FOCUS ON PRACTICE: Including students with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder in mainstream schools

Abstract

Around 80% of pupils with attention deficit disorders are educated in mainstream schools. The difficulties relating to inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity experienced by such pupils present mainstream educators with a unique set of challenges and opportunities. In this article, Neil Humphrey, Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Education at the University of Manchester, presents and discusses key evidence-based strategies and approaches to facilitate the inclusion of pupils affected by attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). These include the need to reframe AD/HD, to understand the role of medication, to minimise distractions, to provide predictability, structure and routine, and to apply cognitive and behavioural strategies.

The Schooling Experience of Adolescent Boys with AD/HD: An Australian Case Study

“…Proponents of this view have suggested that the symptoms of AD/HD may refer to a set of behaviours that are not necessarily pathological (Deault, 2010;Hughes, 2007a;Sava, 2000;Visser & Jehan, 2009) and view the clusters of behaviours associated with AD/HD as part of the normal continuum of human behaviour, although the behaviours may indeed lie at the extreme end of currently prescribed social norms (Humphrey, 2009;Lee et al, 2008;Sagvolden, Johansen, Aase, & Russell, 2005).…”

What is Inclusive Didactics? Teachers’ Understanding of Inclusive Didactics for Students with EBD in Swedish Mainstream Schools

“…According to Humphrey (2009), effective strategies and approaches based on research and professional knowledge in the area of inclusion of students with EBD should allow increased opportunities for verbal participation and lessons with frequent but short breaks between activities. All tasks should be broken down into small, manageable chunks.…”

Determinanty inkluzivního vzdělávání dětí s ADHD

“…Lze tedy říci, že jsou následně spjaty s oslabením ve funkcích a schopnostech zodpovědných za řízení, regulaci a integraci chování. Mezi tyto funkce řadíme autoregulaci, pozornost, úroveň aktivace a reaktibility, cílesměrnost, sebekontrolu, řeč (Cubillo, Halari, Smith, Taylor, Rubia 2012;Humphrey 2009;Michalová 2007;Šturma 1997).…”