Tips on motivating 9 year old to participate in class

[Dsmith05]

Does anyone have any tips on motivating 9 year old to participate in whole class/group work. My ADHD/ODD/Anxiety kid will not pay attention or participate in class lessons. He says he wants to do things his way/better way. He will sit there and do his own thing instead. He is great one on one! Any strategies I can share with his teachers would be helpful. Thanks!

[Travelling]

I think group work is overrated! 😂

Historically, all of our geniuses have been lone wolves.

And in fact, working in a group requires higher executive functions in the brain which we don’t develop until much later, so expecting any 9 years old to do this is not really a good expectation.

Suggestions..

Ask the teacher if he can work in a smaller group, maybe even just him and one other to start with. And can there be support from a teaching assistant?

His brain is going very fast and that’s not helpful when you need to explain yourself and exchange ideas with someone else.

Could he sometimes just work alone for some of this ?

Or work with a teaching assistant one to one so that he can start to hone his skills?

Personally I get to as I feel the same about group work, I’m very introverted which also makes it difficult out to work in a group, it may not just be his Adhd which is an issue here.

Finally, can the teacher just let him work alone?

Maybe his ideas are amazing.

It is ironic to effectively tell a child “ stop being creative and come and work with lots of other people over here” !

Good luck xx

[Pennywink]

Working with smaller groups / one other student is a great suggestion!

Our kids with ADHD tend to have issues with flexibility - it’s their way or the highway. They also tend to be about 2-3 years behind in maturity, so your 9 year old may be more like a kindergartener. Here’s an article about flexible thinking:

understood.org/en/learning-...

I guess the first step is figuring out exactly WHY he isn’t participating. But most actions will involve helping the class feel like a safe space for him. If it’s really anxiety (which my son may never admit to), then maybe let him just listen until he feels comfortable, and to not make a big fuss / treat him differently when he does participate.

If he has different ideas, does he comfortable sharing them with the class? Can the teacher at least hear him out & give his suggestions some merit?

Also, what treatment options is your son receiving for his ADHD/ODD/Anxiety, as that will also impact how he is able to function in the classroom.

[ChristinaReader]

My daughter is 9 with ADHD and Autism. We used to think she had anxiety and sensory processing disorder but a good psychologist helped us understand those were part of her Autism. Anyway my daughter does not like group work either. She'd much rather work on her own. This year in fourth grade they do group work very day in science class and she's doing well. Her teacher has divided group work into four clearly defined roles. The reporter, the gopher, the recorder and one more. Anyway each day the kids practice a different role. Because the expectations are clearly defined and taught ahead of time, my child is doing well with this. Her job is listed right there on her seat so it reminds her to do her part. Also since it rotates each day she only has to write, the part she hates, about once a week. It might also help that she loves science. I'm not sure she'd be motivated enough to do the same in math class. Speaking of motivation maybe the teacher can at least offer some positive praise for little steps toward group participation. Good luck!