ADHD in Lebanese schools: Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment

Abstract

This new book brings together the latest research about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Lebanon. It specifically addresses issues related to assessing, diagnosing, and treating students with ADHD in Lebanese schools. The book is primarily written for teachers, counselors, principals, and researchers. It also addresses specialists who are working with children with ADHD and special educational needs. The structure of chapters addresses what teachers and practitioners should do when dealing with issues related to ADHD. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of ADHD and the types of difficulty which children with the disorder experience at school. The aims, rationale, and significance of the research study on which this book is based are outlined. In Chap. 2 we discuss how the concept of ADHD has evolved over time and then move on to an examination of the prevalence, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of the disorder. In addition, we look at teachers' knowledge and perceptions of ADHD. We then describe in Chap. 3 the research study that we undertook and how we set about answering our two research questions, which aimed to investigate Lebanese elementary school teachers' knowledge of ADHD and how the gender of students with the disorder affects teachers' perceptions of ADHD subtypes. The research findings are presented in Chap. 4, and we discuss teachers' general knowledge about ADHD as well as their understanding of the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the condition. In addition we provide an overview of ADHD in the specific context of Lebanon. Chapter 5 concludes the book with a discussion of what constitutes teacher's knowledge and perceptions of ADHD and the need for training to be provided for teachers and services to be offered to students. We consider the implications of the research and make recommendations for strategies that will benefit both students and teachers alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved). (preface)