As special education teachers, one of the ways we can differentiate instruction for our kids is to serve up material in smaller portions and to allow frequent breaks, especially for those with short attention spans, hyperactivity, or low frustration tolerance.
It is important to make sure your kids are getting enough exercise, so that they can positively direct their abundant energy, increase circulation to their brains, and get those endorphins flowing. It doesn’t take an expert to see that kids that exercise regularly sleep better at night.
The Stanford-Binet intelligence test, designed by Lewis Terman, Ph. D. and his colleagues at Stanford University, was called the “Stanford-Binet” because it was modeled after the children’s intelligence test developed by Alfred Binet in France at the turn of last century. Dr. Terman also conducted the most famous longitudinal study of gifted individuals, described in his 5-volume Genetic Studies of Genius.
He compared approximately 600 children with IQ scores over 140 to a group of almost 2700 children with IQ scores below 140. For every age examined, the gifted children slept longer.
Two years later, a Japanese study tested about 5500 school children and found that those with better grades slept longer.
In 1983, a Canadian sleep study laboratory confirmed Termans’ finding, showing that children of superior IQ get more sleep time. Both studies, nearly 60 years apart, concluded that brighter children slept about 30 to 40 minutes longer each night than their average counterparts.
While giving kids plenty of fresh air and exercise can help them get a good night’s sleep, other sleep problems, such as snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless legs appear to predict the levels of inattention and hyperactivity. Research also shows that AD/HD in children with sleep disorders improves or resolves when the disorder is identified and treated.
It is important to make sure your kids are getting enough exercise, so that they can positively direct their abundant energy, increase circulation to their brains, and get those endorphins flowing. It doesn’t take an expert to see that kids that exercise regularly sleep better at night.
The Stanford-Binet intelligence test, designed by Lewis Terman, Ph. D. and his colleagues at Stanford University, was called the “Stanford-Binet” because it was modeled after the children’s intelligence test developed by Alfred Binet in France at the turn of last century. Dr. Terman also conducted the most famous longitudinal study of gifted individuals, described in his 5-volume Genetic Studies of Genius.
He compared approximately 600 children with IQ scores over 140 to a group of almost 2700 children with IQ scores below 140. For every age examined, the gifted children slept longer.
Two years later, a Japanese study tested about 5500 school children and found that those with better grades slept longer.
In 1983, a Canadian sleep study laboratory confirmed Termans’ finding, showing that children of superior IQ get more sleep time. Both studies, nearly 60 years apart, concluded that brighter children slept about 30 to 40 minutes longer each night than their average counterparts.
While giving kids plenty of fresh air and exercise can help them get a good night’s sleep, other sleep problems, such as snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless legs appear to predict the levels of inattention and hyperactivity. Research also shows that AD/HD in children with sleep disorders improves or resolves when the disorder is identified and treated.
Teachers should consider discussing their students’ sleep quality with parents. According to Marc Weissbluth, M.D., in his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night’s Sleep, “Sleep deficits may directly cause behavioral, developmental, or academic problems. These problems can be reversed [emphasis added] when sleep deficits are corrected.”
My most hyperactive student, who also happens to be the most cognitively delayed, complains of nightmares almost daily. Cause? Effect? A vicious circle? I find it interesting that so many of our AD/HD are also sleep-deprived, and they are treated with stimulants.
In the meantime, teachers can do their part during the school day by providing ample opportunities for movement and aerobic activity. This is not just a job for PE teachers, but something we all should be doing every day.
Some schools are lucky enough to have PE teachers, and on that one day a week, my kids are treated to fun, guided activities that develop gross motor skills, stamina, and teamwork. We get to play outdoor hockey, basketball, golf (with tennis balls and big plastic clubs), kickball, wiffle ball, etc. While escorting my students to the yard for PE one day, a student asked me, “When are we going to do something real in PE instead of just doing these sports all the time?” I considered explaining to him that PE is all about sports and sportsmanship, team play, etc., before deciding to ask him what he deemed a “real” PE activity. His answer: “ Why don’t we play Cookie Monster?” I explained to him that it looked like Coach was setting up nets and cones for a soccer game, but that I would love to learn how to play Cookie Monster another time.
