The behavior of the ADHD child is known by parents and teachers alike as one of the most troublesome areas to correct. The noises they make, their gyrations of actions, and their general inability to function on an appropriate age level creates a high level of stress for the adults who care for them. For some, it is hard to conceive that the child simply cannot refrain from his distracting behavior. For others, it is easier to accept and comply with the behavior than try to rectify it. However, for the child to become a functioning member of society, the problem must be acknowledged and addressed in learning situations.

Follow up:

The truth must be accepted that the mannerisms of the child are not artificial, but are true. The noises and the movements are uncontrollable to a certain extent. By acknowledging these actions, the road to retraining the child is accessible.

There are several techniques and strategies that may be used. The person using these techniques and strategies must understand that what works for one child will not necessarily work for another child. Each attempt at behavioral adjustment needs to be tried until the correct adjustment is found.

Timeout has always worked well for children whether they suffer from ADHD or not. With the ADHD child, adjustments in time will fluctuate. The normal timeout adopted by scholars is 1 minute of timeout for each year of age. Thus, if the child is 7 years old, the timeout would be 7 minutes. This may be impossible for an ADHD child. Remember, the ADHD child is socially-emotionally 30% less than his peers. A 5 minute timeout would be more appropriate.

Also all ADHD children respond to rewards so much better than to punishments. Therefore, it would be appropriate to say: "If you are able to sit quietly for 3 minutes, I will let you out of timeout." If the child acts accordingly, let the timeout end. He earned it. That is not giving in; that is reinforcing good behavior.

The ADHD child craves positive attention which you can use to teach "selective attention."  For example, you are driving. The child is properly restrained in the back seat, but is making silly noises that are really getting on your nerves. As hard as it may be, try to ignore the noises. Ask if he would like to listen to music. Turn on the radio. If he is silent and listens even for a minute, let him know that you appreciate his behavior. In doing homework while he is wiggling, remind him that we can really get this work done quickly and then play. If he works well, tell him you appreciate it.

Touch the ADHD child. He needs lots of physical contact. Hug him, tickle him, kiss him, wrestle him, and tell him you love him. He will respond for you.

Be consistent. There's no quick fix to ADHD. Stay with a technique as long as you can. Don't bounce from one technique to another. That does the child an in service. He won't know what to expect. When you say something, you are the only one who can back it up. Time and consistency are on your hands. Use them wisely.

Consider Interactive Metronome therapy as an alternative treatment shown to improve a child's ability to focus and attend while learning to ignore both internal and external noise.