Academic Article Post

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD): Primary School Teachers' Knowledge of Symptoms, Treatment, and Managing Classroom Behavior

My article consisted of a study of teachers in South Africa and their knowledge of ADHD. "ADHD is one of the most chronic conditions of childhood. Teachers are a valuable source of information with regard to referral and diagnosis of the disorder. They also play a major role in creating an environment that is conducive to academic, social and emotional success for children with ADHD." (Tompkin, p.1) The basis of the study was to find out if teachers need more training in classroom management, specifically for students who are diagnosed with ADHD. Classroom management is essential especially for students who are diagnosed ADHD because it helps with their treatment regime. It is important for teachers to see the characteristics of ADHD because they are the ones providing the information for diagnosing ADHD and teachers frequently make the initial referral for and ADHD assessment because students are not able to follow the structured school environment. Trainings would need to include symptoms and treatment of diagnosing ADHD and managing behavior of the child in the classroom. It was shown that teachers who lacked an understanding, tolerance, and knowledge of ADHD learners they pretended not to see behavioral problems, or shut the learner out from class lessons. (Tompkin, p.2). 

Each educator in the study took a questionnaire that consisted of 36 items that measured the teachers' understanding and perceptions of ADHD. The responses were indicated as incorrect, correct, and don't know. The results indicated 65% of teacher answered correctly when identifying the symptoms and diagnosis of ADHD in children.  36% of teachers answered correctly for general associated features, and 40% answered correctly for treatment of ADHD. A response that had the lowest correct responses was "in very young children (less than 4 years old), the problem behaviors of ADHD children are distinctly different from age appropriate behaviors of children without ADHD. " Children in early childhood it is hard to distinguish ADHD at this age because they are maturing and and behavior can mimic that of a child that is typically developing. The study also asked if the teachers had training or access to resources and according to the study 82% of teachers had training on educating students with ADHD and 42% of teachers had access to resources for teaching children with ADHD. This article shows there is some lack of knowledge and misconceptions when teaching students with ADHD. According to the article training should be more readily available when it come to identifying ADHD since teachers are often the first person to make a referral for ADHD assessment. If teachers can make referrals in the primary grades interventions can be in place for the student that will help them with academic achievement. Teachers may need more strategies in the classroom for interventions and accommodations for ADHD students. 

As a teacher you know certain techniques and strategies for working with children who are diagnosed with ADHD. Each child is unique and show different symptoms. It is a process to identify the child and figure out what works that specific child. As a teacher, my only training in working with children with ADHD was in college and reading a chapter about it. Once I was in my own classroom and I had a student who was diagnosed with ADHD and I had my fellow teachers give me advice on handling this child and helping him become successful in the classroom. As a teacher I find it more of a challenge working with children with the impulsive behaviors. That is an area in which training should be more readily available. I have to seek out my own training by going to professional developments. 

I thought this article was somewhat useful but there were some elements in the article I did not agree with, such as, teachers are the ones providing the information for diagnosing ADHD. I agree that we are presenting to parents and pediatricians our ratings on the Connors Scale but as parents and teachers we are a team working to help and benefit the child. I do agree it's important to recognize symptoms of ADHD to present to parents and why they may not be making the achievement they should be in the classroom. All in all, there should be more information and trainings available to novice teachers on working with ADHD students and managing the child's behavior in the classroom to help make the child successful in school. 

Topkin, B., Roman, N. V., & Mwaba, K. (2015). Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD): Primary School Teachers' Knowledge of               Symptoms, Treatment and Managing Classroom Behaviour. South African Journal Of Education, 35(2),