ADHD
Neuroscience-based techniques for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- available resources
- 21
- available resources
- Pedagogical Strategies
- 6
- Pedagogical Strategies
- Specialized Courses
- 9
- Specialized Courses
Daily Report Card
Two to four observable goals, rated every day and shared with the family. It is the school intervention for ADHD with its own meta-analysis: average effect of 0.61.
- Pick observable goals: 'raised a hand before speaking', not 'behaved well'
- Start with goals the student already meets part of the time — there must be something to celebrate
- Rate every period, not only when something went wrong
- Agree with the family on the same positive consequence at home
Specific contingent praise
Name exactly what the student did right, immediately after they do it. It is the lowest-cost, highest-return behaviour management practice in the classroom.
- Name the behaviour: 'you started the task by yourself', not 'well done'
- Praise right after, not at the end of class
- Aim for at least 3 praises for every correction
- Praise approximations too — starting already counts
Proactive rule reminders
Restate the rule before the activity where it is usually broken, instead of correcting afterwards.
- State the rule right before the transition, not at the start of the day
- Phrase it positively: 'we walk in the classroom', not 'don't run'
- Few rules, always the same wording
- Ask the student to repeat the rule in their own words
Preferential seating
Choose where the student sits based on the distractions that affect them — not as punishment or isolation.
- Close to the teacher and away from the door, window and walkway
- Next to a peer who serves as a model, not as an audience
- Avoid the back row: it increases the distance from the instructional focus
- Agree the change with the student; imposing it tends to become stigma
Chunked tasks with breaks
Split the activity into short blocks with a scheduled break between them, working with the student's sustained attention span instead of against it.
- Start with blocks shorter than you think necessary and extend them
- The break is scheduled, not a reward to be earned
- Make it visible how many blocks are left
- A break with movement works better than a still one
Consistent response to rule violations
The same consequence, every time, without raising your voice. Predictability is what teaches — not intensity.
- Define the consequence before you need it, and write it down
- Apply it the same way every time, even on a hard day
- Correct in private, praise in public
- Close the episode: do not bring it up again later
Build a daily report card
A script for implementing the best-supported school intervention for ADHD.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Set 2 to 4 observable goals, rate them each period and send the card home every day.
Specific praise counter
A teacher self-measurement: how many specific praises you give per class, compared with corrections.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Count specific praises and corrections during one class and work out the ratio.
Work blocks with active breaks
Reorganises the class into short blocks with a movement break between them, instead of demanding continuous attention.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Split the class into 10 to 15 minute blocks, with 2 minutes of movement between them.
Classroom trigger map
A simple record of where, when and before what the difficulties appear — to act on the antecedent instead of the consequence.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Record for five days and look for the pattern before changing anything.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Ginead
Free ADHD course
WR Educacional
ADHD — Full Course
Ello Cursos
Introduction to ADHD
IPED
Foundations of Inclusive Education
Instituto Rodrigo Mendes
AVAMEC — the Ministry of Education training platform
Ministério da Educação
15 distance courses in special education
Ministério da Educação
Escola Virtual.Gov
Enap / Governo Federal
Escola Virtual — Fundação Bradesco
Fundação Bradesco
ADHD in the Classroom — CDC
Official CDC guide with the classroom behaviour management strategies supported by the literature.
Published by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · EN · Site
Open materialDaily Report Card meta-analysis (full text)
The full study behind the 0.61 average effect — useful to justify the practice to school leadership.
Published by: ERIC — Institute of Education Sciences · EN · PDF
Open materialCHADD — resources for educators
A reference organisation on ADHD, with material aimed specifically at teachers.
Published by: Understood · EN · Site
Open materialSchool interventions for ADHD — review of randomised trials
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of what works in the school context.
Published by: Frontiers in Psychology · EN · Site
Open materialThe Inclusive Mainstream School
MEC/SEESP booklet on organising the mainstream school from an inclusion perspective.
Published by: MEC / SEESP · PT · PDF
Open materialDIVERSA — inclusive education in practice
Practice reports and materials in Portuguese, from Instituto Rodrigo Mendes.
Published by: Instituto Rodrigo Mendes · PT · Site
Open materialSpecial Education from an Inclusion Perspective
Foundations of inclusive special education, an official Ministry of Education publication.
Published by: MEC / SEESP · PT · PDF
Open materialUniversal Design for Learning Guidelines
A framework for planning lessons accessible to everyone from the start, instead of adapting case by case.
Published by: CAST · EN · Site
Open materialBrazilian Ministry of Education portal
Legislation, policies and official publications on special education from an inclusive perspective.
Published by: Ministério da Educação · PT · Site
Open materialProgress Center — evidence-based instructional practices
A collection of evidence-based instructional practices and support material, applicable across conditions.
Published by: Progress Center — American Institutes for Research · EN · Site
Open materialIntensive intervention — decision tools
What to do when an intervention produces no progress: how to measure, decide and intensify.
Published by: NCII — American Institutes for Research · EN · Site
Open material