Most people have heard of ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder before, but not many people know what it is and how it affects the daily lives of students who have it, especially in District 118.
There are many different types of ADHD and they all affect kids very differently, making it hard for them to sit still or focus in the classroom.
“There is the inattentive type and then there is the disorganized type as well as the hyperactive type, and then there is a combination of the two, the disorganized and inattentive type.” Mrs. Eckert, an Occupational Therapist at Jefferson and Douglas elementary schools in district 118, said.
Inside the classroom the teachers and administrators in District 118 are working hard to provide the resources that kids with ADHD need so they feel overall connected to the rest of their classmates.
“In our classrooms, we have calm corners, so if the kids do need to get up, move, wiggle, do whatever they need to do just to take a break. We have a spot in the classroom where they can still be in the classroom and hear everything going but they can have fidgets or all of that.” Mrs. Price, The Special Education Director of District 118, said.
In each of the District 118 schools, they have many teachers and others on hand to help and assist any kids with ADHD along with non-ADHD kids who might need help at any point during the school day.
“ We have a lot of people in place that are there to help. We have social workers, occupational therapists, physiologists, nurses are all there for more of the direct service and we also have all of our classroom teachers trained in what they can do to help kiddos that need those breaks.” Mrs. Price said.
Different teachers or social workers in every school building have their ways of dealing with kids and that is great because everyone can bring something different to the table.
“I am a special education teacher at Union. The majority of my classes this year are third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. I work a lot with the behavior side of things like learning labs or getting extra help. I am also one of the head student leadership coordinators, so I am all over.” Mrs. Theis, a Special Education Teacher at Union, said.
Along with each teacher being different, every teacher or social worker has a different setup in their classroom that works for them and the students that use it, giving them many different options to choose from.
“In my classroom, I have a lot of different sitting or free sitting. I have hammock chairs, bean bag chairs, yoga mats, spider chairs, and even tall tables. I have little cards for these students if they have to go walk the stairs or get a drink. My biggest thing is that you have to form a relationship first to know what that student needs and once you know then you are able to help so much more. My thing in my classroom is we all call each other family.” Mrs. Theis said.
Each school in District 118 has its ways of working with students with ADHD.
“All schools except for Roosevelt, Franklin, Washington, and Henry Robb have their own social workers. We try to keep things pretty consistent throughout the district. Being a smaller school can have a smaller class size. This has been helpful for their kids to navigate the classroom and give those kids more of the accommodation that they need.” Mrs. Valerius, a Psychologist at Roosevelt and Jefferson, said.
In District 118 most of the teachers and social workers have seen a major increase in the kids with ADHD, but this was not only because of the pandemic. Many teachers think that the increase started because of technology, parenting, society, and social situations.
We can’t prevent or stop ADHD in general but we can look at things through a different lens. We have to stop thinking of this as a bad thing and look at it in a new way.
“ It is not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just different ways and instead of changing the flower, we have to change the soil. We need them to realize that there is nothing wrong with them, there’s nothing wrong with their brain, it is just a little different and that’s okay. Just because you learn this way doesn’t mean that you can’t learn. Just because you need different tools in your toolbox to be successful doesn’t mean there is anything wrong. We are just looking at changing the soil.” Mrs. Eckert said.
ADHD is a difficult thing to live with, especially as a child, but having the right resources and teachers that are willing to guide you on your journey makes a whole world’s difference.
