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printer friendlyObtaining Educational Services
for Children with ADHD
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(Please note that the information presented below is based on procedures used by the public schools in the state and county where I practice. Procedures in different counties and states will vary, but should be somewhat similar to what is described below.)
If you believe that your child may require special services at school because of problems related to ADHD, it is important to understand the process by which these services can be obtained. Public schools have certain procedures that must be followed prior to providing special services for any child. These procedures are outlined below.
Parents can request that their child be evaluated by the school to receive special services at any time. Such requests may also be initiated by a child's teacher. (When parents initiate a request, it is a good idea to do this in writing and to retain a dated copy.) If the evaluation is initiated by the school, parents should be notified of the screening procedures to be conducted and will be asked to provide their written consent for this to be done.
The initial stages of a school based evaluation will generally include hearing and vision screenings, classroom observations of the child, and intellectual and academic screening tests. The child's teacher will complete a standardized behavior rating form, and parents will often be asked to complete a similar form. Parents may also be interviewed about their child's developmental history. Referral for a medical evaluation to help determine whether ADHD is an appropriate diagnosis may also be recommended.
In addition to gathering this information, there will also be two specific interventions implemented within the child's regular classroom for a 4-6 week period. These interventions will be designed to target behaviors specifically related to the suspected ADHD (i.e. not completing assignments, not following class rules). It should be noted that public schools will require that these interventions be implemented prior to providing any additional services, even if the child has already been diagnosed with ADHD by a physician. The reason for this is that the school wants to learn whether a child's educational needs can be effectively addressed within the context of the regular classroom.
At the conclusion of this 6 week period, members of the Student Assistance Team (i.e. those individuals at the school who are responsible for making determinations about the need for special services) will review the information collected to decide on the next step. If the child has been diagnosed with ADHD by a physician, and the interventions tried within the classroom were successful, it is likely that an "accommodation" plan will be written for the child. This plan will describe the accommodations that need to be made for the child to be successful in the regular classroom. For example, the child may be required to be seated near the teacher, to have reduced assignments, to have extra time on exams, to have teachers review and initial a daily homework log, etc. Once this plan is written, the child's teachers are required to implement it. Parents should be active participants in the meeting where this plan is developed, and should receive a copy of it in writing.
Dr. David Rabiner is a child psychologist and Senior Research Scientist at Duke University.and produces a monthly online newsletter, Attention Research Update, that helps parents, professionals, and educators keep informed about new research on ADHD. To sign up for a free subscription, please visit http://www.helpforadd.com.
