The ADHD Child’s Bill of Rights
By Ruth Harris
“Help me to focus”
“Please teach me through me through my sense of “touch”.
I need “hands on” and “body movement”.
“I need to know what comes next”.
Please give me a structured environment where there is a dependable routine.
Give me an advanced warning if there will be changes.
“Wait for me, I’m still thinking”
Please allow me to go at my own pace.
If I rush, I get confused and upset.
“I’m stuck? I can’t do it!”
Please offer me options for problem-solving.
I need to know the detours when the road is
blocked.
“Is it right? I need to know NOW!”
Please give me rich and immediate feedback on
how I’m doing.
“I didn’t forget, I didn’t ‘hear’ it in the first place!”
Please give me directions one step at a time and
ask me to
say back what I think you said.
“I didn’t know I wasn’t in my seat!”
“Please remind me to STOP, THINK, and ACT.”
Am I almost done now?
Please give me short work periods with short-term
goals.
“What?”
Please don’t say “I’ve already told you that”.
Tell me again in different words.
Give me a signal. Draw me a symbol.
“I know, it’s ALL wrong, isn’t it?”
Please give me praise for partial success.
Reward me for self-improvement, not just for perfection.
“But why do I always get yelled at?”
Please catch me doing something right and praise
me for my specific positive behaviour.
Remind me (and yourself) about my good points,
when I’m having a bad day.
“I may be hard to live with, and have ADHD, but I
still have
feelings and would have never chosen to behave
like I do sometimes”.
(Reprinted from Newsletter of The Delaware Association For The Education of Young Children, Winter ©1993-94) 1991, Ruth Harris, Northwest Reading Clinic
does your student struggle with hyperactivity and inattention?
The article, Are You Sure It’s ADHD? is a great resource to read from one of my favorites -ADDitude magazine!
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