Teachers battling to support rising number of kids with ADHD in Victorian schools

Teachers are battling to support and manage a rising number of children diagnosed with ADHD, as parents say they are under pressure to medicate their kids.

Teachers are battling to support and manage a rising number of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Parents say they are under pressure to medicate their children and put them in special facilities as mainstream schools can’t cope with their diverse needs.

It comes as frustrated parents have bombarded a state government inquiry into education, sharing stories about children receiving detention and being told their child is not fit for a mainstream school because of their condition.

One parent, who was also a former teacher, said their daughter who had anxiety and ADHD, was constantly treated “like a naughty child” because she struggled in the classroom.

“Every single day my child faces discrimination for her disability, but because it is ‘just ADHD’ there is no acknowledgment that she deserves an equal educational experience to her peers,” the parent said.

Another parent shared how they received a letter from a school explaining there were “concerns about your child’s ability to cope with mainstream secondary school” because their daughter was neurodiverse.

“This was in a letter from a school, and it sums up my experience with school in general,” the parent said.

“They placed the problem with my child, and the burden on me to find (or create) a suitable learning environment – but the truth is, mainstream school has difficulty coping with diverse needs.”

Schools are struggling to support a growing number of children with ADHD.

Meanwhile a mum whose son attends a secondary college in Geelong, told the Herald Sun, a teacher pulled her son aside to allegedly ask him why he’s not on medication for his ADHD on the first day of term one.

“My son has had 11 years of discrimination for his ADHD,” the mum said.

“He is unmedicated which has bought up a lot of complicated issues with teachers and principals not accepting it.”

University of Melbourne developmental mental health paediatrics chair David Coghill is calling on the Department of Education to equip teachers with evidence-based strategies to help them support students with ADHD – a condition that affects concentration and impulse control.

Prof Coghill, who is also the president of the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association, said Victoria should explore strategies implemented in NSW schools as part of that state’s inclusive practice hub.

“(The strategies are) probably the best I’ve seen out there and it really shows the NSW Government is taking ADHD seriously,” he said.

“(Teachers learn) how to communicate with a child with ADHD, how to lay out the classroom … and how they can design and tailor inclusive activities that help the person with ADHD feel part of the class.”

A Victorian Department of Education spokesman said schools provide support to neurodiverse students through its Diverse Learners Hub.

“Schools work hard to give students the support they need to thrive at school and succeed in life, including those with diverse learning needs like ADHD,” he said.

“Established as part of the $1.6 billion Disability Inclusion reforms, the Diverse Learners Hub provides support and guidance to schools to support diverse learners, including those with ADHD.”