Intervening with ADHD Adolescents
in the Schools

Arthur L. Robin, Ph.D., Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Page 1:

1. Developmental Demands of Secondary Education
(Mercer & Mercer, 1993):

A. Becoming a more independent learner

B. Gaining information from printed materials

C. Gaining information from lectures

D. Demonstrating knowledge through tests

E. Expressing information in writing

F. Working independently

G. Demonstrating a broad set of cognitive and metacognitive strategies

H. Interacting appropriately with same and opposite-sexed peers and adults

I. Demonstrating motivation to learn

A. Distractible, inattentive youngster may not pay attention to printed materials or lectures long enough to obtain useful information

B. Will certainly have difficulty becoming an independent learner and demonstrating knowledge through testing.

C. Impulsive youngsters may have major handwriting problems and make many careless mistakes

D. Impairments in prolongation, separation of affect, internalization, and reconstitution (4 abilities impaired according to Barkley) may interfere with development of higher order cognitive skills

E. Impulsivity and poor attention to social skills may retard development of peer relationships

F. Failure to complete homework and in-class assignments

G. Low test grades and failing report cards

H. Poor comprehension of what they read

I. Poor study habits and memorization skills

J. Coming to class unprepared

K. Poor classroom participation and poor note-taking, listening

L. Illegible handwriting

M. Failing to ask for help when needed

N. Disruptive behavior

O. Truancy

P. Associated learning disabilities

A. High intellectual ability

B. Lack of challenge of average school curriculum

C. Close parental/teacher monitoring

D. Mild to moderate severity of ADHD symptoms

E. No real conduct problems or hyperactivity (especially in girls)

A. "ADD adversely affects educational performance to the extent that a significant discrepancy exists between a child's intellectual ability and that child's productivity with respect to listening, following directions, planning, organizing, or completing academic assignments which require reading, writing, spelling, or mathematical calculations."

B. Put simply, this is a way to operationalize the concept of "not working up to potential." It focuses on assignments completed in a timely fashion, the quantity of work done per unit time. This is the area where ADHD students fall down the most in school. Grades or achievement scores are not the primary criteria for judging the need for extra help.

C. IQ is easily assessed through our standardized tests.

D. Productivity is assessed through obtaining work samples of the student's tasks. Use representative homework and in-class assignments. But take into account teacher demands, e.g. compare with other children in the same class.

1. Calculate percentage of work completed and percentage completed correctly during written assignments over approximately a two-week period.

2. Obtain similar data for the child's non-disabled peers, e.g. the class average.

3. Is the ADHD child getting less done per unit time that non-disabled peers?

4. Is the ADHD child's work less accurate than non-disabled peers?

5. Is the ADHD child getting less work done than would be expected for a child of his/her IQ?

6. Is the ADHD child's work less accurate than would be expected for a child of his/her IQ?

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