EXAMINING CLASSROOM-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH ADHD-ASSOCIATED ACADEMIC ISSUES PRE-DIAGNOSIS

Abstract

This study examined the timing of teacher responses to student issues associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), pre-diagnosis, in the general education setting. Amid widespread concerns over an overextension of the medical model, this study examined educational treatment of ADHD-linked student issues isolated from other treatments, from discovery of need for intervention to possible referral for special education or medical testing. Data were collected in a large, high performing, suburban school district through semi-structured interviews of elementary and middle school teachers who served as key informants on the timing and context of key intervention milestones in a single school year. The findings of this study show that, while early intervention was common across participants, persistence in adapting interventions to increase personalization through an entire school year was characteristic of only the most successful. Teachers’ self-reported process-oriented successes and outcomes-oriented successes were used to distinguish treatments and explore associations between persistent intervention timelines, collaborative approach, and dispositions toward challenges.