Is Planned Ignoring Fair to Students Without ADHD?

Q: “As an educator, I often find it challenging to overlook disruptive or inappropriate behaviors from my students who are diagnosed with ADHD. My concern is the perceived injustice of ignoring these behaviors, which would be addressed if exhibited by other students.”

After several years in this profession, I've come to understand that the most effective teachers possess an aptitude to disregard mild disruptive behaviors. This is a departure from older methods, where the emphasis was on absolute discipline, such as ensuring students are facing forwards and remaining completely still in class. Nowadays, many teachers acknowledge that it's acceptable for students to move around a bit or stand if they are engaged in their work.

When the subject of ignoring certain behaviors in students arises, an experienced educator once expressed to me, fairness does not always mean equality.

It's important to acknowledge that some students will always require additional or varied strategies to attain the same goals that all students are expected to reach. This is particularly relevant for students facing behavioral hindrances due to conditions such as ADHD, which can impact their learning process.

ADHD students tend to receive more reprimands, criticism, and negative commentary due to their ADHD-triggered behavioral challenges than their neurotypical counterparts. These negative experiences accumulate, resulting in lower self-esteem, academic underperformance, and functional impairments. This highlights the necessity for an encouraging learning environment for students exhibiting challenging behaviors. Furthermore, they require a significantly greater amount of positive affirmation than all other students to counterbalance the plethora of negative experiences. With these students, it's important to prevent further negativity - that's where intentional overlooking comes into play.

By focusing on the positive and overlooking minor disruptions, especially if they're seeking attention, can motivate these students to persevere and excel in class.

Also, by maintaining an encouraging learning environment, students can receive an equitable share of positive affirmation, which ultimately is the most essential factor.

The contents of this article are extrapolated from ADDitude ADHD Experts' seminar titled, “ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings: An Evolution in Education”which featured Gregory A. Fabiano, and was aired on June 28, 2023.

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