Students with ADHD generally struggle with appropriate behavior.
Behavior contracts are a key strategy for modifying behavior. Behavior contracts are an agreement between the teacher and the student. They define the desired behavior, the criteria for success, and the rewards and consequences for behavior.
It’s important to pick your battles when establishing a plan for modifying behaviors. A student may have 10 or more specific behaviors which you want to improve, but working on all of these simultaneously is simply unfeasible and will overwhelm both you and your student. Instead, pick one behavior to start with. Devise a behavior contract for this behavior, and carefully establish the criteria for evaluating progress, as well as rewards and consequences for behavior. In this way, the student has something measurable and obtainable to work toward. Again, be consistent: you are as responsible for the successful completion of this contract as the student. This has shown to be an effective way of leading behavior toward more appropriate expressions.
Teaching students with ADHD is a great challenge, but don’t give up. As a teacher, you have the ability to make a meaningful and profound impact on these students’ lives, and to enable them to overcome the many challenges they face.