At the bottom of it all, most behavior problems are a choice – the child chooses to mishandle emotions and talk back, shove another student or talk out of turn. While many of these choices stem from the lack of maturity and self-control, they can be molded and trained into the proper choices for social interactions.

There are some children, though, who suffer from the inability to make the choice. It is not a maturity issue and it is not a lack of self-control, although these factors do play a part in their behaviors. These children have Attention Deficit Disorder.

While many still believe that ADHD stems from inappropriate parenting, the lack of training, video games or any number of other influences on the child’s life, there is in fact a disability that some children have that render them helpless to choose proper behavior at times.

Consider this true story: Derrick had difficulty staying in his seat, attending to anything and never completed any assigned work in class. He was found upside down at his seat more often than right side up and could not be trusted to follow through on any task. While he was working with a special education teacher, his disability rendered him literally incapable of changing his behavior. In this child’s situation, medication was the answer. After he was placed on medication, he came to school, sat down at his desk and independently completed his morning work for the first time. With tears in his eyes, he went up to his special education teacher and whispered “I finished!” and handed her his completed paper.

This child wanted to do his work. He wanted to listen and obey. He simply could not do it. When working with students like Derrick, teachers need to remember that there may be times when the child simply cannot do what is required.

Read tips for how to work with students with ADHD.

Related posts:

1. Learn the Truth about ADHD Behavior
2. Home Visits May Reduce Discipline Issues