Roles of the School in Making the Assessment of ADHD

People with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly receive that diagnosis in elementary school as teachers and others outside the child's family become familiar with this behavior. Teachers play a critical role in the process as they are able to observe children during times of intense concentration as well as play.

Observation

• Teachers are able to observe the behaviors of one child in comparison to hundreds of others they have seen in their classrooms. Parents may think their child is simply loud or boisterous, but teachers are more readily able to recognize that behaviors are out of the range of normal. Teachers play a crucial role in observing a child and communicating concerns with parents.

Evaluation

• As a child goes through a clinical evaluation for ADHD, the clinician may want the teacher's evaluation of the student. This evaluation may include academic information as well as an evaluation of the child's classroom behavior and social skills.

Assessment

• When parents have an initial diagnosis of ADHD, or are heading in that direction with their healthcare providers, they should have teachers begin to observe differences in a child's functionality after starting medication or nutrition therapy. Teachers can give reports to parents about a child's progress, which can help rule ADHD in or out and help determine what treatment works best.

Planning

• An IEP is an Individualized Educational Plan. This plan is in place to ensure that school officials meet the needs of children with special concerns. The process of putting an IEP into place should involve the teacher's opinion, because she is in the best place to know what skills are problematic for the child. Teachers should be participants in every discussion regarding a child's future educational needs.