Chapter 9

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders

Special Education for Today’s Teachers: An Introduction, Second Edition

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 Focus Questions
• How is attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) defined and classified?
• What are the primary characteristics of
ADHD?
• How many students are identified with
ADHD, and what are the causes of this
disability?
• How are students with ADHD identified?
(continued)

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 Focus Questions
• How effective is medication in addressing
the symptoms of students with ADHD?
• What interventions are effective in
improving academic and social outcomes
for students with ADHD?
• What prevailing controversial issues are
related to students with ADHD?

Special Education for Today’s Teachers: An

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 Chapter Objectives
• Explain how attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder is defined and classified

• Identify the primary characteristics of

ADHD

• Discuss how many students with ADHD

are identified and the causes of this
disability
(continued)

Special Education for Today’s Teachers: An

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 Chapter Objectives
• Discuss the effectiveness of medication
in addressing the symptoms of students
with ADHD
• Explain which interventions are effective
in improving academic and social
outcomes for students with ADHD
• Define the prevailing controversial issues
that are related to students with ADHD

Special Education for Today’s Teachers: An

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 Definitions and Classification
Criteria
 Defining ADHD
 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (4th ed.)
 “A persistent pattern of inattention and/or
hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently
displayed and more severe than is typically
observed in individuals at a comparable level of
development” (p. 85).

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 Definitions and Classification
Criteria
 Classification Criteria for ADHD
 Predominately hyperactive-impulsive type
 Predominately inattentive type
 Combined type
 Served under the other health impaired
category
 “Other health impairment means having
limited strength, vitality or alertness…”
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 Definitions and Classification
Criteria
 Section 504
 used to provide service if the ADHD does
not adversely affect the student’s
educational performance as required by
IDEA.
 A student eligible under Section 504 must
receive reasonable accommodations in a
general education classroom.

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 Definitions and Classification
Criteria
 Major Characteristics of Students with
ADHD
 Social and Behavioral Disorders
 Difficulty getting along with peers
 Academic Difficulties
 Conduct problems contribute to lowered
academic achievement
 Lack of organizational skills, lack of sustained
attention to tasks, and problems monitoring
and controlling behavior
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 Prevalence, Course, and
Causal Factors
 Prevalence
 Most common behavior disorder among
children
 More boys identified with ADHD than girls
 More common among children from low
socioeconomic groups

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 Prevalence, Course, and
Causal Factors
 Prevalence estimates for ADHD vary
because
 Difference among individuals in defining
terms associated with ADHD
 Behavior of children vary depending on the
measurement procedures that are used in
assessment
 The context in which the behavior occurs
influence prevalence rates
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 Prevalence, Course, and
Causal Factors
 The Course of ADHD
 Most children with ADHD are identified in
elementary school
 During adolescence, students with ADHD
remain significantly more active and
inattentive
 For some adolescents, ADHD persists into
adulthood in an altered form
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 Prevalence, Course, and
Causal Factors
 Causal Factors
 Brain Injury
 Brain Abnormalities
 Hereditary Influences
 Family Influences

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 Identification and Assessment
 Screening and Identification
 Screening
 In schools, teachers are typically the first to
notice symptoms of ADHD
 Teachers should not recommend to a parent that
a student be referred for evaluation for ADHD
 Determining Eligibility for Services
 Determination of whether a student has ADHD is
ultimately made by a physician

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 Educational Practices
 Service Delivery
 Most students with ADHD are included in
general education classrooms
 Early Intervention
 ADHD symptoms are noted before a child enters
school
 Parent-mediated intervention is an effective
strategy
 Success requires home-school partnerships

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 Educational Practices
 Classroom Interventions
 Self-regulation strategies

 Computer technology

 Structuring and managing classrooms

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 Interventions and the Use of
Medication
 Research on Medication
 Low to moderate doses of stimulant

medication or amphetamine are most

effective treatments
 Considerations about Medication and ADHD
 What type of medication and dosage

 Whether short-acting or slow-release forms

 Close monitoring of potential side effects

and the effect on child’s behavior

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 Transition to Adult Life
Considerations
 Vocational Support
 Many adults with ADHD can be successful
 Those with extreme forms of ADHD
symptoms may have difficulties with
employment
 A job coach can provide assistance if necessary
 Support in Higher Education

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 Prevailing Issues, Controversies,
and Implications for the Teachers
 Are Too Many Children Identified with
ADHD?

 Should Medication Be Used As a Major

Intervention for ADHD?

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