I do not know much about ADD and ADHD, but I know a few things about autism. I was diagnosed with autism at an early age. It can be hard to work with students as well. What I suggest is to get together with the guys who have ADD or ADHD and talk with them to find out what they can do to get focused on their playing and marching. With a lot of patience and some time, the process should work for students with ADD and ADHD as well as autism.

Something I forgot to add, as much as it seems wrong, Caffine actually has a chemical that calms us ADHD kids down. If he's too hyper and jumpy, you can actually tell him to go get a soda and he will be better. I'm not lying about this, you can search about it yourself.

The only problem with giving kids with ADHD caffine is that it is a temporary fix. To simplify things....our brain works in 3 stages (high-medium-low) Most people are at the high level all day except when they get ready for sleep (medium) and then when they do fall asleep (low). Students with ADHD have brains that are stuck in (medium). SO, caffine will kick them into high, but it will not last long and they will then go to (low).

Believe or not, 75% of all problems with ADHD are stemmed from the diet. They should not eat alot a lot of the following products:

1.) Dairy products
2.) Wheat
3.) Oranges
4.) Grapefruits
5.) MSG
6.) Artificial sweetening

The best thing to do is hands on instruction. Take my word for it.

A good book to read, and it isn't that long, is called The Complete ADD Answer by: Dr. Frank Lawlis for only $25.00.

Worth every penny.

i agree with the hands on approach.
we had a guy with ADD and he gave us a lot of problems but we kept at it and he made the line,was cymbal capt. the next year,and was drum major this past year.he now is going to college and i think he wil try the college band thing now.

we have a guy on our bass line who has ADHD. some days he is fine then other days he really can have an attitude, along with being hyper active. it is really tough, but when he is concentrated on drumming, he is really good.

I agree. Talk to the students about it. Let them give you some ideas on how to keep their attention better. They will feel more comfortable if they have some say in how they are being treated and may try harder knowing that you only want to help them. Do your best not to isolate them by constantly picking them out of the group.

UrsulineMusicEd, I didn't know our energy was catogorized in levels. Well I guess I'm high staged. I'm always hyper, but I don't have a medium level, I go straight to low if I'm sleepy. Caffine works well for me for some reason and it lasts awhile, I would say a period and a half long.

I find that guys with ADHD can be calmed down a lot easier when they have something to do, after all, Idle hands are the devil's playground. 0.o