Ground Report

Without adequate support of the impairments of Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) many children suffer from low self-esteem and academic and social failure during their journey in school.

A study done at the University of California  Davis School of Medicine found that almost one-third of students with ADHD drop out or delay graduation from high school. “Supporting mental-health interventions for students may have a significant impact on reducing high school dropout,” said Elizabeth Miller, an assistant professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine specialist at University of California Davis Children’s Hospital. 

So what can we do to lower this incredible rate of failure?  More education of schools may be the key to increase the rate of diagnosis as well as treatment.  This can be facilitated by the education of parents by programs like Parent2Parent training classes developed by CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD.)  Who better to advocate for a child with ADHD than a parent who has gained important information about this medical diagnosis?

Schools need to know how the impairments of ADHD affect school performance.  As the child gets older, they are more impacted by executive function deficits.  Executive functioning really is like an umbrella that covers many cognitive areas like working memory, transitioning, organizational issues like planning and initiating, and time management.  It certainly can be imagined that all of the above are called on as the child grows older and there are more teachers, more long term projects, and different styles and expectations.  Without early support, it is no wonder that these children are not graduating from high school, the arena where so many of these changes persist and affect their success.

Early diagnosis can better happen if school personnel are in the position of understanding the red flags that create the necessity to encourage ADHD assessment.  Early intervention then can improve success by allowing these children to better understand themselves and use accommodations to overcome the impairments of ADHD.  The degree of impairment will determine how many accommodations and modifications will be necessary to be put in place.  In addition, it is imperative that a child learns self-advocacy.  He needs to understand himself and what he needs as he progresses through school.  In the early years, the parents advocate, teach, and support.  But as early as possible, the child needs to take some of the reigns of the journey to facilitate long term success and to promote a healthy self-esteem.