Researchers have not identified a primary cause of ADHD. They believe that it is probably related to a combination of biology, genetics, and the student's environment" (Powell & Driver, 2013, Section 5.4). While you may encounter very young children who exhibit behaviors similar to the characteristics of ADHD, it is unlikely that they will be specifically diagnosed with ADHD. However, when working with school-aged children, it is more likely that you will encounter students who have been diagnosed with ADHD because "ADHD affects approximately 3-10% of school-age students" (Powell & Driver, 2013, Section 5.1). For this reason, it is important to understand this condition in order to have a plan of action should you or a parent suspect ADHD, and to know how to support those children who do. For this discussion post, you will create an information sheet that can be given to a new teacher explaining ADHD in the classroom. It can include pictures, but it must include information regarding:
- All three types of ADHD
- The possible causes (you must include information regarding each possible cause: biology, genetics and environment)
- The importance of a medical diagnosis and why
- Possible signs and symptoms
- The IDEA category it fits under
- How IEP or 504 plans can help a child with ADHD in the classroom
- To show this, provide an example of a student diagnosed with ADHD along with the proposed solution. This can be an actual child you know (just be sure to exclude the child's real name) or it can be a hypothetical child.