Attention Deficit Disorder as a factor in the origin of behavioural disturbance in schools

Abstract

The education of children with behavioural difficulties is under scrutiny from various quarters. The provision of specialised school environments isbeing questioned and, at the same time, there is pressure to minimise the exclusion of disruptive pupils. The study reported in this article lookedat a group of children whose behaviour had prompted placement in a school for emotionally and behaviourally disordered (EBD) pupils. The results showed the overall rate of psychiatric disturbance in the group was 86% and, in particular, that the rate of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was 70%. These findings suggest that a significant minority of disruptive pupils may have their difficulties compounded by the presence of ADHD, and raises the question of whether specific screening processes should be established for such pupils.

The prevalence of psychiatric disorder in children attending a school for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties

“…The diagnostic interviews therefore confirmed results from the questionnaires, indicating that children attending the EBD school have a high rate of psychiatric disorder across the diagnostic range. Despite differences in age range and geographical location, these results confirm the reports by Place et al (1999;, indicating that EBD children have a high prevalence of psychiatric disorder.…”

“…Given the poor prognosis of untreated psychiatric disorders, this paper supports the conclusions of Place et al (1999) that screening in this vulnerable population is a possible way forward towards identifying the children most in need of psychiatric input. Further thought needs to be given to this area.…”

“…It is of some interest that the current study identified comparatively higher levels of conduct disorder and lower levels of ADHD than that reported by Place et al (1999;. The levels of emotional disorders were comparable across studies.…”

“…One such systematic study (Place, Wilson, Martin & Hulsmeier, 1999;Place et al, 2000), of an EBD school for children aged 6-13 in the North of England, identified an alarmingly high prevalence of psychiatric disorder in the school population, particularly with regard to ADHD, but including high rates of depression and anxiety. The authors discussed the existing controversy around the concept of ADHD as a distinct entity, but went on to conclude that ADHD in particular, and psychiatric disorder in various forms, play a significant role in the complex presentation of the children attending the EBD school studied.…”

The Comorbidity of ADHD in the General Population of Saudi Arabian School-Age Children

“…This could be in addition to the problem of the validity of ADHD criteria that requires screening patients for ADHD using a minimum of two settings or more. ADHD may become apparent in some situations and may not in some (Place, Wilson, Martin, & Hulsmeier, 1999). However, current findings emphasize the need to collect data from both teachers and parents when assessing ADHD.…”