Children with ADHD often have difficulty adjusting to the structured environment of a classroom, determining what is important, and focusing on their assigned work. They are easily distracted by other children or by nearby activities in the classroom. As a result, many children with ADHD benefit from arrangements that reduce distractions in the classroom environment and help them to stay on task and learn.
One of the most common tactics for the physical environment of the classroom involves determining where a child with ADHD will sit. Three special seating assignments may be especially useful:
Seat the child at the front of the classroom: Distractions are less likely to occur here. This seating assignment also provides opportunities for you to monitor and reinforce the child's on-task behaviour.
Seat the child near a student role model: Assign the child a seat near a student role model. This seat arrangement provides opportunity for children to work cooperatively and to learn from their peers in the class.
Provide low-distraction work areas: As space permits, teachers should make available a quiet, distraction-free room or area for quiet study time and test taking. Students should be directed to this room or area privately and discreetly in order to avoid the appearance of punishment.
† U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs, Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices, Washington, D.C., 2004.