ADD Child Classroom ADHD Accomodations

I came across this comprehensive list of classroom accomodations for ADD children and I thought that it would be good to share it. This was posted on the ADD forum by a mom that was not getting much help from her son's school but was trying to come up with ways to keep her ADD child from getting put in time out because he would not sit still during circle time.

The ADD Child does not tend to get in trouble for being disruptive but I think that some of these thing would be  helpful for an inattentive 2nd grader as well.

1. Gross motor activity (e.g. stretching, jumping jacks) from time to time throughout the day, especially 2-5 minutes before circle and before going to a special (art, music, library).
2. 20 minutes of gross motor activity during indoor recess (when the weather doesn’t permit outdoor recess). Note: this is not the time of day to give him computer time, even as a reward for good behavior.
3. A small doodle notebook at circle and specials.
5. Clear communication with us on a daily basis to give us specific information about what went well and what did not go well that day. Email, phone, note home or behavior notebook would be fine – whatever the teachers prefer. We need this information from both the classroom teacher and the specials (art, music, PE, library).
5. The use of a Talking Stick at circle so that it’s really clear whose turn it is to talk.

I would add:

6.   Giving inattentive or hyperactive kids a 'job' to do with their hands during circle time to keep them engaged but active (sharpening pencils, sorting markers or crayons, organizing classroom tools).

The child with ADD and ADHD needs to be engaged while in activites such as circle time.  These accomodations with help these ADD and ADHD children achieve control of their hyperactive behavior as well as their inattetion.