Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): identification, assessment, contextual and curricular variability in boys at KS1 and KS2 in mainstream schools.

The concept of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children presents conceptually controversial and practical challenges on several levels. These include the theoretical basis of the disorder, its manifestations in everyday life and identification and assessment procedures. The field has attracted considerable attention from professionals in the areas of education, psychology and health. One of the major areas where ADHD behaviours can present problems is in school settings.

The present research derives from, and addresses, English educational perspectives and practices, based in school settings. It was primarily concerned with seeking new insights and generating testable hypotheses concerning incidence, multi-professional identification, assessment and management of the condition and situational variability in ADHD symptoms in schools. The exploratory study was in two related parts. These were undertaken concurrently using a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques and data gathering methods.

Part 1 of the research was based on detailed analyses of data from the first countywide ADHD survey covering all schools in a Local Education Authority in the West Midlands (LEA 1) in 2003. Data pertaining specifically to pupils at key stages 1/2 have been extracted from the 2003 survey data and subjected to further descriptive analyses. Comparisons have been made with findings from five other LEA school surveys in order to obtain a more extensive appraisal of the reported incidence of the disorder.

Part 2 adopted a case study approach in which data-gathering techniques included the use of field notes, a range of interviews, analysis of documents and observation. Two classroom observation schedules have been devised and used extensively over a two-year period throughout six individual case studies in schools within LEA 1. The case studies have produced a wide range of unique data on the variability of ADHD symptoms across curricular contexts and over time.

The findings and hypotheses generated in the present research have significance for inclusive educational practice, highlighting the importance of multi-professional approaches to the identification and management of ADHD and pedagogical and curricular flexibility in schools. These form part of the Government’s ongoing reform of children’s services as set out in Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003) and Removing Barriers to Achievement (DfES, 2004a).