This one sheet teacher education resource provides a structured strategy to help educators move beyond generic reminders to “focus,” instead using specific cues that align with the self-regulatory processes students need to sustain attention effectively. Perfect for implementation guidance.
Focus Tools: Strategies and Best Practices for Fidgets in the Classroom helps therapists educators and caregivers effectively use fidget tools to support students with ADHD. Includes caregiver education sheets, focus tool rules, and activities to ensure students use fidgets as aids, not toys. Stop trying to explain the benefits of a fidget and teach, implement and assess their effectiveness in the classroom instead .
How often do you find yourself telling students to ‘focus’? Ask any teacher, and the answer is often “too many.” Despite the reminder, many still struggle to sustain attention, leaving both teachers and students feeling frustrated. Students with ADHD need specific cues that support the underlying self-regulatory skills required for focus. This article provides practical…
Effort is a fundamental aspect of success, or so we’ve been led to believe. From early childhood, we’re taught the value of trying our best, of giving it our all. However, when it comes to students with ADHD, this traditional emphasis on effort can be both misleading and counterproductive. False Growth Mindset Carol Dweck’s concept…
Navigating the Gray Area Long before TikTok, school-based occupational therapy practitioners commonly provided “fidgets” to students in need of an outlet for high energy and restlessness. These tools, such as putty, velcro attached to desks, or stress balls, allowed students to expend energy in a positive and socially acceptable way without distracting others. That was…
How often do you hear the statement “They have trouble with attention” when discussing a child’s academic or behavioral performance? Or ” They can’t focus”, or even ” They can’t concentrate”? While these statements may seem straightforward, it oversimplifies the complex cognitive process of attention and can hinder our ability to effectively support students with Attention…
Teachers need actionable strategies to improve the classroom day-to-day functioning of their students diagnosed with ADHD. Most of the evidence-based strategies available to support teachers are too broad to be actionable. For example, ” externalize working memory”, what does that look like in the classroom? This post aims to arm the school-based therapist with exactly…