How School Support May Help ADHD Children

One-to-one support and a focus on self-regulation may improve academic outcomes of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a new study suggests. ADHD refers to a chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. 

"Children with ADHD are of course all unique. It's a complex issue and there is no one-size-fits-all approach," said Tamsin Ford, Professor from the University of Exeter in the UK. 

"However, our research gives the strongest evidence to date that non-drug interventions in schools can support children to meet their potential in terms of academic and other outcomes," said Ford. 

For the study, published in the journal Review of Education, the team found 28 randomised control trials on non-drug measures to support children with ADHD in schools. 

They found that important aspects of successful interventions for improving the academic outcomes of children are when they focus on self-regulation and are delivered in one-to-one sessions. 

According to the study, self-regulation is hard for children who are very impulsive and struggle to focus attention. In addition, the children were set daily targets which were reviewed via a card that the child carried between home and school and between lessons in school and rewards were given for meeting targets. 

While research shows that medication is effective, it does not work for all children, and is not acceptable to some families. 

"More and better quality research is needed but in the mean-time, schools should try daily report cards and to increase children's ability to regulate their emotions. These approaches may work best for children with ADHD by one-to-one delivery," Ford noted.

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