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Running Head: Accommodations in Public Schools for Children with ADHD

ADHD IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Angela Seesholtz

ENG 102

Glendale Community College

Professor: Trevor Duston

October 23,2014

Abstract
The number of children with ADHD is on the rise. Research shows evidence that validates this
increase. According to the Center for Disease Control, Rates of ADHD diagnosis increased an
average of 3% per year from 1997 to 2006 and an average of approximately 5% per year from
2003 to 2011(CDC). Because children are not diagnosed at an early age, they do not receive
the support and the help they need to provide them an opportunity for a successful life. Since
there are lifelong risks factors for children with ADHD, schools should be attentive to the
problem and work on assisting these students and their families so that the students are
provided the help they need as soon as possible. Early diagnosis is a big step in preventing later
behavioral issues and academic failures. Students with ADHD have difficulty attending to their
studies and partaking in social interactions with their peers. Because of these challenges, it is
imperative that students are diagnosed as soon as possible. Case studies and data present
valuable research that establishes a meaningful urgency to this problem and challenges for
ADHD children and their families. It is essential that schools become proactive in developing
strategies and training for teachers that will positively impact and encourage awareness of this
disorder. Training of teachers and staff and the knowledge gained from this training should
allow for a group effort of all involved to benefit the students with ADHD. We can only hope
schools and personnel will be influenced by the research and take the necessary steps to
implement a speedy process that will allow for early diagnoses and treatment for ADHD.

Running Head: Accommodations in Public Schools for Children with ADHD

ADHD Characteristics and adequate services:


A Strategy Teachers' Can Use
A Review of Literature
Public school personnel do not comprehend the impact of Attention-Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on children with this condition. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) "is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopment/mental health conditions in
childhood. This disorder is characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention
and distractibility and /or hyper-activity and impulsivity that cause impairment in adaptive
functioning at home, school and in social situation." (Glanzman & Sell, 2013, p. 370).
This paper will be focusing on schools and elementary teachers learning to recognize the
characteristics of ADHD, parents receiving appropriate information regarding the services
available for their child, and children receiving adequate services to improve their education
and life.
Most teachers are unable to recognize the characteristics of ADHD disorder. Since
teachers are those who spend the most time with the children in classrooms they can observe
children with close attention. They are the ones who need the most training and to be familiar
with the behaviors in ADHD children. School teachers and parents can work in cooperation
learning how to gather information and provide it to the clinician to help recognize the correct
symptoms of ADHD. When a child is diagnosed with ADHD disorder, he or she can be placed in
the appropriate program to meet his or her needs.
Diagnosis can also help to discover any other psychiatric, medical, or social conditions
that the child may have along with ADHD disorder. Because teachers don't know how to

recognize the characteristics in ADHD thought is not given to those children in the various
stages of development.
In the school system today teachers are in need of new guidelines on training so they
are prepared to give more and accurate intervention. As researchers Donna Underwood and
Sandra Kopels,(2004) discussed and debated information which says, that there are significant
incidences in public schools of children with mild to moderate learning disabilities similar to
ADHD; that are not receiving the correct attention. They also talk about several complaints are
being made by parents in regards to schools concerning the education given to students with
ADHD. or ADHD like symptoms in addition, the authors stress the importance of teachers and
parents taking a more active role in helping children with these special needs (Underwood,
2004, p. 222). In fact when public schools ignore students with ADHD they are affecting these
children's academic futures and the assistance that they may be able to receive. Some children
with ADHD are being left behind, straggling and do not qualified for special education services.
similar to Individual Education Programs (IEP's) that help children with special needs stay on
track. Many surveys have taken place for years to gather the information needed to break
down ADHD into smaller and understandable pieces. "The largest of these surveys is the
National Survey of Childrens Health, which has collected information every four years since
2003. Previous results from the 2003 and 2007 surveys found that 7.8% and 9.5% of US children
aged 4-17 years were reported by their parents to have never been diagnosed with ADHD by a
health care provider in 2003 and 2007, respectively" (CDC, 2003-2011).
Parents need to learn as much as possible about ADHD in order to render adequate
support for their children. School personnel and teachers should have information available for

Running Head: Accommodations in Public Schools for Children with ADHD

parents, that can guide them to resources similar to parent support groups, books. These online
resources can be highly beneficial for parents with ADHD. Furthermore, Schools should
implement interventions as soon children are in school. The need is highest particularly during
the elementary years when students are easier to teach. Since, characteristics of mild ADHD
are hard to notice. Schools should concentrate on programs where children can be tested and
evaluated prior to the age of 7.After this point children start to resist the common techniques
and need more and more to correct them.
"The most common of these interventions for students with ADHD include psychotropic and
behavioral strategies implemented in home and school settings" (Barkley, 2006). It is hard
enough for parents to deal with ADHD challenges, and then they have to think about
medicating their children with something that can harm them. It can be very frustrating and
hopeless when so many things go wrong without proper psychiatric/medical guidance. That is
why social services prove to be an important pathway to the services, programs and the current
research. Educating parents and children shows them what treatments are available to help
elevate the tough and painful parts of ADHD and then allow them to focus on the
improvements to insure better success.
"Because no two children with ADHD are exactly alike, a wide variety of interventions
and service options must be available to allow each child to benefit from his or her education in
the general classroom." (Polloway, Patton, & Dowdy, 2012, p. 250).
Since ADHD is different in each child, teachers should implement accommodations in general
education classrooms to create a successful environment. However teachers will need to
balance this with the other special needs programs already in place. Pharmacological treatment

is another choice for children with ADHD; that can help to control and prevent inappropriate
behaviors for example talking in class out loud. Medicine may be positive for some children
stimulating their academics, increasing their concentration and task productivity.
The decision of what treatment should be used with children should be made after a
big research is made by parents and or responsible persons that took the time to investigate
and decide what is be the best intervention for that child. In addition to improving the
education of these students it is important that the school personnel, general and special
education teachers work together with parents and clinicians to develop, monitor and maintain
successful interventions for ADHD children that are struggling academically, socially and
mentally.
ADHD Receiving Appropriate Education
Some characteristics associated with a few types of ADHD are less obvious than in many
other disorders presented in early childhood. Because of this, and the fact that teachers are not
properly educated about how to help students with ADHD, the students do not receive
appropriate accommodations. Schools commonly write accommodations into students' IEP's
but the teachers do not follow through with them because there is a lack of training. Teachers
and parents need to be trained how to implement accommodations and work together to
better support the education of their student/s. In order for this problem to be corrected
teachers must be required to obtain a special education degree or at the minimum, a special
education endorsement before they are eligible to teach students with IEP's or 504 plans.
Children diagnosed with ADHD do not receive the level of support needed as resources
are frequently taken away and given to children with more recognizable disorders, such as

Running Head: Accommodations in Public Schools for Children with ADHD

autism. Public school officials need to take notice of the severity of ADHD, which can lead to
consequences such as poor grades and increased dropout rates, social stigma, and failure to
provide the special education services necessary for these students to succeed. One of the
symptoms of ADHD is the inability to focus in class. This causes kids to lose important ideas
discussed in class, which results in bad grades in the immediate future. Additionally, inattention
can cause frustration and holes in knowledge in the long term. For example, when a child stays
sitting for a long period of time, he may lose track of what he read or thought. To demonstrate,
" Academically, children with ADHD are more likely to have poorer grades, lower scores on
standardized tests compared to peers without the disorder" (DupPaul, Weyandt, & Janusis,
2011, pp. 35-42). Kids with this problem can simply consider further education as "too hard"
and simply give up on harder classes and drop out. Moreover, "Students with ADHD who
graduate from high school are less likely than their peers to pursue a post-secondary
education" (DupPaul, Weyandt, & Janusis, 2011, pp. 35-42). For these children, life can be
impacted by not finishing school due to the necessity of higher education degrees in today's job
market. They may not be as competitive as the other applicants who do not have the disability.
Grades are not often a representation of what they are capable of; however, some public
schools do not plan their programs to better support these students.
Research also demonstrates that ADHD children are more likely to be socially rejected
by classmates than typical children. Perhaps these children can be seen less favorably with
respect to intelligence, personality, and behavior. Students with ADHD are more likely to miss
school where valuable friendships are established. It is impressive that there is more research
about methods in how to prevent academic problems related with ADHD rather than how treat

behavioral and social difficulties associated with this disorder (DupPaul, Weyandt, & Janusis,
2011, pp. 35-42). Children with ADHD can seemingly be shy and withdrawn by their peers and
at times can present some symptoms of impulsivity that may direct to peer rejection. These
children don't notice how their behavior can affect, interrupt and irritate other children in class
and can have trouble with planning and follow-through in school. Furthermore, these kids can
be too intense and demanding and not realize it. They have problems when taking turns and as
a consequence friendships can fail. Self-control can be not manageable for these children and
can lead to physically aggression or meltdowns (Morin). Having social issues and attention
issues at the same time affects ADHD children's self esteem. Public schools have failed to meet
the social needs for children with ADHD, potentially decreasing their social and communication
abilities in the future.
Success for students with ADHD is reliant upon receiving appropriate intervention. The
"Individual With Disabilities Act" (IDEA) United State Federal Law provides special education
intervention for children 3 to 18 years old with disabilities. In 1997, an act amendment was
done so that special education disabilities children are allowed to receive services under the
Other Health Impairments (OHI) category of IDEA. This is called IDEA 97. Underwood questions
whether children are, in fact receiving the services to which they are entitled (Morin, 2004).
Underwood's study demonstrated that there were children not receiving the correct attention.

The evidence showed that the public school knew that the child was not doing well
because there was a record of repeated discipline incidents, an inability to attend, a lack
of academic progress, and impulsivity. Despite these facts, the school had not evaluated

Running Head: Accommodations in Public Schools for Children with ADHD

him for services under IDEA 97 and offered him only an accommodation plan (Donna J.
Underwood, 2004).

Underwood's findings may make one question how many other students are identified but
not provided an intervention. Furthermore, Underwood examines the importance of the
relationship between parent and teacher. Communication is essential with both parties to
help children with AD/HD. Without strong partnership; children lose the opportunity to
participate in programs they require. Parents have the task of looking out for their kids' best
interest, but public schools share this responsibility to meet students' needs, especially when
those needs are protected by federal law.

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Conclusion

ADHD is a neurodevelopment condition that is negatively impacting children's lives. It


can impact their education, families, and social relationships. The severity of the problem is
not being taken seriously by the public school system. The teachers are not being trained
adequately and the parents are not being equipped with the information and knowledge
they need. For these reasons and more is vital that the system at schools changes and have
more guidelines that primary focus on educational strategies that can help ADHD children.
When teachers implement IEP's or daily report cards and adopt strategies like (e.g. extra
time to complete work, behavior management plans, strong communication between
parents and teachers) for these children. Teachers and parents need to work together to
help ADHD students to succeed as students and persons in life.

Running Head: Accommodations in Public Schools for Children with ADHD

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