Home

Attention-deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which is usually diagnosed in childhood and may persist into adulthood. ADHD is characterized by patterns of behaviour including inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

General Behavioural Patterns of Students with ADHD

1. Inattention:

- Difficulties in sustaining attention in classes and tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time (e.g. group projects, assignments)
- Struggles in following through with instructions
- Forgetful (e.g. miss deadlines)
- Weak in planning and organization (e.g. time management, organizing and prioritizing tasks and ideas)
- Weak in giving close attention to details

2. Hyperactivity and Impulsivity:

- Restless
- Excessive movements (e.g. fidgeting)
- Excessive talking
- Impatient
- Interruptive (e.g. interrupting conversations/discussions)
- Difficulties in regulating emotions

Useful Tips for Supporting Students with ADHD

• Communication:

1. Maintain eye contact during verbal instructions
2. Provide clear and concise instructions/directions
3. Break down complex requests/instructions in steps and stages

• Inclusive Teaching:

1. Chunk a lecture into small sections (e.g. presentation, class discussions, interactive exercises, breaks in between)
2. Elaborate complex concepts with concrete examples
3. Present teaching materials in visuals (e.g. charts, videos)
4. Provide lecture materials prior to class to facilitate students’ preparation for class
5. Permit audio/video recordings of lectures to facilitate students’ revision/ learning after class
6. Provide visual reminders and cues for demonstration/ instructions
7. Discuss special learning and/or exam arrangements privately with students concerned
8. Acknowledge and show respect for diversity in learning needs

• Assignment & Assessment:

1. Provide clear guidelines/instructions for individual and group assignments
2. Give regular alert of deadlines
3. Consider alternative assessment modes
4. Consider extensions in assignment deadlines
5. Consider extra time and supervised breaks in quizzes/tests/exams if necessary
6. Arrange a separate venue for quizzes/tests/exams if necessary
7. Divide the quiz/test/exam into different sections

References

1. Information on ADHD (National Institute of Mental Health, United States)

2. Inclusive Teaching for Students with ADHD (Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training, Australia)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by different degrees of impairment and deviance in the development of social communication, cognition and emotions, and presence of restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviours and interests as well as sensory processing problems.

General Behavioural Patterns of Students with ASD

1. Social Interaction and Communication:

- Difficulties in initiating or responding to social interactions and maintaining conversations
- Struggles in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships
- Difficulties in using and understanding non-verbal communication
- Difficulties in presenting in front of the public or large crowds
- Interrupting conversations and/or raising questions in an inappropriate time

2.  Cognition and Emotions:

- Difficulties in regulating emotions
- May have rigid thinking pattern

3. Repetitive Patterns of Behaviours and Interests:

- Insistence on sameness and routines
- Difficulties with transitions and distress at changes
- Difficulties with multi-tasking (e.g. organizing and managing multiple aspects of university life)
- Differing sensory sensitivity that may lead to anxieties/distractions/distress (e.g. hyper- or hyposensitive to specific sound/noise, smell, physical contact, lighting, etc.)

Useful Tips for Supporting Students with ASD

• Communication:

1. Communicate in clear and concise words; avoid using metaphors
2. Break down complex requests/instructions in steps and stages
3. Be prepared to explain rules in every scenario and situation
4. Be patient

• Inclusive Teaching:

1. Allow short breaks in classes
2. Elaborate complex concepts with concrete examples
3. Present teaching materials in visuals (e.g. charts, videos)
4. Provide lecture materials prior to class to facilitate students’ preparation for class
5. Permit audio/video recordings of lectures to facilitate students’ revision/learning after class
6. Set clear expectations (e.g. advise students to jot down questions which will be addressed at the end of the class)
7. Assist the student in group formation for group work/projects if necessary
8. Announce any changes to class/test/exam dates or assignment deadlines as early as practicable
9. Discuss special learning and/or exam arrangements privately with students concerned
10. Acknowledge and show respect for diversity in learning needs

• Assignment & Assessment:

1. Provide clear guidelines/instructions for individual and group assignments
2. Break down assignments into smaller tasks that may help manage workloads
3. Consider alternative assessment modes
4. Consider extensions in assignment deadlines
5. Consider extra time and supervised breaks in quizzes/tests/exams if necessary
6. Arrange a separate venue for quizzes/tests/exams to minimize distractions and stress
7. Divide the quiz/test/exam into different sections

References

1. Information on ASD (National Institute of Mental Health, United States)
2. Inclusive Teaching for Students with ASD (Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training, Australia)

Hearing impairment (HI) refers to a disorder in any part of the auditory system affecting the hearing ability. The normal hearing threshold is -10 to 25 decibels (db). HI is defined when an ear can only receive sounds of 26 decibels or more and can be divided into the following five levels of severity:

Students with HI usually make use of the following learning aids for speech perception:

• Hearing aids including cochlear implants
• Assistive listening devices such as induction loops and Frequency Modulated (FM) systems
• Lip reading
• Sign language interpretation
• Real-time captioning device

General Difficulties Encountered by Students with HI

- Difficulties in comprehending conversations when listening to someone speaking softly or conversing in a noisy environment
- Challenges in following rapid verbal exchange, thus leading to difficulties in the participation of group discussions and interactions
- Difficulties in listening to audio clips or videos without subtitles

Useful Tips for Supporting Students with HI

• Communication:

1. Check with the student to confirm the preferred mode of communication (e.g. face-to-face, email, etc.)
2. Gain the student’s attention (e.g. by calling his/her name) before beginning a conversation
3. Speak clearly and slowly without exaggerating mouth movements
4. Pause between sentences/phrases to ensure you have been understood before going on
5. Minimize extraneous noise when talking (e.g. pick a quiet environment for discussion)
6. Provide pertinent information in writing (e.g. directions, schedules)
7. Summarize key points discussed if necessary

• Inclusive Teaching:

1. Encourage the student to find a seat where he/ she will have an unobstructed line of vision
2. Make use of assistive listening/real-time captioning devices as provided by the student
3. Minimize background noise
4. Enable real-time captioning for online classes
5. Provide lecture materials prior to class to facilitate students’ preparation for class
6. Permit audio/video recordings of lectures to facilitate students’ revision/learning after class
7. Adjust lighting in the teaching environment, especially for students who depend on lip-reading and/or sign interpretation service
8. Discuss special learning and/or exam arrangements privately with students concerned
9. Acknowledge and show respect for diversity in learning needs

• Assignment & Assessment:

1. Consider alternatives to those assignments and/or exams that are based on oral presentations
2. Consider extra time in quizzes/tests/exams if necessary
3. Arrange a separate venue for quizzes/tests/exams to minimize distractions and noise
4. Provide written instructions during exams

References

1. Information on HI (The Hong Kong Society for Hearing Impaired Person)
2. Inclusive Teaching for Students with HI (Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training, Australia)