This document summarizes various techniques for managing behaviour in children with ADHD and learning disabilities. It discusses traditional disciplinary tools like yelling and physical punishment and their limitations. It then outlines more constructive approaches including planned ignoring, signaling, proximity and touch, interest boosting, humor, hurdle help, interpretation, regrouping, restructuring, direct appeal, limiting space/tools, physical removal, promises and rewards, threats and punishment. Cautions are provided for each technique regarding appropriate usage. The goal is to help children develop internal structure and control of their own behaviour through supportive relationships and modified environments.

1. Managing Behaviour
When at a loss, we tend to fall back on
STANDBY, TRADITIONAL often
FAMILIAL INFLUENCE TOOLS like
yelling, threats, and physical
interference

2. ADHD and LD’s
History of ADHD
1940’s- Hyperkinetic Disorder
of Childhood
1980- Attention Deficit
Disorder
1987-2016:
Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
Learning DisAbilities
Category 1-Input DisAbilities
Visual Perception DisAbility
Audio Perception DisAbility
Category 2-Integration DisAbilities
Sequencing DisAbility
Abstraction DisAbility
Organization DisAbility
Category 3-Memory DisAbiliities
Category 4-Output DisAbilities
Language DisAbility and Motor DisAbility

3. ADHD DIAGNOSIS
In order to give a diagnosis of ADHD, A child MUST have one or more of
The following;
1) Hyperactivity
2) Distractability
3) Impulsivity

4. Emotional Effects of
ADHD
 Aggressive or Violent Behaviour
 Withdrawal, Anxiety, Depression
 Low Self-Esteem
 Physical Symptoms (child buries feelings and they come
out in headaches, stomach, joint pains)

5. Social Effects of ADHD
 Camp Clown or Camp Bully
 Avoids of Refuses to participate in all or certain activities
where she is unsure of her success
 May need time to observe first and participate with
encouragement.
 Competition is NOT OK for this camper!

6. Family Effects of ADHD
 Anger (why does my kid have this?)
 Anxiety (I might be viewed as a bad parent if I am in
public with my child)
 Fear of talking to “staff” as they never hear anything
good about their child. “Staff” always seem to blame the
parents!

7. Do this…
 Minimize Stress for child
 Spend one to one time
 Work from child’s strength’s
 Remember that ADHD is a neurological disorder and
the child is NOT misbehaving on purpose (Hyperactivity,
Distractability, Impulsivity)

8. Remember this for all kids:
 Even with no ADHD diagnosis, kids are not
inherently evil, they are NOT born socialized.
They learn to obey
They learn to respect other people’s rights
They learn to co-operate
 Depending on life circumstances, some kids do
these things earlier then others.

9. Learning Take Place
when:
 Kids have a close, warm and confiding relationship
with caring adults
 When children know what behaviour is acceptable
 When children know what behaviour is consistently
approved and rewarded
 When unacceptable behaviour is consistently
disapproved
 When children take part in educational and
recreational activities

10. Content References:
Reeducating Troubled Youth: Larry Brendtro
Jalal Shamsie, Institute for the study of Antisocial Behaviour
in Youth (U of Toronto)
Larry Silver, Georgetown University, School of Medicine
Based on my experience as a Child and Youth Worker (kids
are the best teachers)!

11. Assessing the Problem: Testing for Depth
and Spread
Situational  SPREAD  Pervasive
Behavioral
Level
↑
D
E
P
T
H
↓
Emotional
Level
Table 5.1, Re-Educating Troubled Youth, Brentro & Ness, 1983, pg. 130
Behavioral
Incident
(Ex. Scott becomes
noisy and restless just
before the bell is to ring
Pattern of
Disordered
Behaviour
(Ex. Ally always shouts
without raising her hand)
Crisis Reaction
(Ex. Angela is upset
when her parents are
the only ones not to
visit)
Pattern of Distorted
values, attitudes,
feelings
(Ex. Jeremy bullies other
children with no sign of
remorse)

12. Planned Ignoring
 A planned, skillful lack of recognition of a student’s
negative attention seeking behaviour.
Cautions
 Dangerous behaviour
 Ignoring may signal acceptance
 Contagious behaviour

13. Signaling
 A sign of disapproval (pre-planned or
spontaneous) directed at a student when negative
behaviour begins
Cautions
 Need a fairly good relationship with student
 Student must be in control of her behaviour

14. Proximity and Touch
Control
 Helping student to recognize and control behaviour by
moving closer/using touch
Cautions-
 Must be aware of a given student’s likely response
 Do not use as a means to “control” but as a means to indicate
 Do not use when a student is engaging in a power struggle or
aggression
 Supportive Stance

15. Interest Boosting
 Problems of troubled students can be decreased or
prevented by increasing the interest level of the
activity
 Adult Excitement = Student Interest
Cautions
 Not used to change negative behaviour but to
promote continuation of positive involvement
 Proactive approach!

16. Hypodermic Affection
 A dose of warm attentinon/affection to help
child cope with a stressful or difficult situation
 Strategic use is to help a child whose own self
control is deteriorating to regain her composure
Cautions
 Ensure affection is perceived positively by child
 Works best with younger kids

17. Humor
 Serves to reduce immediate tension and allows student
in power struggle to save face
Cautions
 Watch that humor is not perceived as sarcasm or a denial
of seriousness

18. Hurdle Help
 Ego support to child to help deal with frustrating
obstacles
 Being observant and moving in to help before a
crisis or blow-up occurs
Cautions
 Overuse can result in over protectiveness,
dependency, avoidance of problems and
manipulation of adult

19. Interpretation
 An attempt to move student from” acting-out” the
problem to a discussion or recognition of the
motivating problem or difficulty
Cautions
 Requires good relationship between adult and
student
 Requires student ability to discuss/understand self
and motivation for behaviour

20. Regrouping
 Change the composition of a group to avoid or interrupt
a potential problem
 Options include changing the entire group, sub-grouping
or regrouping individual students
Cautions
 Don’t use to avoid dealing with an issue that requires
attention

21. Restructuring
 Preventing or resolving problems by altering the
structure of a particular activity
 TRANSITION TIMES!
Cautions
 Do not use excessively as the ultimate purpose of
structure is to help students learn to organize self
and eventually organize own behaviour through
internal structure

22. Direct Appeal
 A direct appeal to a student with whom the adult
has a reasonable relationship to stop a negative
behaviour
 The adult may appeal to the
relationship/values/group code/pride
Cautions
 Do not plead or beg
 Do not use to force student to choose between an
adult or peer

23. Limitation of Space and
Tools
 Limiting of materials and space based on a student’s lack
of “readiness”, abuse or danger
Cautions
 Reassure student of temporary limitation

24. Physical Removal
 NONPUNITIVE removal of the child from the group to
allow her an opportunity to gain behavioural composure
in the absence of an audience
Cautions
 Need to ensure physical and psychological safety of
removed student
 Do not use when child will be made fun of by others
 TEMPORARY REMOVAL!

25. Physical Restraint
 Used when a child is dangerous to self, others
 Formerly included property, but now physical
restraint is only used if child is harming property
which will directly harm self, others
LAST RESORT!
 Certification to restrain is required, or you will
loose your job (CPI, UMAB, SAFE, PMAB,
TCI)

26. Authoritarian Interference
 Used when a behaviour is so
unacceptable/dangerous that it requires a sharp
clear statement by the adult
 Saying NO in such a way that the child
understands that we mean it
Cautions
 Overuse makes the technique ineffective

27. Promises and Rewards
 One of the most powerful techniques available
 Cognitive behaviour modification used to mold thoughts,
feeling and behaviour
Caution
 Some children may not be able to respond to future rewards,
as they only live in the present
 Important to know how children see reward
 Most effective rewards is social reinforcement (sincere praise)

28. Threats and Punishment
 Form of behaviour modification
 Proven to be effective in the presence of the
“punisher”, but little success in lasting behaviour
changes
Cautions
 Negative feelings from punishement must be tied
to the behaviour being punsihed
 Punishment must not be internalized to individual
producing defensiveness, anxiety, aggression,
withdrawal.

29. Questions?
 Feel free to contact me at any time to discuss, ask
questions, or find out more information!
Marco Felvus
marco.felvus@mohawkcollege.ca