Behavioral interventions are a first-line treatment for elementary school-aged children with ADHD, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Here are two types of classroom behavioral interventions that parents can request and teachers can use alone or in consultation with school psychologists and other staff.

[Free Download: How to Teach Children with ADHD — Classroom Challenges & Solutions]

Preventing Interventions

Use these interventions before disruptive behaviors and challenges mushroom:

• Greet each child individually with daily words of encouragement. Students are motivated to please adults they like and respect, and who like and respect them.
• Review expectations before activities. Many teachers think: Students should know what I expect by now. They may, but many children with ADHD have difficulty applying this knowledge. This external support only takes a minute or two, and it puts the rules at the top of students’ minds.
• Offer a choice of where to work (e.g., in a seat, on the floor), how to learn (e.g., using headphones, with a partner), and what to focus on (e.g., write about any character, select one of two books offered). This allows students to leverage their strengths and enhance their engagement in the classroom.
• Set an achievable goal. A student with a goal is more likely to modify their behavior than a student without one.
• Provide an illustrated step-by-step plan for completing high-priority tasks. For example, how to get started independently in math class and what a student should do if they get stuck on a problem.
• Use a timer that students can easily see. Remember that students with ADHD have internal timers that are underperforming.
• Do a weekly check-in. Ask students about their interests, hobbies, or experiences outside of school to show you care. This positive interaction helps to balance any corrective feedback given later.

Consequence Interventions

These should be connected to a student’s behavior, but they are not disciplinary actions.

• Students with ADHD benefit from external guidance and feedback. Praise tells them, “Yes, do more of this behavior,” and corrective feedback tells them, “Don’t do that again.” Think about praise and corrective feedback as the two bumpers on a bowling alley lane (one on each side). If students receive both, they can roll in the right direction toward success.
• Corrective feedback is most effective when you label the unwanted behavior (e.g., “That’s an interruption; that was disrespectful”). Then link the behavior to expectations: “Remember, we wait until the speaker is done before asking a question.”
• Praise is most effective when it is genuine and behavior-specific.
• Engage in skills practice to allow the student to try the behavior correctly. This also helps them build their “self-control muscles.”
• Provide a consequence/remove a privilege. For example, “You didn’t follow my instructions twice, so you lose the privilege of being a line leader today. Please stand behind Jamal.”
• Encourage problem-solving. Ask the student, “What would help you follow expectations better in this situation?”

These interventions should be used with all students. Importantly, our research shows that teachers do not need to respond to every instance of disruptive behavior with a correction, but if they respond to more than half, rule violations drop significantly over time.

[Click to Download: 10 Teaching Strategies that Help Students with ADHD]

If a student continues to struggle, consider implementing a higher level of service, such as using a daily report card, to build upon interventions and smooth their path forward.

Behavioral Interventions for ADHD: Next Steps

• Free Download: Free Guide to Solving Behavior Problems Rooted in Executive Function Deficits
• Sign Up: Free ADHD Teacher Training Program!
• Read: Could a Behavior Intervention Plan Help Your Student with ADHD? 
• Watch: “Better School Behavior: How to Design and Implement a Positive and Effective Behavior Plan”

Julie Sarno Owens, Ph.D., is a psychology professor and director at the Center for Intervention Research in Schools at Ohio University.

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As a child psychologist, I see a direct connection between academic achievement and a child’s ability to build meaningful friendships, manage their emotions, and tolerate distress. When a child is emotionally dysregulated, they are less available to learn.
When individuals with ADHD get triggered and do not have the skills to regulate emotions effectively, they enter a fight-or-flight state. The amygdala is activated, and the body releases stress hormones like cortisol. This autonomic response can hijack the prefrontal cortex and sabotage the ability to focus, process new information, and regulate emotions.

The brain becomes unable to engage higher-order executive functioning skills and learn. This is why social-emotional skills are a critical precursor to learning, and a linchpin for academic success.

Over the past 30 years, educators have increasingly embraced social-emotional learning (SEL). Notably, parents play a critical role in nurturing their children’s skills in this area.

[Get This Free SEL Programs Comparison Chart]

Children who develop emotional awareness and expression skills can improve self-regulation and manage their reactions effectively. Those who learn perspective-taking skills and develop empathy can understand others’ feelings.

SEL Skills Teach Conflict Resolution

Problem-solving skills help kids resolve conflicts constructively. But for many children with ADHD, didactic lessons in a classroom are not enough; they need to see and feel how SEL skills may be applied in the real world. Therefore, it is critical for these skills to be taught and applied organically on a regular basis. Parents and teachers need to see conflicts —misbehavior, sibling rivalry, fights between children on the playground, meltdowns, rigidity, and disrespect — as learning opportunities.

Sadly, kids are often given detentions for these behaviors. Punishment, however, does not help children learn. Instead, it breeds anger and resentment, making them feel bad about themselves. It keeps them stuck.

The next time your child or student is involved in a conflict, use the following steps to build their SEL skills:

Step 1: Evaluate

Ask yourself: What is this child’s skill deficit at this moment? What do they need to learn?

[Free Guide to Activities and Sports for Kids with ADHD]

Step 2: Validate

Validate the child’s perspective. Feeling seen and heard will help them be more fully present for learning. Remember, you don’t need to agree with them to offer validation.

Step 3: Collaborate

Truly hear them before you share your perspective. Encourage the child to problem-solve or come up with a compromise that works.

Acquiring and applying SEL skills, like any other skill, takes time and practice. Perhaps more importantly, it also requires you, as a teacher or caregiver, to regulate your own emotions to help a child see how to regulate theirs.

SEL Skills: Next Steps

Free Class: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators
Free Download: Friendship Guide for Kids with ADHD
Read: The Social Executive Function Skills That Elude Kids with ADHD
Read: How to Be Your Child’s Social Emotional Learning Coach

Tamar Kahane, Psy.D., is the founder and clinical director of The Kahane Center, LLC, in New Jersey. 

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Emotional dysregulation and impulsivity can hijack learning when students’ ADHD symptoms collide with academic pressure, peer conflict, transitions, or other stressors. Understanding the neuropsychological underpinnings of, and triggers for, these outbursts is the first step to curbing them – with efficacy and empathy.

Not every meltdown is preventable, nor is every response perfect. But educators can minimize the impact of emotional dysregulation in the classroom by building a toolkit of proactive and reactive strategies designed to create a supportive environment for all students.

Proactive Strategies

• Identify potential triggers. Observe patterns in the student’s emotional outbursts. Note the time of day, the circumstances, and the other children nearby. Ask the student at the end of a tough day: “What was hard for you today? What made you upset?” Understanding triggers can help you prevent them.
• Create a cool-down zone. Establish a calming space with dim lighting, soothing colors and images, fidget toys, and noise-cancelling headphones that students can use when they become overstimulated or dysregulated.
• Foster a growth mindset. Praise effort rather than ability, and teach kids to learn from their mistakes. Encourage students to view challenges as opportunities for growth.
• Schedule time for movement. Allowing students to get up and stretch their legs can improve focus and mood.
• Institute emotional check-ins. Introduce tools like mood charts or emotion wheels to help students easily express their feelings. These visuals often help kids understand their big emotions and communicate them clearly.
• Provide flexible seating. Sitting still at a desk all day does not work for kids with irregular focus and attention. Incorporate different seating options, such as bean bag chairs or floor seating.
• Monitor unstructured time. Unstructured time is the most challenging part of the school day for many kids with ADHD. During hallway time, recess, or other transitions, increase supervision to provide a sense of structure.
• Be flexible. Adjust expectations for the day if a three-day weekend or holiday is looming. Let parents know that they can send a note with their student, saying, “It’s a rainbow day,” or “It’s a warm day,” to signal that the child might need a little more TLC.
• No bullying allowed. Children become more dysregulated when they are being made fun of, so address bullying promptly.
• Integrate mindfulness. Research has shown that mindfulness can help kids with ADHD manage stress and solve problems. Teach your students mindful breathing techniques and practice them together throughout the day.

[Free Webinar: “Classroom Behavior Strategies for Students with ADHD”]

Reactive Strategies

During the Incident

• Offer options. Give the student the option to step aside and calm down. This is not a punishment; it is an opportunity for the student to regain their composure before rejoining the group.
• Remain calm. Co-regulation happens when a caring adult provides support and structure to help a child learn how to manage their emotions. This means remaining supportive, warm, and calm during the outburst.
• Redirect attention. Steer the student’s focus onto a positive or neutral task. For example, use the mail carrier strategy: Give the student a note to deliverto another teacher to buy the child a few minutes of responsibility and a chance to cool down.

After the Incident

• Reflect. Set up time to talk privately with the child about what happened. Use a non-judgmental tone, and say, “Tell me what made you feel so upset. How can I support you when that happens again?” Together, brainstorm calming tools and create a plan to help them manage their emotions in the future.
• Be consistent. Schedule regular check-ins, monitor their progress, and offer praise for every step in the right direction.

[Download: Free Guide to Solving Behavior Problems Rooted in Executive Function Deficits ]

Students Supporting Dysregulated Students

Educators can help students understand and support their emotionally dysregulated classmates with the following tactics.

When Taylor Has Trouble

Taylor just had a meltdown in class and, wow, it was a doozy. So, how do you explain their behavior to the other students in a way that fosters understanding and support, and prevents shame and stigma?

First, initiate a class discussion about emotional dysregulation. Keep it brief and simple. You might say, “Sometimes we feel upset and lose control. This is what happened to Taylor. They’re having a tough day. Everyone has them. How can we support Taylor when they’re going through this?”

Work to encourage empathy, normalize the behavior, and offer reassurance. You might ask your students, “What are some strategies you use to calm down when you’re having a difficult time?”

Never demonize a student by showing your annoyance or frustration. Say to your students, “I hope Taylor will feel well enough to rejoin the classroom soon because it’s really fun when Taylor’s here with us.” Model the empathy you want all students to demonstrate.

“My Child’s Teacher Highlights His Strengths”

When educators truly understand ADHD and learning differences, and respond with empathy and smart teaching methods, school can shift from being a pit of dread to a source of growth and confidence for students.

So ADDitude asked caregivers: “What would your child say their teacher does to help them feel supported and confident in the classroom?” Here’s what you shared:

“My daughter’s teacher gives her lots of errands so she can move her body and feel like a class leader. He also allows her to visita second-grade classroom and work with younger kids. This is especially helpful because she has dyslexia and helping others makes her feel good about her progress.”

“My son’s teacher creates secret signals to let him know when he is getting too hyper. She never calls him out publicly.”

“My child is encouraged to learn in their own way. They are told in advance about transitions to reduce surprises.”

“My child’s teacher gives gentle reminders and understands their struggles. This has been very helpful.”

“My child’s teacher sees the virtues in ADHD, finds opportunities for them to shine, and nurtures a trusting and playful relationship.”

“My son gets checklists, a homework buddy, and preferential seating.”

“Most high school teachers are not super helpful, but my son has one teacher who provides a great deal of verbal feedback to him about his work and who he is as a person. He says, ‘I think she really likes me,’ and he sees her as kind and helpful.”

“My child says his teacher is kind, doesn’t shout, lets him learn what he’s interested in, gives him breaks, understands him, and doesn’t give out punishments.”

“My son doesn’t get singled out when he does something wrong, and he receives praise for his strengths.”

Calm Down Strategies for Kids: Next Steps

• Free Download: 6 Ways to Develop Emotional Control at School
• Sign Up: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators
• Learn: 12 Teacher Strategies to Inspire Listening, Learning and Self-Control
• Read: The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming Misbehavior in the Classroom

Cheryl Chase, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist near Cleveland, Ohio. The content for this webinar was derived from the ADDitude Expert Webinar “Proactive and Reactive Strategies for Managing Students’ Emotional Dysregulation in Class” by Cheryl Chase, Ph.D., which was broadcast live on September 17, 2024.

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Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

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In this webinar, caregivers and educators will learn:

• The main principles of SEL, including how it teaches self-awareness, self-control, empathy, social skills, and problem-solving.
• Why teaching SEL matters for kids with ADHD and learning differences.
• Implementation strategies such as modeling, direct instruction, and prompting use of SEL.
• Activities to promote SEL development in school and at home.

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

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Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO

Social-Emotional Learning: Resources

• • • Free Download: 5 Ways to Improve Emotional Control at Home
    • Read: Your Child Is Not Giving You a Hard Time. Your Child Is Having a Hard Time.
    • Read: 11 Strategies That Improve Emotional Control at School and Home
    • Read: The Key to ADHD Emotional Regulation? Cultivating Gratitude, Pride & Compassion
      

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on August 19, 2025, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Steven Tobias, Psy.D., is the Director of the Center for Child & Family Development in New Jersey.  He has more than 25 years’ experience working with children, parents, families, and schools.

Dr. Tobias provides consultation to schools as a way of reaching many children, including those with unmet social and emotional needs. He has coauthored several books with Dr. Maurice Elias, including Emotionally Intelligent Parenting and Raising Emotionally Intelligent Teenagers.(#CommissionsEarned)
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Any family that has navigated school avoidance will tell you that it’s terribly stressful and that outcomes are improved when educators and parents work collaboratively. This is unequivocally true, and rare, in part because misconceptions and ignorance around school avoidance affect educators’ responses.

Advice for Parent-Teacher Collaboration

Up to a third of children with ADHD will experience school avoidance at some point during their academic journey. A student’s school avoidance, also referred to as school refusal, can last weeks or months during an academic year. In severe cases, it can last longer. Follow this advice to facilitate collaboration and get your child back to school.

#1. Request Help Early

Call the school at the first signs of possible school avoidance. Time is of the essence. Research and real-life experiences show that earlier interventions improve outcomes.

Schools have staff dedicated to helping students with mental health challenges, learning disabilities, and family issues. Your goal is to meet with these staff members and discuss where your child is struggling and what’s going on at home. Let them know that you consider this to be serious and that early interventions are extremely important. Work with the school intervention team on strategies to help your child.

#2. Get Educated About School Avoidance

Because school avoidance is misunderstood, your school may not know the best practices and evidence-based strategies for addressing it. As a caregiver, you will need to advocate for your child and educate the school staff. Arrive at school meetings equipped with information and specific requests for help.

[Read: “Help! My Child Won’t Go to School.”]

#3. Know Your Rights

Federal and state laws require public schools to provide a free, appropriate, public education to all students. Your understanding of these laws is important because schools sometimes have difficulty interpreting and applying them to school avoidance.

#4. Establish Accommodations

Most kids who avoid school qualify for a 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and benefit from accommodations and services that can reintegrate them into school. Some schools will modify workloads, homework, and attendance requirements to help your child return to school.

#5. Develop a Reintegration Plan

Collaborate on a plan to get your child back into the classroom. Your child’s therapist should be communicating with the school about how to best do this.

#6. Know When to Activate Plan B

If you feel the current school environment cannot support your child appropriately or blatantly disregards their needs, seek alternative school options. Your child deserves a caring and supportive school where they feel safe and valued.

[Get This Download: How to Teach Children with ADHD — Classroom Challenges & Solutions]

Avoid These Missteps

Common mistakes parents make while working with their child’s school include:

• Working too long with your intervention team without a defined plan for getting your child back to school
• Not requesting a 504 Plan or IEP in writing. Once you ask for an evaluation for a 504 Plan or IEP in a letter or email (get proof of receipt), the clock starts to ensure that timelines are followed according to the law
• Crafting a 504 Plan or IEP that says nothing about the steps, changes, or strategies to help your child return to school

School Avoidance Interventions: Next Steps

• Read: “Couldn’t I Just Stay Home from School Forever?”
• eBook: How to Teach (and Inspire) Students with ADHD
• Sign Up: ADHD @ School — A Free 10-Part Class for Parents

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

As many parents will attest, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) often fail to improve classroom behavior, largely due to the absence of evidence-based interventions and support. For example, a recent study found that only half of IEPs for high school students with ADHD who exhibit challenging classroom behaviors included goals related to increasing on-task and socially appropriate behaviors.¹ Of additional concern, only one in three students with ADHD receives classroom behavior-management support. ² And even when a student has behavioral goals written into their IEP, there’s a good chance their teacher has not received direct training on how to implement these interventions.

An approach called the Life Course Model could significantly improve outcomes by keeping parents informed on the effectiveness of behavioral interventions and by ensuring consistency between home and school strategies.

The model’s primary aim is to foster collaborative family-school partnerships. Through meetings with the child’s academic and/or IEP team, parents can help make decisions regarding the best behavioral interventions to address the child’s needs.

[eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD and Classroom Behavior]

Daily communication about a student’s progress may also allow the teacher to advise on implementing interventions at home. However, successful student outcomes still rely on professional development and teacher training around ADHD interventions and strategies.

Life Course Model Implementation

These practice guidelines were created to help teachers address disruptive or noncompliant behaviors among students with ADHD by providing supports that build skills for independence and self-regulation. Interventions that reduce symptoms (e.g., medication) and accommodations that don’t necessarily build skills are given lower priority in the treatment plan sequence.

Life Course Model, Part 1: Services and Sequencing

Life Course Model, Part 2: Principles for Service Delivery

Behavioral Interventions for ADHD: Next Steps

• Free Download: Classroom Accommodations for Children with ADHD
• Sign Up: Free ADHD Teacher Training Program!
• Read: Could a Behavior Intervention Plan Help Your Student with ADHD? 

Marsha Ariol, M.S., is a third-year doctoral student in the school psychology program at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

George J. DuPaul, Ph.D., is a professor of school psychology and associate dean for research in the College of Education at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹ Hustus, C.L., Evans, S.W., Owens, J.S., Benson, K., Hetrick, A., Kipperman, K., & DuPaul, G.J. (2020). An Evaluation of 504 and Individualized Educational Programs for High School Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. School Psychology Review,49, 333-345.doi: 10.1080/2372966X.2020.1777830

² DuPaul, G.J., Chronis-Tuscano, A., Danielson, M.L., & Visser, S.N. (2019). Predictors of Receipt of School Services in a National Sample of Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 23, 1303-1319.doi: 10.1177/1087054718816169

– How to improve executive function by developing “domino” habits
– How to foster a positive learning environment that leans more heavily on praise
– How to design a neurodivergent-friendly classroom
– How to model good planning and prioritizing skills for your child
– How to capture wandering attention without embarrassing students with ADHD
– How to use a daily report card system effectively
– How to manage multiple students’ accommodations efficiently
– How to spot and avoid burnout in twice-exceptional students who are gifted and have ADHD
– How to reduce screen-time battles and use music to spark focus

Get all of these resources and more in this concise, practical, 12-page guide to building stronger executive functions in children with ADHD.

Print it, share it, use it, and start off the new school year smart!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Navigating students’ emotional dysregulation can be one of the most challenging aspects of classroom management. In this one-hour webinar, educators will learn how to engage both proactive and reactive strategies for effectively managing emotional dysregulation in students.

Proactive Strategies Include:

• Building a Supportive Classroom Environment: Learn techniques for creating a classroom atmosphere that promotes emotional stability and resilience.
• Implementing Preventative Measures: Discover approaches to identify potential triggers and integrate preventative strategies that reduce the likelihood of emotional outbursts.
• Developing Emotional Regulation Skills: Explore methods for teaching students self-regulation skills and coping mechanisms that they can use independently.

Reactive Strategies Include:

• Deploying Immediate Response Techniques: Understand best practices for addressing emotional dysregulation as it occurs, ensuring interventions are effective and respectful.
• Engaging De-escalation Strategies: Gain practical skills for de-escalating tense situations and restoring a calm learning environment.
• Prioritizing Post-Incident Reflection and Support: Learn how to follow up with students after an emotional incident to provide support and prevent future occurrences.

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the  symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO 

Classroom Management Strategies for Teachers: More Resources

• Download: Kid-Friendly Mindful Meditation Exercises
• Sign Up: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators
• Read: Top Emotion Regulation Difficulties for Youth with ADHD
• Read: 13 Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies for Educators Today
• eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD School Behavior

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on September 17, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Cheryl Chase, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Independence, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. She specializes in the diagnostic and neuropsychological assessment of various conditions impacting children, adolescents, and young adults including ADHD, Learning Disorders, and emotional concerns. She is PSYPACT certified and able to serve clients from the 40 participating states. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Chase is also an accomplished international speaker, leading workshops on such timely topics as executive functioning, dyslexia/dysgraphia, and creative ways to support those who struggle in school. Finally, Dr. Chase serves as an adjunct instructor at several colleges in the Cleveland area. She is an active member of the International Dyslexia Association, the American Psychological Association, and Learning Disabilities Association of America. For more information, please visit ChasingYourPotential.com or her LinkedIn page.

Listener Testimonials

“This webinar was beyond excellent. Dr. Chase’s strategies and encouraging comments ware great both for students — primary and high school — and teachers/parents/guardians. Thank you so much!”

“Excellent, well-informed speaker. Well paced and with a good amount of information to communicate in the time available.”

“There were great strategies that I had not been exposed to in previous trainings. Thank you!”

“From a parent perspective, thank you for the information provided to teachers. Very helpful for everyone! Loved when you reminded them to reflect on their own childhood.”

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Audacy

Maintain Motivation & Resilience

These strategies will help your teen tap into their “grit.”

Teachers and parents can take advantage of these strategies for training focus, combatting procrastination, and prioritizing effectively to achieve the success that drives future motivation.

When we create learning environments and activities that help students feel safe and confident, we reduce their chances of experiencing failure and increase their chance at success.

Does delayed executive function maturity make it hard for your child to achieve his goals? Here, tips for practice, patience, and perseverance for children and teenagers with ADHD.

Traditional carrots and sticks don’t motivate students with ADHD – that much is clear. But these strategies do.

Why do adults and children with ADHD or ADD have strong motivation and executive function for some tasks and never find the cognitive spark to do others? Learn more.

Learn about seven important executive function skills, their relationship to motivation, and how to improve each skill. Learn more.

Foster Friendships & Regulate Emotions

Required reading for any parent whose child has felt excluded — or whose child has excluded others.

Students with ADHD thrive in a positive classroom environment, and peer interactions and relationships play a big role in shaping that learning experience.

While your child has strengths, it is the weak executive functions — the management system of the brain — that affect their social skills.

ADHD can cause specific immature behaviors, causing kids to be an outcast amongst peers. Learn how praise and getting involved in activities can help.

How to help your child make friends (and keep them) this year. Learn more.

Teach your child how to deal with a bully and become an upstander for other neurodivergent kids with these strategies.

Children and teens with ADHD may lose friends because of deficits in social executive function skills – the underlying processes that are involved in social skills ranging from perspective-taking to reciprocity and cognitive flexibility. Learn how to help them.

Initiate & Complete Homework

Research suggests that the soundtrack to your child’s homework should comprise these 21 songs, proven to change the electromagnetic frequency of brain waves for optimal focus.

Learn ways to treat dysgraphia – a disability that impacts writing abilities – and to improve handwriting for a lifetime.

With these homework routines, teachers and parents can replace after-school tantrums with higher grades..

Hurdles with writing trace back to executive functioning — our brains’ ability to absorb, organize, and act on information. Learn more.

12 ADHD-friendly strategies for creating calm, avoiding burnout, and staying organized during homework time.

Spare your family drama and fights by following this homework system designed for children with ADHD and learning disabilities.

Kids with ADHD often struggle with homework, but each one struggles in a unique way. Here are specific solutions that really work for kids with ADHD.

Secure Accommodations & Self-Advocate

These academic and organizational tips are designed to help high school students with ADHD finish homework, execute long-term projects, manage their time, earn high grades, and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

“Daily report cards are among the most powerful evidence-based tools that educators have to encourage better behavior in students. A strong report card system has a few key elements that make or break its effectiveness.”

Know your rights if the school refuses to evaluate your student for learning differences.

8 straightforward steps — from requesting a school evaluation to monitoring accommodations — to help parents develop the best IEP or 504 Plan possible for kids with ADHD.

Learn how to help a student with ADHD understand and communicate their learning needs to teachers and parents.

Here are some of our favorite solutions for addressing common ADHD challenges at school.

Here are some of our favorite solutions for addressing common ADHD challenges at school.

Remember Not to Forget

A working memory deficit could explain his difficulty working out math problems in his head or with reading retention. Take this self-test.

Improve working memory in children with ADHD by using these 10 exercises that lighten the mental load by externalizing reminders.

Learn faster. Retain more. Perform better on tests. Yes, really. With these research-based techniques for studying with ADHD .

Educators must do more to support students with learning differences for whom working memory is an area of need. The following are a few strategies and pointers for educators.

Research shows that students with ADHD don’t need to study harder or longer to conquer exams — they just need to study differently. Here’s how.

Weak working memory impairs a child’s ability to follow multi-step directions, tap into old information, or quickly recall lessons. These 15 exercises and strategies can help.

Verbal and non-verbal working memory are two essential batteries powering what Dr. Russell Barkley calls your brain’s GPS system — the one that keeps you on track, on time, and in control. Learn how to keep them charged.

Build Self-Confidence at School

Responding to bad behavior with neurotypical parenting techniques is counterproductive because it ignores the root problem. Here is a better way.

When teens with ADHD feel less than adequate, parents should use these strategies to help them bolster their self confidence, make healthy choices, and develop a positive perspective on the future. Here’s how.

Daily challenges and corrections at school can demoralize a child and trample her confidence. How to end the cycle.

These ADHD teaching strategies will help all students — but especially those with ADD — learn to the best of their ability in any classroom. Get started.

No child with ADHD can succeed at school if he believes he is less smart or less capable than his peers. Here is a better way.

Many children with ADHD, battered by daily criticisms and admonitions, have low self-esteem as early as second grade. Make a powerful difference with these reframing strategies.

Chronic stress at school can make kids (particularly those with ADHD or LD) dread going — and change their brains for the worse. Learn more.

Organize & Manage Time

The most critical tool for building these executive functions? The right planner. Here it is.

Want to make sure that your child gets his homework done every night — and learns about planning and how to prioritize? Teach them to use a homework planner.

11 tips for cementing your family’s routine.

Here, learn how to use calendars and clocks to teach your child the value of strong priorities and to help him be on time more often.

Paper planners outperform digital ones for ADHD brains. Here is what makes a great planner.

Chaotic desk? Forgotten homework? Missed deadlines? Your child needs these ADHD organizing tips.

Reliable schedules for mornings, after school, and bedtime make a tremendous difference in setting expectations, building good habits, and improving ADD-related behavior. Learn more.

Resist Distractions and Focus

dopamine menu lists an assortment of pleasurable, healthy activities — from appetizers like yoga poses to main courses like a HIIT class to sides like white noise — from which ADHD brains can choose when they need stimulation. Learn more.

Research shows that physical activity — even a little foot-tapping or gum chewing — increases levels of the neurotransmitters in the brain that control focus and attention. Learn more.

“Procrastivity” is a self-defeating ADHD time-management habit can be helped by cognitive behavioral therapy approaches that teach patients how to prioritize tasks. Learn more here.

You can’t train away executive dysfunction. But you can more consistently get things done by creating systems in your life that support these brain processes. Get started here.

Soothing, effective fidgets for students with ADHD who focus best when they are chewing, squeezing, picking, or — yes — spinning. See our picks here.

Children with ADHD experience a lower level of brain arousal, which means they are easily distracted by internal and external stimuli. Use these school and home strategies to improve focus and comprehension.

For inconsistent focus, use these teacher-approved accommodations to put some real muscle behind his 504 Plan and put the attention back on learning. Get started.

Control Impulses and Behavior

Back-to-school supplies for students with ADHD — from erasable pens and highlighter tape to wiggle seat cushions, and more — that improve focus, organization, and classroom engagement. See the list.

Educators share their top tips for developing stronger executive function skills and independence in students with ADHD and learning differences here.

The Good Behavior Game is one of many classroom behavior interventions — backed by research — that inspires better behavior from students with and without ADHD. Here is how to play.

Is your child experiencing behavior problems at school? Use this step-by-step guide.

Time-outs and lectures won’t magically cure the impulsive tendencies of kids with ADHD. But these real-world tips for teachers and parents just might.

Lack of impulse control may be the most difficult ADHD symptom to change. Medication can help, but kids also need effective behavior management strategies in place — clear expectations, positive incentives, and predictable consequences — if they are to learn to regulate their behavior. Get started here.

Teach students to regulate their emotions with these ADHD strategies.

Forge Stronger Executive Functions

Executive function deficits may look like absentmindedness or forgetfulness. Learn more.

Learn about your child’s seven executive functions — and how to boost them.

“Executive dysfunction is ubiquitous in children with ADHD, which helps to explain why so many students with attention deficit are reprimanded for forgotten homework, disorganized projects, running out of time on tests, and more.” Learn more.

Martial arts help build self-control, discipline, and persistence. Learn how.

Symptoms of inattentive ADHD are often mistaken for apathy or laziness. Learn the truth.

ADHD intentions don’t always translate into action. Learn how to align them here.

90% of kids with ADHD have an executive function deficit. Learn how to strengthen executive functions here.

Episode Description

School refusal and avoidance have grown more prevalent and problematic since the quarantine of 2020. The reasons behind school refusal and avoidance are different for every student, but the goal is typically the same: to stay at home and miss tests, class work, and homework. From elementary school through high school, absenteeism is growing — and pushing students further and further behind.

Underlying anxiety often propels and compels this behavior, which can present differently in different students — from stomachaches and headaches in some to signs of depression in others. For some students, this anxiety may stem from academic struggles. Students with ADHD may feel overwhelmed if they’re unable to keep up with teacher instruction, class work, and homework. They may also be worn down by years of criticism and correction at school. For others, social difficulties, such as bullying or peer rejection, may cause anxiety and the desire to avoid school.

It’s important for caregivers and educators to understand the underlying causes for each student’s school avoidance and absenteeism so that their individual needs can be addressed, and they can return to school feeling hopeful in a positive environment.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• About the underlying factors that contribute to school avoidance and absenteeism
• How these factors may affect students with ADHD, in particular
• How symptoms of school avoidance can look different across elementary school-age children and teens
• How to identify and meet the needs of struggling students
• About the evidence-based strategies that parents and educators can utilize to support students with school refusal behaviors
• Therapy options to help students transition back to the academic environment

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the  symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO; YouTube 

School Avoidance & ADHD: More Resources

– Download: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Free Guide to Working with Your School
– Enroll: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Master Class for Parents (use discount code: Additude)
– Share: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Course for Educators (use discount code: Additude)
– Read: Why School Stress Is Toxic for Our Children
– Sign Up: Free Back-to-School Master Class from ADDitude
– Read: 6 Good Reasons to Change Your Child’s School
– Download: Social Anxiety Facts and Falsehoods

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on July 9, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Alana Cooperman, LCSW, is a senior social worker for the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. She has extensive experience delivering evidence-based treatment to children and families with a range of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, selective mutism, and phobias. She also works with individuals with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and those struggling with emotion dysregulation. Mrs. Cooperman has provided individual and group therapy to children and adolescents in school settings for over 15 years.

Mrs. Cooperman has received training in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), functional behavior assessments (FBA), parent-child interaction therapy for selective mutism (PCIT-SM), and exposure and response prevention (ERP).

Mrs. Cooperman’s experience includes working on a multidisciplinary team, alongside school administrators, teachers, families, and other clinicians, to create student goals and individualized behavior plans. She has led numerous workshops for both teachers and families, teaching strategies to support children struggling with emotion regulation, anger, and anxiety. Mrs. Cooperman also has experience conducting comprehensive family intakes and child and adolescent risk assessments.

Listener Testimonials

“Great presentation – she was very knowledgeable.”

“This was a terrific webinar with a good amount of information presented in an understandable format without being overwhelming. Thank you!”

“I like how reasonable, manageable, and relatable the presenter was. It was motivating to access the cycle of interventions that she suggested. This will be very useful for my client in the upcoming months!”

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Audacy

You do your best to maintain a positive learning environment for your students, from reinforcing and encouraging good behavior to celebrating their contributions and achievements. But what if you could make a game out of it?

The Good Behavior Game is one of many classroom behavior interventions — backed by research — that inspires better behavior from students.¹ It’s a simple game that doesn’t cost a single penny to set up, and it increases your ability to teach students in an engaged, disruption-free classroom.

How to Play the Good Behavior Game

To set up the game, start by identifying a few behaviors you’d like for your students, who will be split up into two (or more) teams, to work toward. You can set a goal, for example, of no more than three interruptions while you’re teaching a lesson.

[Get This Free Download: The Daily Report Card for Better Classroom Behavior]

The teams who meet the goal earn a reward at the end of the lesson. Rewards can range from a quick game of freeze dance to free reading or drawing time — anything that motivates your students to want to win.

Communicate the goal and rules of the game to the class, and then write them down for all to see for easy reference. Use a chart to mark and display each team’s progress toward the goal.

Benefits of the Good Behavior Game

Apart from imparting lessons in teamwork and camaraderie, The Good Behavior Game effectively encourages good behavior through the school day. If a team doesn’t win during one lesson, they will have another opportunity to play and win in the next lesson. Another advantage of the game is that it changes the focus of peer attention. Rather than laughing at a fellow student who may be breaking a class rule or otherwise being disruptive, students instead turn their attention to winning the game.

The game improves behavior in the long run. Compared to other first graders, students in classrooms that implemented the Good Behavior Game were rated less shy and aggressive by teachers at the end of the school year.²

[Read: Positive Teaching Strategies to Uplift Students with ADHD]

What About Behavior Games for High School Students?

Do behavior games work for older students? Absolutely. Here is one game that has proven effective for encouraging better behavior in high school students:³ At the beginning of class, set a two-minute countdown timer. If the timer goes off without a single disruptive or off-task behavior from any student, the class earns a point, and the timer is reset for another chance to earn. But if a negative behavior does occur, the timer is reset, and no point is earned. The goal is for the class to arrive at 17 points — or 34 minutes of no disruptions — so that they can win free time at the end of class. Teens are highly motivated to win the game because it cuts a lesson short by about five minutes, and they can use the time to talk with their friends, which is really important to them.

Play the Good Behavior Game with your class — and spread the word so that all students in your school can join in on the fun.

Classroom Behavior Games: Next Steps

• Free Download: How to Solve Behavior Problems Rooted in Executive Function Deficits
• Read: The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming Misbehavior in the Classroom
• Read: Impulse-Control Strategies for Students with ADHD

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Sources

¹ Barrish, H. H., Saunders, M., & Wolf, M. M. (1969). Good behavior game: Effects of individual contingencies for group consequences on disruptive behavior in a classroom. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2(2), 119-124.

² Dolan LJ, et al. The short-term impact of two classroom-based preventive interventions on aggressive and shy behaviors and poor achievement. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 1993;14(3):317–345.

³ Christ, T. J., & Christ, J. A. (2006). Application of an interdependent group contingency mediated by an automated feedback Device: An intervention across three high school classrooms. School Psychology Review, 35(1), 78–90.

Why is attention deficit still dismissed, overlooked, and misunderstood at school? It’s important to note that ADHD is not considered a learning disability in special education law.¹ Of the 13 categories listed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ADHD is classified under “other health impairments” and not as a specific learning disability. Perhaps it’s time for a change.

Explicitly naming ADHD in the IDEA could help unlock more specific and helpful accommodations in IEP and 504 Plans. It could also facilitate the teacher training needed to guarantee an equitable education. For now, though, that training is rare and misunderstandings abound.

The Misunderstood Era of ADHD

We asked caregivers to reflect on their child’s relationship with teachers, or to look back on their own experiences in the classroom. What do educators most often misunderstand about ADHD? About learning differences?

“My 10-year-old son is answering this question, and he says, ‘They often don’t realize that we need more breaks, and think more creatively about problems and solving them, which can sometimes look different than the way the teacher would want to see the problem solved.’” — Jonathan, Texas

[eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD School Behavior]

“My 14-year-old son is a student in a public high school in New York City. I can’t believe that the school still treats his occasional unregulated behavior with both detentions and suspensions. They take any backtalk from him personally and punish him for it instead of recognizing that it is a symptom of a neurodivergent condition and treating it as such.” — Josephine, New York

“[Educators think] ADHD students are not fit for public school, and that they will not flourish in a public school setting.” — Lisa, Texas

“As a former educator, I was not adequately trained to understand or identify learning differences. I took an entire credit course on ADHD and did not know that I myself had ADHD.”

“Because of my daydreaming, I often didn’t pay attention. Then my anxiety would keep me from answering when questioned by a teacher. I feel like I was written off as ‘stupid’ in elementary school.” — Debbie, Ohio

[Read: 10 Ways We Would Fix the U.S. School System]

“Educators do a great job trying to understand ADHD. School administrators that handle behavioral issues are where we run into problems…” — An ADDitude reader

“Educators don’t seem to have an understanding of invisible disabilities and take ADHD as a personal affront to their authority.” — Denise, Alabama

“Even now, too many educators believe having ADHD is a choice. It is not! I was labeled unruly and unwilling to ‘settle down’ or take my studies seriously.” — Cee, West Virginia

“Fidgeting does not mean that I am not listening. This accusation was placed on me at a teacher training. When I stressed out, I started to crochet to calm my mind and was written up for rudeness.” — Ann, California

“I think they don’t know a lot about the differences between ADHD and LD. Even today, educators use the term ‘ADHD’ just because a child cannot focus in class. They fail to understand that even kids with LDs will not stay focused when they do not understand what is being taught.” — Boon Eu, Malaysia

“I think they understand [ADHD], but they don’t have the resources to respond appropriately. The most important thing, in my opinion, is for teachers to be kind and not label kids as naughty or deliberately disruptive.” — Jen, Australia

“Educators with enough sensitivity or compassion can work well with ADHD kids because they can intuitively make changes to help the child. Others, who just aren’t as sensitive or compassionate, can be taught about ADHD but will never be excellent teachers for ADHD kids. I left the regular school system because I got tired of teachers telling me that my kids were lazy or just weren’t trying, even after we did educational assessments to prove that they had ADHD.” — Sarah, Canada

“Many teachers do not see past disruptive behavior. My report card always said I was ‘distracted’ or ‘bored.’ As a result, they put me in advanced classes and never even talked about [my] ADHD. My kids weren’t as disruptive as I was, but I feel like most people get annoyed and ignore the behaviors rather than try to question or find the source of the it.” — Stephanie, Florida

“Educators don’t understand that you can’t just try harder like everyone else. They think you can adopt neurotypical learning styles and succeed. So, they push these tactics that work for neurotypical students rather than receive training on what else to do.” — Anne, New Zealand

“Most educators, then and now, still marginalize students with any neurodivergent condition. Some of that seems to be on the parents; not all guardians are willing to have their children tested and diagnosed. It may seem odd that adults still worry about stigma — but as a parent to an ADHD teen, an ADD sufferer myself, and a language teacher for the past 12 years in elementary schools, it has become painfully obvious that these issues still aren’t adequately addressed. I believe this is due to the challenge of educating every unique individual in what, to me, has become an outdated and ineffective educational system — one in which we still warehouse youth. Large-group learning can’t help but require conformity. And that’s obviously not a solution.” — Sandra, Pennsylvania

“Most think it is an excuse and not a real diagnosis. Also, my child is autistic with ADHD. If the teachers have ADHD experience, they don’t realize or understand that there is a difference when comorbidities are involved. Different methods are needed.” — Maureen, Texas

“They think that ADHD is something that can be changed if the person tried harder. People with ADHD can be ‘extra’ if they are not in environments that are conducive to learning. Instead of realizing that the environment is the problem and making appropriate accommodations, they view the person with ADHD as the problem. They require students to ‘suffer through it’ because they think this will somehow make the ADHD go away.” An ADDitude reader

Misunderstood ADHD in the Classroom: Next Steps

• Download: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD
• Read: “We Are Behind the Times:” Only 4 in 10 Educators Receive ADHD Training
• Read: How to Talk to and Uplift Students with ADHD

Sources

¹Jones, L. (n.d.) Are kids with ADHD covered under IDEA? Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/are-kids-with-adhd-covered-under-idea