and have a puppet sing a song about clean up.
3. As one activity ends mention several interesting or motivating aspects of what is coming next.
4. Dismissing children from a large group should be done in small numbers, for example, “all children wearing blue may go back the their chairs.”
5. Start the next activity right away even if all the children have not gathered.  Seeing something fun starting encourages the stragglers to get to the group quicker.

Seating- It may be necessary to take a more structured approach to seating when children with AD/HD are present in the classroom.
 

1. Seat the children in a large U-shape or semicircle.  And have the child with AD/HD sit directly across from the teacher to maintain eye contact and give cues for attention.
2. Seat the impulsive child within arm’s reach of the teacher so that nonverbal cues can be given for control.
3. Use tape with the children’s names to show them where their designated seating place is. 
4. For small group activities on the floor, small rugs and towels, or small hula-hoops can be used to show children where they should work.  When children are working at a table partition off workspaces by drawing lined on the table.

Workload- Students with AD/HD need their workload adjusted to their attention span.

1. Use a 30 % rule to set expectations, for work completion.  Expect that the child with Ad/HD will often complete 30 % less of the work than is typically done by other children that age. 
2. Reduce the number of assignments required, for example, four of six, or require two-thirds of each assignment.
3. Allow the student to write answers in fragments or key words rather than in complete sentences on discussion questions in subject areas other than English/ Language Arts.
4. Reduce the amount of homework if the student is spending long periods of time each night completing it.

Work Completion- Students with AD/HD frequently fail to complete assignments without special strategies being implemented.

1. First reinforce productivity (work completion) and then work on accuracy.
2. Reinforce the completion of a less preferred activity by allowing the student to engage in a more preferred activity.
3. Set time limits for work completion and use a timer if possible for external time references.
4. Use a daily or weekly assignment sheet that lists tasks to be completed in sequential order.  The student checks off each task as it is done, and the teacher later initials it to indicate satisfactory completion.