Education of students with ADHD

Abstract

Abstract: Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impulsivity, hyperactivity, and attention problems. These symptoms significantly affect the school and social life of students with ADHD, causing very often reduced school achievement. The aim of this paper is to familiarize with specificities of schooling students with ADHD. A review of available and relevant literature was performed by searching electronic databases Google Scholar, Serbian Library Consortium for Coordinated Acquisition (KOBSON), HRČAK portal of Croatian scientific and professional journals that offer open access to their works, as well as available printed books. The search was done through the search engines ScienceDirect, Ebscohost, SpringerLink and WileyInterScience. Numerous abilities of students that are important for schooling are in deficit. The cognitive specificities of students with ADHD are most often related to mild deficits and learning difficulties (reading, writing, and math). Poorer quality of verbal working memory, later language adoption, less developed vocabulary, short-term maintenance of attention, tendency towards fast transition from one activity to another and distractibility are just some of the common features of cognition of students with ADHD. Problems in motor development are registered, as well as in conative abilities. Students with ADHD are at risk of academic and social failure, and during schooling they have significantly lower average value of school grades for theoretical subjects compared to peers of typical development. Adapting the school environment to these students can significantly help in execution of school tasks. It is important to establish predictable routines, clear rules and restrictions. There are more and more of these students who are educated in regular schools, so the current question is which type of education is more efficient in this case. The paper provides recommendations for adjustments in school work with students with ADHD. The most important thing is to emphasize the importance of achieving optimal results in the education of these students, which must include the support of special educators-oligophrenologists, because teachers from regular schools do not have knowledge about methods and modifications of work within this disorder.