Empowering Independence:  Universal SOPs for Supporting Students with ADHD

Is it Really About ” Following the Rules”

One of the most frequent complaints about students with ADHD is the level of assistance they require to “follow classroom rules”.

Often, what seems like rule-breaking is actually an inability to meet expectations across various classroom procedures, such as raising a hand before you speak or asking to go to the bathroom before you leave a room. These tasks can require intensive prompting and redirection from teachers, which can erode a student’s sense of self-efficacy, agency, and self-worth. Student’s with ADHD are a shame vulnerable population.

Procedures are the backbone of any successful organization, including schools. They are sequences of actions conducted in a particular order with specific behavioral expectations.

Effective procedures are practiced until they become automated routines. However, students with ADHD often have challenges with executive functions such as working memory, cognitive shift, and inhibition, making it difficult to follow and automate multi-step procedures.

For students with ADHD or executive functioning difficulties, non-automated procedures become an indefinitely long sequence of expected actions . Multi-step procedures can overwhelm limited working memory resources, leading to misunderstandings and mislabeling of their behavior as non-compliance.

Standard Operating Procedures for ADHD

To support students struggling with classroom procedures, we often provide a task breakdown, chart or checklist. “Standard Operating Procedures”( SOPs) are a must have for every single business and organization.  The idea behind it is that your procedures for getting things done are explicitly laid out so the business can essentially run without you .  

However, more often then not, students may resist using checklists due to the social stigma of needing extra help. Anything is better than being ” othered” in front of your peers. This is where the “Make it Universal” approach comes in.

The Importance of Universal SOPs

By implementing universal SOPs that all students use, we normalize the support and avoid singling out those who need it most.

When we make using SOP’s universal, we create a one-and-done system that everyone can use. This approach isn’t just for the one child with executive function difficulties; it benefits the entire class.

Executive function challenges are common in many childhood conditions, including trauma, autism, and dyslexia. Executive functions can be limited by fatigue, illness, or stress, and they develop with wide variability.

More than one student in your classroom will likely need these supports, and by implementing universal procedure supports, you save tremendous time and effort, giving it back to the teacher and creating a more inclusive environment

When teachers have written SOP’s , there is no question as to what to do or what are the steps, because the SOP is clear. Prompts will change from…”PUSH IN YOUR CHAIR ! How many time do I have to say it…” to “Check the SOP for leaving for the day.”

Benefits of SOPs for All Students

• Reduces Demands on Working Memory: Offloading working memory demands onto the environment frees up cognitive resources for learning.
• Provides Explicit Expectations: Lists are clear and ordered, reducing ambiguity and decision-making demands.
• Supports Habit Creation: Habits require repetition and success. Consistent procedures paired with positive outcomes help students automate routines.

Creating Effective SOPs for Common Classroom Procedures

Occupational therapists are experts in task breakdown, however when creating SOPs for teachers, it is essential to understand the classroom procedures and steps involved.

Here are key questions to consider:

• What are these procedures exactly?
• What actions are expected?
• What level of independence is anticipated?
• Were these procedures explicitly taught?
• Do students possess the necessary skills?
• Do they require additional support or prompts?

Each classroom will have unique procedures, requiring tailored SOPs to ensure effectiveness. Here are some common classroom procedures you may want to consider when collaborating to create classroom SOPs:

AI: Task Breakdown Made Easy with Magic Todo

Creating to do list’s, chunking assignments and making Universal SOP’s are all time consuming! I found this gem about a year ago and its uses are endless.

Magic Todo is a free to-do list website and paid app that helps break down tasks into manageable steps. This intuitive tool :

• Auto Task Breakdown: Automatically generates steps for tasks using the magic wand button. Adjust the spiciness level (1-5) to control the number of steps. This simplifies creating and managing classroom tasks making it ideal for supporting students and teachers.
• Hidden Steps: Helps us see some of the more implicit hidden steps in the procedure or task ( just increase the spicy level)
• Decrease Busy Work When Chunking: It will can automate much of the busy work when chunking. Enter the assignment and it breaks it down.
• Tool for Older Students: Older students can learn to use this for themselves as a checklist and task bank. Check out the estimate tool.
• And it’s user friendly and saves and syncs.
  • Export Options: Export tasks to platforms like Todoist, iCal, and more.
  • Filter and Search: Easily filter and search tasks by category 
  • Sync Across Devices: Keep your task lists updated across mobile/web platforms to use for others .

Seriously this site is epic, and I am not an affiliate just a fan. You can try it here: https://goblin.tools/

Compliance and Completion are not the same!

Difficulty in completing standard classroom procedures can be easily misunderstood as non-compliance. Identifying classroom procedures that challenge a student’s independence is crucial for supporting their “behavior”.

Universal SOPs help eliminate the stigma of needing additional support, promoting participation and automation of routines for students with ADHD. Reducing the near constant levels of redirection and prompting needed for independent execution of classroom procedures will protect against shame and support the students sense of efficacy, agency and self worth.

Implementing universal SOPs as a Tier One intervention can drastically transform classroom dynamics, benefiting everyone involved. Especially their teachers. 

Resources and Tools