ADHD school crisis: Nearly half of our teachers say they don’t know how to recognise the condition or help students with it
More than half of Australian teachers admit they cannot identify ADHD in students, with many turning to Google for guidance.
More than half of all teachers do not know how to recognise ADHD or support students with the condition, a new survey has found.
A study of more than 1000 teachers by Griffith University researchers Kathryn Gibbs and Leah Le found only 45 per cent said they have adequate knowledge and understanding of ADHD and can identify the condition in students.
A further 45 per cent said they do not have adequate knowledge or understanding, and 15 per cent are unsure.
In total, 79 per cent of teachers said their school needs to do more to support students with ADHD, with many calling for more professional development programs and online resources for teachers.
Seven in 10 teachers said their most common source of information about ADHD was Google, along with conversations with other teachers or discussions with school counsellors or learning support staff.
The findings come as around 8 per cent of Australian children are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – figure that has risen in recent years.
In the school setting, teachers are able to attribute imputed disability labels to students under the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) on disability, leading to twice as many students being considered to have ADHD or autism.
Of the one in four students who are now considered to have a disability in the school setting, almost half of them are categorised as having a social or emotional condition in some states such as the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Queensland.
Dr Gibbs – a senior lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University – said teachers were often asked advice by concerned parents, putting them on the spot.
“Teachers do a good job but their knowledge is very surface-level,” she said.
“They are teachers not medical professionals, and most don’t have any deep-level knowledge. Usually it’s psychiatrists or pediatricians or other trained clinicians that diagnose a child with ADHD.”
Dr Gibbs said teachers needed to be “mindful and careful of their language” when talking to parents.
“They should not say, ‘I think your child has ADHD’. They should use more inclusive language such as, ‘They are not meeting their academic goals and there is unwanted behaviour observed over a period of time’.”
She said teachers wanted access to more accurate information about ADHD. “They are turning to Google instead as it’s fast but it’s not always that accurate,” she said.
Dr Gibbs said the issue didn’t seem to be improving.
“Teachers are very busy and have many priorities in other areas, and they don’t think they have the knowledge they need in this area.”
Fifty-seven per cent of the teachers surveyed by Dr Gibbs were primary teachers, 28 per cent secondary and the remainder were from the early childhood, tertiary or other sectors.
One third came from NSW, 18 per cent from Queensland and Victoria, 17 per cent from Western Australia and the remaining from other states and territories. Just over half were from public schools, 20 per cent Catholic, 14 per cent private and 12 per cent other.
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Originally published as ADHD school crisis: Nearly half of our teachers say they don’t know how to recognise the condition or help students with it
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