Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately 5-9% of children. This course will help educators better understand how ADHD impacts student learning, and shares approaches that help create an ADHD-friendly classroom. Participants will understand how ADHD can affect student motivation, activity level, attention, and memory.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand what ADHD is (and is not)
- Recognize ADHD-related challenges and behaviours in students
- Create ADHD-friendly learning spaces, routines, and positive relationships with students with ADHD and their caregivers
- Solve problems in a way that helps students with ADHD develop important skills, models empathy and perspective-taking, and strengthens student-educator relationships
- Address challenging behaviours that may arise due to ADHD impairments in a way that preserves the rights of neurodivergent students
- Respond effectively to episodes of dysregulation
ADHD in the Classroom: Supporting Student Success includes practical handouts to facilitate the application of the knowledge shared in the course, including effective educator-student problem solving, strategies to regulate the limbic system and the application of scaffolding steps when teaching new skills. It also provides first-hand parent and individual experiences of ADHD in the education setting.
Author Biography: Dr. Megan Smith is a school and clinical child psychologist in Toronto, Canada who specializes in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and related conditions. She has extensive experience providing training and workshops to health and education professionals, as well as community and government organizations across Canada. Dr. Smith developed the group parenting program, “Reinforcing Executive Functioning with Optimism, Compassion, Understanding and Support (REFOCUS).” This innovative program has helped parents across Canada better understand and support their children with ADHD by helping them recognize and address underlying areas of impairment. Dr. Smith also serves on the Advocacy Committee of the Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC) and is a committed advocate for children, youth, and families impacted by ADHD. Dr. Smith is a proud member of the ADHD community and parent to two incredible children with ADHD.