Teacher Perceptions of the Incidence and Management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Introduction During the past two decades, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ("ADHD") has become one of the most widely publicized conditions affecting American school-age children. Many researchers agree that approximately five percent of the school-age population has ADHD (Taylor, 1997; Armstrong, 1996; Shelley-Tremblay and Rosen, 1996; Appalachia Educational Laboratory, 1995b). Although this estimate varies slightly among studies, from three to nine percent, ADHD is the most common of all pediatric psychiatric disorders (Taylor, 1997). Based on these figures, a study of teachers' perception of ADHD is warranted, particularly due to the sociological argument that the disorder may often be socially constructed (Conrad, 1975, 1980; Brown, 1995). This study provides empirical evidence that teachers' perception of incidence of ADHD in their classrooms often greatly exceeds the accepted average incidence level of five percent. Furthermore, the study showed that many teachers believe that medication is warranted for the control of the behaviors that are characteristic of ADHD, even when that teacher believes that ADHD is not a biological condition. This empirical support for the social construction hypothesis demonstrates the need for proper education regarding ADHD, so that fewer students will face the stigma that is often associated with this diagnosis. The diagnosis of ADHD is often accompanied with a prescription for medication to control the unwanted behaviors. These behaviors include, but are not limited to, excessive talking and fidgeting, an inability to concentrate on tasks for appropriate lengths of time, impulsiveness, carelessness and disorganization (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Some researchers have argued, however, that environmental factors can play a large role in the diagnosis of ADHD (Conrad, 1975; Appalachia Educational Laboratory, 1995a; Armstrong, 1996). The behaviors manifested by children labeled with ADHD may, in part, be a result of the child's environment rather than a biological difference. The educational environment of the child may lead the child to exhibit negative behaviors that are uncharacteristic of him or her outside the academic setting, and which may disappear given a change in the academic setting (Armstrong, 1996). Literature Review As the number of children diagnosed with the disorder has grown, the subject of ADHD has become the focus of much debate and criticism, particularly among researchers who argue that children are being labeled much too quickly and without the proper testing (Armstrong, 1996; Smelter, et al., 1996). A diagnosis of ADHD may serve as an explanation for unruly behavior, which points the blame at the child rather than at the child's environment (Smelter, et al., 1996). Medical researchers argue that the behaviors that are characteristically defined as "ADHD" are the result of neurological malfunctioning in the brain (Bean, Berry, and Bond, 1996; Shelley-Tremblay and Rosen, 1996; Quinn, 1997; Taylor, 1997). One possible result of this medical diagnosis of ADHD is that it absolves the child and parent of responsibility for the child's social and academic shortcomings (Smelter, et al., 1996). Smelter, et al. argue that parents take their child to a physician, who diagnoses the child with ADHD, and suddenly the child is no longer viewed as having a discipline problem, but as a child that suffers from a medical disorder. The "disorder", not the child, can then be controlled with medication. Although social scientists and educational researchers do not refute the presumption that a neurological or biological difference may exist, they are concerned that the "illness" may often be socially constructed and over-diagnosed. Moreover, among children who may have a genetic predisposition to exhibit behaviors that are characteristic of ADHD, the traditional educational environment may cause these behaviors to become more pronounced. …