Topic: Keeping students with ADD focused and on task during Physical Education Class.

Statement of Thesis
Attention deficit disorder or ADD as it is commonly referred to, affects a great number of children today. Because of its very name (attention deficit disorder), the child with this misfortune is known to have difficulty keeping focused and on task. The Physical Education Classroom is no different. Attention Deficit Disorder is not something a child can help; it is something that teachers and other students must deal effectively with. In order to do this, the teacher must learn effective manners in which to help the ADD student to focus and to help the other children to understand that the ADD student is not stupid; he/she is merely different.

Literature Review:
First Study
According to Hallowell (1997), there has been some misunderstanding because of the sudden popularity of ADD. Ordinary people are annoyed because they feel the diagnosis has become a catchall excuse, which is clothed in neurological, scientific language, for any inappropriate behavior. It can seem to undercut the country's belief in the work ethic (Hallowell, 1997).

Once ADD is properly diagnosed and treated, the sufferer is able to take responsibility more effectively and becomes more productive and patient. After his ADD is treated, the student who always forgot his homework and was constantly punished for doing so is able to remember his homework. The same holds true for the adult in the workplace. Once his ADD was treated, he was finally able to finish the project (Hallowell, 1997). This suggests that the teacher must first make sure that she communicates with the parent of the student with ADD in order to insure that the student is properly taking his/her medication.

For a number of years, the evidence that ADD has a biological basis has mounted. There is clinical evidence from millions of patients' records who have met the diagnosis criteria and who have benefited from standard treatment. The fact that certain medications relive target symptoms of ADD adds proof to the theory that those symptoms have roots in the physical world (Hallowell, 1997). It is important for the other children in the class to understand that the student with ADD is unable to refrain from acting in a certain manner because of his/her problem.

According to Good and Brophy (1999) in Looking in Classrooms, a great deal of research has been done on the interaction of teachers and those children that are considered low performers (Good & Brophy, 1999).

Second Study
Wheeler (1998) suggests that the ability to successfully interact socially is one of the most important aspects of a child's development. Generally, the social difficulties of children with ADD are paid little attention to. Social skill deficiencies and peer relationship problems in childhood have consistently been linked to higher incidences of school maladjustment, suspension/expulsion, and delinquency and childhood psychopathology. Negative peer relationships in childhood have been found to be a strong predictor of adult mental health problems. Poor peer adjustment of children who have ADD has been shown to have deleterious effects on self-esteem, behavior of those around them and ultimately their adult prognosis (Wheeler & Carlson, 1998). This is important when thinking of the ADD child in a physical education class setting. It is detrimental enough for those without learning disabilities to overcome peer pressure and peer problems. Imagine how much greater it may be for those with attention deficit disorder.

In Looking in Classrooms, the authors point out that

Teachers do more than manage a class of learners. They also deal with students as social beings, and students learn more than subject matter in school. They are stimulated by other students and enjoy learning from and with peers. Teachers have to help students cope with the informal as well as with the formal curriculum (Good & Brophy, 1999).

Third Study
According to D'Alonzo (1996), the core features of the disorder are inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, although individuals with ADHD vary in the type and severity of their problems. The features associated with ADHD can include oppositional behavior, conduct disorders, emotional difficulties, and cognitive as well as learning disabilities. It has been shown that students with ADHD can be disruptive to the point of detracting from their own and others' experience of education. Not all persons with ADHD are hyperactive. Some have severe difficulties with attention span and organization. They are often underachievers. Frustrated teachers and parents, unaware of ADHD symptoms and the child's relative lack of control over them, accuse them of laziness or lack of motivation. Such adverse experiences can seriously affect the child's self-esteem and feeling of competence over a period of time (D'Alonzo, 1996).

According to D'Alonzo (1996), there are a number of ways to keep the student with Attention Deficit focused. These include:

1. Instructional strategies

Teaching the student at his/her level, not at a level of frustration for both. Too many demands tend to frustrate the child with ADD. Lowering of self-esteem is seen as the result of exasperating an ADD child.
Teaching the ADD child in small bits that he/she can more easily understand, and reviewing often.
Finding new ways to teach the ADD child Physical Education Concepts.
Giving the ADD student only one instruction and allowing the student to repeat the instruction given to him/her. Giving the ADD student personal assistance. Checking often to see that the ADD student is still following the directions he/she was given. Making contact frequently with the ADD student. Helping the ADD student to stay on task by saying his/her name and/or lightly touching him/her.
Using appropriate Physical Education programs that will maintain the ADD student's attention and interest.
"Whenever possible, use a cooperative learning approach and other grouping arrangements to help the student with ADHD. These approaches can foster better communication and social skills" (PG).
2. Environmental Structuring

Modeling and direct intervention should be provided in order that the ADD student will be allowed to improve his/her organization and be able to better focus.
The ADD student's attention can be held by the choice of using alternative assignments.
Remembering to allow the ADD student more time than other students would need on specific tasks.
ADD students need feedback on their performance. This should be done regularly and in a manner that is specific toward their successes, the learning of concepts, and the application of those concepts.
The ADD student should be skills tested differently than other students.
The ADD student must be supervised.
Limits must be imposed for the student with ADD. The Physical Education Class should be regular, predictable, and structured.
Because many ADD students are unable to stand in one place for long periods, the physical education class provides an excellent opportunity for him/her to move about (D'Alonzo, 1996).
3. Behavior Management

Using negative and positive consequence of behavior at the same time. The ADD student needs a plain understanding of what the consequences of his/her behavior are.
Providing positive reinforcement is vital for the ADD student and it should be done quickly. One way to provide positive enforcement is by showing the ADD student attention. Another is by allowing him/her to earn points for certain privileges or rewards.
Reprimanding the ADD student mildly. Giving the ADD student a time-out is appropriate. Behavior alternatives should then be discussed with him/her.
Attention should be paid to the strong qualities the ADD student has. If the ADD student has leadership qualities, those should be not only pointed out, but opportunities should be provided for him/her to use them. Positive reinforcement is essential to the ADD student's self-esteem (D'Alonzo, 1996).
The ADD student is different from other students in many ways, yet he/she is able to attend school also. Including the ADD student in classes with the general population is a learning experience for all. The ADD student has someone to model. The general population learns that people with learning disabilities exist in the world and that they are not something to be feared.

Good and Brophy (1999) made an excellent point in Looking in Classrooms when they said,

There is no single formula specifying good teaching because no one set of teaching behaviors is clearly related to student achievement in all situations and in any case, achievement is only one of many student outcomes that must be considered (Good & Brophy, 1999).

Comparative Analysis
Similarities
Each of the articles presents ways of dealing with the child who has attention deficit disorder.

Differences
The main thrust of the first article is that persons with ADD must be treated. The second article discusses how little attention has been paid to the social skills of the person with ADD. The last article is much more throughout than the other two articles.

Conclusion
Although D'Alonzo's article is a little older than the others are, it contains a wealth of information concerning ADD that is quite applicable to the topic of keeping students with ADD focused and on task during Physical Education Class. In fact, it is able to give an organized list of do's and don'ts related to actually keeping the student with ADD focused and on tract. Of all the articles available on the topic of Attention Deficit Disorder, this one really hits the mark. It not only describes the problem, it also gives a number of ways in which both parents and teachers can successfully deal with children that have this problem.





References


D'Alonzo, B. (1996, January 1), Identification and education of students with attention deficit and attention deficit... Preventing School Failure. [Online] Available: http://www.elibrary.com

Good, T. L.; Brophy, J.E. (1999) Looking in Classrooms. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Hallowell, E. M. (1997, May 15), What I've learned from A.D.D. (attention deficit disorder) Psychology Today. [Online] Available: http://www.elibrary.com

Wheeler, J.; Carlson, Caryn L. (1998, 1 January). The social functioning of children with ADD with hyperactivity and ADD without hyperactivity. Journal of Emotional & Behavioral Disorders. [Online] Available: http://www.elibrary.com

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