Educational Approaches to ADHD

1. Educational Approaches to ADHD Kylie Hefford Children With Special Needs April 20, 2010

2. Academic Achievement • Children who have ADHD, or ADD have a difficult time in the classroom • This is because their attention span creates a difficult testing and classroom atmosphere. • This then leads to poor testing grades in comparison to their peers, and because of the poor grade reports 30 % of students with ADHD need to repeat one or more grades.

3. Comorbidity • Through a study of more then 1400 students, • Who are being treated and receiving educational services under the disability category of emotional disturbance 58% have also been diagnosed with ADHD • Who are receiving special education in the mental retardation and learning disabilities categories 20% have ADHD • Then children with Aspergers syndrome, and Tourette syndrome have also been identified as having ADHD. • My question for this identification is whether this is valid, because children who have Aspergers and Tourette syndrome have symptoms of ADHD already in their definitions? Are we just adding to their list of disabilities?

4. Special Education Eligibility 40%-50% of students who are under the Special education services have the disability categories such as behavioral disorders and learning disabilities, have ADHD

5. Special Education continued… • Students with ADHD can also be served under the other health impairment category IF the disorder causes: • “heightened alertness to environmental stimuli that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment that adversely affects academic performance” • Many people who have ADHD are not served under IDEA therefore they are eligible under Section 504 of the rehabilitation act. • Section 504 is a civil rights law that provides certain protections for people who have disabilities. • Under 504 schools can be required to develop and implement accommodation plans that are designed to help students who have ADHD be able to succeed in the general education classroom

6. These Plans Include • Adaption's and Adjustments such as: • Extended times on tests • Preferred seating in a classroom • Additional teacher monitoring • Reduced or modified class or homework assignments and worksheets • Monitoring the affects the medications have on the behavior of the child in school. • Question: how is modified class still considered the general education classroom?

7. Education still continues into Adulthood • In order to keep adults whom have ADD/ADHD continuous an able to live their lives there are three definite modules that are taught to them as basic life skills to be successful • Module one- organizing and planning • Creating a task list • Using a calendar • Using an actual notebook instead of say Post-its • Module two- distractibility • Use time wisely, and example would be having the patient do homework and when distracting thoughts come up, write the thoughts down so they can be remembered for later. • Module three- adaptive thinking (cognitive restructuring) • Having the patients think adaptively in stressing situations. To identify their thoughts and find what they mean so that they may become less stressful.

8. ADHD • When it comes to education and ADHD, it is all a matter of training, routine, and skill sets that keep a student with ADHD on track to be successful in school and later in life. • If children with ADHD did not have the structure, and were not taught the life skills they need, the students would become stressed and unable to make sense of what they want and need.

9. References: • Henley, M., Ramsey, R., & Algozzine, R. (n.d.). Educational Approaches for ADHD. Education.com | An Education & Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/educational-approaches-ADHD-disorders/ • Heward, W. L. (2008). Chapter 11. Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education(with MyEducationLab) (9th Edition) (MyEducationLab Series) (9 ed., pp. 405-449). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall. • Safren, S. A. (2006). Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches to ADHD Treatment in Adulthood [Pamphlet]. Boston, MA: Physicians Postgraduate Press.