Recognizing and Responding to Learning and Behavioral Difficulties in the Classroom

Celena Hodnett & Sharon Stone

CRIN X53, Spring 2010

Attention Difficulties

Definition

Attention refers to the ability of initially focusing on a task or source of stimulation (selective attention) or maintaining concentration for an extended period of time (sustained attention). Difficulty with either focusing attention or concentrating may adversely affect a student’s academic, behavioral or social skills. A student may exhibit attention difficulties even without a medical diagnosis of AD/HD; likewise, restlessness or impulsivity may not be present in all students with attention difficulties.

Typical Classroom Characteristics or Manifestations

  • Easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds
  • Often loses or forgets supplies or tools for a needed task
  • May skip over instructions or make careless mistakes
  • Difficulty shifting focus from one task to another
  • Often interrupts or may blurt out answers before being called on in class
  • May often seem not to listen when being spoken to directly
  • Concentration or performance is inconsistent, fluctuating from day to day or even from task to task.
  • May seem tired
  • May seem to daydream
  • Has difficulty sifting through details and retaining important information
  • At times your student seems to concentrate on the material too long; at others, he/she cannot concentrate long enough.
  • Reads so quickly that he/she skips words, has difficulty with multisyllabic words, or shows little reading comprehension

Suggested Responses, Accommodation, and/or Modifications

  • Seat in a quiet area or with other students who concentrate and study well.
  • Set up a visual barrier at your student’s desk to help him/her block out distractions.
  • Allow additional time to complete assignments.
  • Encourage progress by praising efforts to stay on task. **
  • Break long reading assignments into shorter parts. Likewise, have students complete and turn in projects one piece at a time rather than all at once. *
  • Try letting students know ahead of time when a task is ending or a new one will begin so they can shift their focus. *, **
  • Allow use of organizers (notebooks, planners, computer programs) to help studentsremember what to do and when. *, **
  • Use visual aids, illustrations, or graphic cues (i.e., symbols) along with written or spoken instructions. Visual aids can be applied to content (e.g., pictures in a story, PowerPoint slides for a lecture) or to tasks and routines (e.g., schedules, calendars). *
  • Encourage physical, non-disruptive activity during instruction time such as doodling, squeezing a ball, rolling clay, or tapping fingers or pencil on the thigh. (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2002) **
  • Set up a space in the classroom for high-interest activities such as computers or art. *
  • Develop private signals that will remind him/her to re-focus or stay on task.
  • Outline goals for both academic performance and classroom behavior; reward his/her accomplishments. *

References

Breitfelder, L. M. (2008)Quick and easy adaptations and accommodations for early childhoodstudents. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 4(5), Article 2. Retrieved from ***

Turnbull, A., Turnbull, R., and Wehmeyer, M. Exceptional lives: Special education in today’s schools. pp. 213, 223, 230. New Jersey: 2010.

WGBH Educational Foundation (2002) Misunderstood Minds, co-produced by the Kirk Documentary Group, Ltd., and WGBH Boston. Available online at

*These strategies may be helpful for all students and can be an element in your Universal Design for Learning.

**These strategies may be especially helpful for parents to use at home.

***This reference is particularly helpful for early childhood through early elementary classes, but the basic recommendations can be adapted for older students.

Page 1