There are many accommodations that must be made in order to meet the needs of children with ADHD. The use of assistive technology, changes in classroom environment, and alterations in teaching style should all be considered. Also, general education teachers must collaborate with other members of their team such as special education teachers, consultants, and school psychologists in necessary. The SETT Model is an excellent way to outline a strategy that can be employed to assist a particular child with ADHD. Provided below is an example of how a teacher can use the SETT Model to his advantage.
THE STUDENT
What does the Student need to do?
The student has the ability to do well in school, but has trouble concentrating and sitting still in class. This student must pay attention in class, and stop distracting the other children and taking away from their learning.
What are the Student’s special needs?
The student needs an adjustment in the classroom environment and adjustments in the curriculum that will allow them to reamain calm and focused. The student also needs the teacher to make appropriate changes in teaching style that will facilitate learning and not allow the student to become bored. Also, the student must meet with a special education teacher once per week and have his progress evaluated.
What are the Student’s current abilities?
The student has abilities that equal to or even beyone the average student without a disability. The student has above average intelligence, a potentially good work ethic, and the will and ability to learn new material. The student is not physically disabled in any way.
THE ENVIRONMENT
What materials and equipment are currently available in the environment?
There is a wide variety of materials and equipment available to the teacher such as a computer, a movie projector, a stereo system, a calculator, and several different books to help educate the children. All of these can be used to the teachers advantage to educate a student with ADHD.
What is the physical arrangement? Are there special concerns?
The desks are currently arranged in 6 groups, each containing 4 children. This may cause some concerns because this type of arrangement may easily distract this student and cause him to disrupt the other children. There is too much activity directly in front of the child which makes if very difficult for him to remain focused on the task at hand.
What is the instructional arrangement? Are there likely to be changes?
Currently, the student is seated in the middle of the classroom. The student should be moved to the front of the room where there will be less distractions and the the teacher can keep a careful watch on the student throughout the day.
What supports are available to the student?
There are supports available to this student such as a special education teacher, a resource room, and a consultant if needed. There is also educational software with many visual displays, movies, and music to keep student’s interest and alleviate boredom.
What resources are available to the people supporting the student?
The people supporting the student also have access to computer programs, movies, and several educational board games and trivia games to educate the student in a more enjoyable way. These people also have athletic equipment available to them such as footballs, basketballs, softballs, and a softball bat to allow the student to participate in recess activities a couple of times a day.
How are the attitudes and expectations of the people in the environment likely to affect the student’s performance?
The teacher and everyone working with the student must keep a positive attitude and must remain supportive at all times. Everyone must use a calm, quiet tone of voice in order to not arouse the student and a sensible system of rewards and punishments should be developed. Punishments should be used infrequently and only when absolutely necessary and rewards and praise should be given as often as possible.
THE TASKS
What activities take place in the environment?
There are several activities that take place such as reading, writing, math, science, social studies, group research and learning, and general teacher instruction.
What is everyone else doing?
All students are participating in the same activities as the ADHD student. The teacher is there to provide support for the student and guide him through any activities that may present him with difficulties.
What activities support the student’s curriculum?
There are science experiments, creative writing assignments, group projects, and reading assignments, spelling bees, worksheets, and several different math games that help support this student’s curriculum.
What are the critical elements of the activities?
The student must realize that he is to work together with the other students and he must concentrate in order to be competitive to win activities such as spelling bees or math games. The student must have a good sense of teamwork in order to succeed and excel in these activities. He must also know to not distract other students and be considerate to the needs of others.
How might the activities be modified to accommodate the student’s special needs?
There are a few modifications that can be made to accommodate this student’s special needs. For example, when working on a group project, this student can be in charge of all of the writing to keep him occupied. Writing assignments can be kept brief and the student can be given a longer amount of time to complete them. Instructional teaching can be mixed with showing movies and learning on the computer to mix up activities. Also, the student can be given a variety of books to read with many pictures to help keep his interest.
How might technology support the student’s active participation in those activities?
The student should be allowed to use a computer for typing up the writing assignments. The student can also use programs such as internet explorer to research appropriate topics and help find information for his group. The student can also have access to short movies to watch in order to make learning more interesting. Finally, perhaps the student can listen to music through headphones while he works so he will not be distracted by other noise in the classroom.
THE TOOLS
What strategies might be used to invite increased student performance? What no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech options should be considered when developing a system for a student with these needs and abilities doing these tasks in these environments?
There are several different strategies a teacher can use to increase student performance. The student can spend more time on the computer where he will be away from other students and other distractions. The student may be given permission to move around throughout the day and be given physical activities such as cleaning the blackboard. Assignments should be kept brief and the student should be given extra time to complete them. The student should be allowed to use a calculator to complete math assignments. Finally, the students should be given appropriate feedback and rewards based on his behavior.
How might these tools be tried out with the student in the customary environments in which they will be used?
Each one of these strategies must be presented to the student gradually and their effectiveness should be constatnly evaluated. For example, at first the student should be allowed to use the computer for no more than 20 minutes. If this proves to be and effective tool for learning, the time may be increased to 30 to 45 minutes. The student can also watch a short, 10 minute educational movie. If this is able to keep his attention the entire time, the movie time can be increased to 15 or 20 minutes.