Joshua & AD/HD: A Case Study

Shanda Bonn, June 27, 2015

This case study is based on my observations of a student I worked with during the 2014-15 school year.

“Joshua” is a 15 year old Freshman with AD/HD who is not medicated.  He is capable of performing at grade level but tests poorly because of his inability to focus. Overall, he is pleasant, kind, creative, and funny. Unfortunately, his friends tease him a lot because of how hyper and/or spacey he can be. Most of the time he accepts their jabs with good humor but sometimes gets very upset and hurt.

Joshua usually arrives on time to his classes, but will then invent a reason to leave the room (needs the bathroom, a drink, a snack, forgot his book, etc.). He will then slowly roam the halls for up to 10 minutes.

When he *is* present for instruction, he is generally not “present.” In the first half of the school year, he regularly was on a personal device, texting or listening to music. At a mid-year IEP meeting, parents and teachers agreed that he should not be allowed to have devices at school. Now, without his devices to distract him, he simply stares off into space or visits with his neighbors. When prompted to work, he groans, whines, slumps down and/or slams his face on his desk.

When he does work, he requires constant one-on-one assistance/prompting to stay on task. Some days, he gets nothing done, continually coming up with reasons why he can’t work (“I have a headache,” “I’m having a bad day,” “I’m too tired,” etc.). Eventually, he will become angry and belligerent, occasionally slamming his books on the floor or turning over his chair.

Joshua has learned to manipulate certain teachers and convince them that he could focus better if he could use an iPad to listen to music. One particular teacher has given in repeatedly with disastrous results. He spends up to five minutes at a time searching for a song he would like to listen to on Spotify or YouTube.

In the LC, the students begin class by recording their day’s activities and assignments on a Google sheet. Joshua frequently jumps onto other websites then vehemently insists that he hasn’t. This brief opening activity takes far longer than it should and includes a lot of verbal battle between him and the teacher.

Occasionally, the SPED teacher will contact his parents about his misbehavior or missing assignments. This sends him into fits of near rage because he knows he will get in trouble and lose privileges at home. He does not see a connection between his behavior/choices and the consequences. These temporary periods when his parents ride him at home do have results. Assignments get completed and turned in and his grades are saved, usually at the eleventh hour and at great cost to everyone involved.

**SUGGESTIONS FOR HELPING JOSHUA**

**Goal: Eliminate the distraction of electronics.**

All teachers need to agree to stick to the “no electronics” policy for Joshua.  It is worth noting that since personal electronics are allowed in most classes at his school and students use them constantly, Joshua does feel picked on and singled out. Perhaps use of electronics could be a reward for completing work and working cooperatively. But there should be a clear, consistent plan that all teachers can easily implement.

Instead of using his digital assignment sheet in the LC, he should be switched to a paper planner. The point of the digital assignment sheet was so that parents could access it at any time to track what their students are doing. But given how distracted he is when online, it would be better to track his assignments on paper and have his parents initial the assignment sheet every night.

In his other classes, when electronics are required for an assignment,  teachers will have to be willing to monitor his online activity since he has a track record of wasting entire class periods doing things online *other* than the assigned task. When a non-electronic option is available, it should be used.

**Goal: Channel Joshua’s physical energy so he can focus.**

Each teacher should have in their room a way to address Joshua’s high energy. The cheapest, most unobtrusive solution, which the parents could supply if necessary, is a fidget band like the Bouncy Band. A more involved solution would be alternate work stations like standing desks. These solutions would not only help Joshua, but the many high energy students that come through their doors. Standing desks can be inexpensive when schools get creative and enlist the help of parents, local contracting companies who would be willing to donate time and materials, or a high school wood shop class that can use scrap lumber.

**Goals: Reduce Joshua’s time out of class and increase his cooperation and productivity.**

A daily tracker can be used that will reward him for positive change. He can pick up the daily tracker each morning from his SPED teacher and turn in it at the end of the day. Each of his teachers will report on his progress for that day. The Daily Tracker can be tied to a points system for at-home rewards such as time online, time with his girlfriend (who attends a different school) or spending money (since he doesn’t have a job like many of his friends). Points could also be redeemed for in-school rewards such as Free Friday in the LC (free from doing schoolwork, free to play online).

**Goal: Increase the number of completed assignments/tests.**

To increase the number of assignments/tests he completes, teachers should consider

providing fill-in-the-blank worksheets rather than expecting him to write out everything word-for-word. For multi-step problems in math and science, some of the steps could already be done for him with some vital information missing.

Sources:

Bouncy Bands product website. http://bouncybands.com/

Flannery, Mary Ellen. *Standing Desks are Helping Students Think on Their Feet*. November 5, 2014. neaToday. Retrieved from http://neatoday.org/2014/11/05/standing-desks-are-helping-students-think-on-their-feet/#

*Teaching Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder*. nd. British Columbia Ministry of Education. Retrieved fromhttp://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/adhd/case.htm