School accommodations for children and teenagers with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Abstract

Introduction: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 5-7% of children. Because of the major impact of this disorder on academic performance, it is essential to detect it early and to support the child at school. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of teachers in Wallonia and Brussels about ADHD and their perspectives on school accommodations. Materials and Method: A total of 79 questionnaires were completed by primary and secondary school teachers in Belgium. Results: 92.4% of teachers considered that untreated ADHD has deleterious consequences on school performance. 13.9% received training on ADHD during their initial training to become a teacher and 26.6% have completed a training on ADHD outside their initial training. 87.3% do not consider themselves sufficiently trained and 88.6% wish they were more trained on ADHD. Only 1.3% of teachers feel “very confident” about their capacities to detect a student with ADHD. Positive reinforcement is the most frequently used and useful accommodation according to teachers. A lack of knowledge, resources and time turned out to be the main difficulties for the implementation of accommodations. Conclusion: There is a need for more in-depth training on ADHD for teachers. This would allow them to better support pupils with ADHD and to acquire skills in applying accommodations to improve their academic experience, according to the decree on “reasonable accommodations” approved in December 2017. It is also necessary to reduce the barriers that prevent the successful implementation of these accommodations, such as the lack of time and resources, and to continue investigating their effectiveness.