Behavior:

Behavior:Self-control, hyperactivity
1. This section focuses on strategies and interventions for impulsivity and hyperactivity

Bridging the Gap

Strategies and interventions to help students with learning disabilities, AD/HD and emotional disorders meet the Standards in regular ed classrooms

This section has been created by Special Education teacher Anne Sepe
with a mini-grant from the Rural Education Advisory Committee

Behavior:Self-control, hyperactivity

Behavior:Self-control, hyperactivity

This section focuses on strategies and interventions for impulsivity and hyperactivity

This section focuses on strategies and interventions for impulsivity and hyperactivity

Impulsive and hyperactive students frequently act without thinking, forget to respect rights and property of others, rush through work, call out answers, don’t wait to give others a turn, hum, drum, tap, rock, fidget, twiddle, wiggle, slide, run, jump, and holler

� To reduce inappropriate behaviors, create and maintain a positive relationship with the student. Proactively structure the student’s environment for good behavior. Seat selectively (near teacher and good role model peers), keep engaged in activities, give classroom responsibilities. Maintain visibility and interact frequently. Selectively call on the student when s/he is most likely to know the answer.

� Provide the student with a quiet place to do schoolwork (selective seating, study carrel, etc).

� Make sure independent assignments are constructed to allow student to succeed independently.

� Reinforce and reward improvement (verbal praise, classroom privileges, tangible rewards).

� Teach student to recognize situations and signals of impulsivity or loss of control in social situations. Rehearse strategies to regain self-control (listen, slow down, think about what you’re doing, count to ten, remember what happened last time and what you learned from it, get a drink of water, tell the appropriate adult what’s going on, remove self from the situation, go to a safe place, etc.) Agree ahead of time on a verbal cue or signal to help student recognize the need to employ rehearsed strategies

� Arrange for the student to have a time-out/safe place (drinking fountain, school nurse, guidance or principal’s office, etc.) to go and regain self-control, but hold the student accountable for work missed during the time-out period.

� Redirect the student from whatever is stimulating the out-of-control behavior. Refocus attention, change student’s location or activity, separate from poor role model peers.

� Hold the student responsible from any consequences related to out-of-control behavior (repair physical damage, make amends to those s/he may have offended or angered, make up missed work.

� If schoolwork is a source of frustration, check the student’s workload. It is better to decrease workload and have the student experience success, then gradually increase expectations.

� Look for progress, not perfection. Ignore small lapses, praise and celebrate small gains in self-control. Gum, candy, tokens which can be used towards rewards or privileges, are good tangible reinforcers. Specific verbal praise should always accompany the use of other reinforcers (“Last time that happened, you hit them and got into trouble. Today, when that happened, you did a good job of using strategies to keep out of trouble.”)

� Expect and allow some degree of movement (shaking legs, tapping, stretching, changing position, etc) as long as it doesn’t distract others and the student is attending and on-task. Provide mini-opportunities for movement (water the plants, get a drink, deliver a note). For students who need to move often, consider providing two desks, with mobility options between the two.

� Maintain proximity to student during unstructured/transition times.

� Copyright Anne Sepe

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