It can be challenging to manage students’ behavior in the classroom, especially ADHD students, because they often display non-compliant behaviors. Yet there is a straightforward trick that you can use to manage ADHD students effectively: Say It Once.
To fully understand the importance of the Say it Once approach, it’s crucial first to define non-compliance. Non-compliance occurs when a child refuses to perform a requested behavior within 20 seconds after the teacher gives the instruction.
Quite often, teachers engage in a negative interaction, and a child who originally was simply not complying might start breaking other classroom rules and disrupt the lesson further—this is the start of the nightmare.
Research1 shows that teachers should avoid repetitions to reduce ADHD children’s management problems in the classroom. By using the Say It Once approach, teachers can minimize disruptions and promote a more positive classroom environment.
1- Why ADHD Students do not comply
There are several factors contributing to ADHD students’ non-compliance in the classroom. One of the main factors is poor impulse control. They have difficulties inhibiting their impulse, which can lead to impulsive behavior:
- Interrupting the teacher.
- Talking out of turn.
- Breaking other classroom rules that could be disruptive to the learning environment.
Research shows that this impulsivity starts in the prefrontal cortex.
The frontal and prefrontal cortex lobes of the brain control our behavior:
- The mediation of conflicting thoughts
- Assessing right from wrong
- Foreseeing the possible effect of actions
But in the ADHD brain, the prefrontal cortex is unregulated. This leads ADHD students to be impulsive and to act defiantly.
As a result, ADHD students have difficulties assessing the consequences of their behavior. When receiving a command that goes against their will, their first impulse is to continue what they were doing and ignore the given instruction, protest, or defy. At this stage, repeating the command many times is counterproductive and only leads to the escalation of the conflict. The teacher often starts yelling, and the negative spiral has no positive outcome. Feeling attacked, the child reacts defensively and does not process the consequences of the teacher’s threats.
2- The Trick: Say It Once
Saying it once, could it be that simple?
The following study shows that the most effective way to get compliance from ADHD students is to avoid repetition:
Step 1: The teacher issues the command once.
Remaining calm and composed, the teacher states his expectation and takes his attention away from the disruptive behavior. The student receives sufficient time to process the instruction without the pressuring gaze of the teacher.
Step 2: teachers warns the ADHD student of a consequence
If the disruptive behavior continues, the teacher informs the student of the possible consequence (needless to repeat the original instruction). Once more, the teacher steps away from the student to allow him to process the information.
Step 3: Administer the consequence.
Keeping his composure, the teacher administers the consequence, following the classroom or school rules. No anger, no stress.
Consistency is key; following these three steps will, in the long term, help the teacher to remain calm and think clearly, as well as ease his relationship with ADHD students.
Upstream, the teacher should have established a clear rules and consequences system in the classroom to help ADHD students understand boundaries and expectations.
3- Why It Works
We have all found ourselves in a situation where we get caught in an avoidable argument with a student, and we shut down the little voice that tells us to de-escalate. Ego and anger lead to loss of control: we repeat our command and threaten the student with negative consequences that often are disproportional. Consequently, we cannot follow through, and students witness our lack of consistency; they understand that the negative consequences won’t be administered and stop complying.
It is that simple, lack of self-control leads to inconsistency and inconsistency to poor behavior.
A calm and composed teacher has more chances to assist students with ADHD by understanding and respecting their thought processes.
Classroom situation exemple:
Your ADHD student is wearing a cap indoors.
- Step 1: No need to interrupt the lesson; make eye contact and a gesture for him to remove it (non-verbal instructions are very effective).
- Step 2: His cap is still on? Don’t ask him to remove it, but remind him of the consequences for not complying (displaying them on the classroom walls could be helpful).
- Step 3: After giving him some time, administer the consequence. At this stage, students rarely argue as they have followed the agreed procedure.
Takeaways
Managing ADHD students’ behavior in the classroom is undoubtedly challenging, but the Say It Once approach is an effective tool for teachers to encourage a positive learning environment. By understanding the underlying factors contributing to non-compliance, such as poor impulse control, teachers can take a proactive approach to minimize disruptions and create a more consistent classroom experience. Consistency is key to this approach, and teachers should establish clear rules and consequences in advance to help ADHD students understand boundaries and expectations. By remaining calm and composed, teachers can assist students with ADHD by understanding and respecting their thought processes. The Say It Once approach is a simple but powerful technique that, when consistently applied, can help teachers manage ADHD students’ behavior effectively and promote a more positive classroom environment.
Looking for strategies to manage behaviour of ADHD students in your classroom? Why not trying the ADHD Classroom Kit?
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