Should teachers of children correctly diagnosed adhd have more training?

Question

and should those with ADHD and other mild LDs be separated from those without so they can get the level of interaction they need to be successful?

Answer 1

Teachers cannot diagnose a child with ADHD or ADD. Children who have been properly diagnosed with either of these by a physician are able to receive help in school through special classes which are small and have a trained, licensed teacher in special education. I do not believe these children should be pulled from their regular ed. classes for long periods of time. It is just as important for these students to have interaction with their peers. In NC, these children are pulled for specific subjects to have extra help in areas needed. Teachers who suspect there may be a problem should seek help from the school teacher support team. This gives them help in understanding how to make the most of the classroom experience and determines what type of help the child needs. I do think all teachers should take the initiative to educate themselves and attend workshops that deal with these disorders. Most school districts offer some type of releavant training.

Answer 2

Hi, I am a teacher, although i stopped teaching last year, mainly because i found it difficult to control the class. ( These were 8/9 year olds who DIDN'T even have adhd) I have worked as a supply teacher so have seen a lot of classrooms with a variety of children with different degrees of adad and autism. I personally don't think children with extreme autism or adhd should be in the same environment as 'mainstreem 'children. The children with these problems take up too much of the teacher's time. It is unfair on the rest of the class. It's very difficult to give every child the same amount of individual attention but sometimes a huge percentage of our time is taken up dealing with major behaviour problems. Whole class teaching time is also often disrupted. Children with problems would benifit from specialised care by people trained in the areas of adhd, it is too much to ask of teachers to do it whilst trying to give 29 other children a good education. It is also in the best interests of all involved. Also i have found that children with ADHD are excused for their behaviour because of their condition, yet the other children in the class would get into serious trouble if they repeated the same sort of behaviour. It sends mixed messages to the class and also shows them that the teacher isn't in control. Not good. I don't mean to offend anyone and admit i am quite naive about the conditions of adhd ( and autism) which I believe is the case of a lot of teachers out there, therefore making it more difficult to deal with.

Answer 3

You would not have very many students left in the classroom. We do receive training on how to work with students with ADHD and other challenges. They are not the problem. It is the students that act up because they feel entitled to act up that are the problem. Give me students with ADHD ANYDAY over the little brats that I deal with on a daily basis. Those are the kids that when I call home for help from a parent, I understand why the kids act the way they do.

Answer 4

Teachers should NOT diagnose ADHD... that's for the testing psychologist to determine or a physician. I see no reason why ADHD students should be separated from others as long as they are taking their medication and/or not a threat to themselves or to others. I've taught for over 20 years, and I usually have at least one ADHD student each year... has NEVER been a problem.

Answer 5

First of all, ADHD is not a learning disability, but a behavior disorder categorized as Other Health Impaired to avoid the E/BD stigma.

Secondly, YES, most teachers (especially regular ed) either have not had adequate training, or have ignored it almost completely, and still see ADHD as a willpower issue rather than something out of the child's control and requiring alternative approaches. It is horribly aggravating to those of us who are trained and committed to these students.

Thirdly, while FULL inclusion is a nasty horror that should be avoided (looks wonderful on paper, and in highly-staffed research projects, but is often understaffed using untrained personnel in practice)....

There is a reason for our having a continuum of services (Least Restrictive Environment). Every student should be placed in as much general education AS IS ACADEMICALLY AND BEHAVIORALLY EFFECTIVE for that student. That phrase is often forgotten, sacrificed for building staffing and programming concerned, etc.

I have several students who are very successful with a 1/2 hour end-of-day "study skills" support with otherwise full, unsupported inclusion. I have other students who only see me for Language Arts, and yet others who see me for Lang. Arts and math. We have other classrooms for fully self-contained students.

Our goal is always to build enough skills in our students to have them become ready to move more into the general education environment, but it has to be student-driven.

Of course, there's always the student or two who doesn't fit our current programs, and administration is always struggling between underfunding and student need, but we do pretty good.

Unfortunately, our school's adherence to the spirit of IDEA is not found in many schools.

More auditing of IEPs needs to be done by state DOE's.

Answer 6

Their day should be divided into two parts..one where they get extra help and one where they are in a regular classroom. This way they can be like everyone else and still get help they need.
Teachers need better training to understand ADHD but school boards are more interested in the cost to educate a special child.
One of our teachers can get special training for $500 and she would be only one in system with the training. School Board says it's too much to spend.Of course she can't pay for it herself.

Answer 7

LEAGALLY they can't as they accept liability for all medical stuff when they do. I am a teacher and have been advised that this is a BIG NO-NO because if I tell a parent that in the state of Texas, my school district will then have to pay for everything that the diagnosis envolves.
I teach Special ED and separating is not a good choice unless the child's test scores indicate a learning disability curve that puts him/her within the realms of Special Ed. This is how it is in Texas, anyway.

Answer 8

yes i was diagnosed with adhd when i was younger and all my teachers didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. they stuck me in special ed with all the retards and f*ck ups. that was in the 80's though. now its a little better i think.

Answer 9

I think they should,in order to know how to handle them correctly,and not to just handle them as a child who "acts up" and punish them for things they might not be able to control. As for a special class,yes,if they're interrupting the other children,I would say so.

Answer 10

Thank the good lord that Mojo jo jo has left education!

Teachers who spell poorly, and I AM one of them, owe it to our students to model the appropriate practice of using the dictionary and proofreading.