This article begins by defining ADHD and how it manifests and what things you will see. Although ADHD impairs people in various settings, only the impact of the educational setting was discussed. The article discusses how ADHD impacts students such as lower reading scores, but this is not always the outcome. Proactive planning could be implemented such as limit setting at home or structured classrooms to lessen the impact of the disability on learning. The article shows how fast a student with ADHD can compound the negative effects of their learning. If a student is not included in a mainstream classroom, or they have to be pulled out for supportive services, even though they are benefitting from the pull outs, the removal from the classroom can have negative impacts on their learning. If a student is isolated in a "special" class, they are missing out on social skills, and watching peers for model behaviors and skills they may learn from them. There is a link between inattentive symptoms and academic performance and being aware of this correlation will assist teachers target specific behaviors and academic interventions. According to the article, keeping ADHD students completely immersed in general education classrooms where they lack one-on-one instruction are likely to increase academic difficulties. I disagree with this view point. I believe students should be included as much as possible in the general education classroom so they have the same opportunity to have the same education as a student who does not have a disability. I believe inclusion helps show all students the proper behaviors to model and they will see a variety of coping skills or learning strategies that they might not otherwise be exposed to. It sets the bar for all students. Some educational strategies that were cited as being successful were to modify tasks, teach specific skill strategies, provide homework focused interventions, completing functional assessments, self-monitoring and peer tutoring. In my personal experiences, I am in a self contained classroom with all special education students with varying degrees of disabilities. None of my students are ever mainstreamed during the day. I believe that some of my students would truly benefit from inclusion and they would be more successful in that environment. I found the article helpful in giving me specific strategies that work and the statistics of future success for ADHD students.
Citation: Daley, D.; Birchwood, J. Child: Care, Health & Development. Jul2010, Vol. 36 Issue 4, p455-464. 10p. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2009.01046.x.
