A national survey looked at whether U.S. children and teens with ADHD were getting help at school. The children were aged 4 to 17, all had held an ADHD diagnosis for at least two years, and all information came from a parent. Most were getting at least one school service (69.3%). Educational support was almost twice as common as classroom behavior management (62.3% versus 32.0%). More children had a special-education plan called an IEP than had a Section 504 plan (42.9% versus 13.6%).
Some children were more likely to be getting help. Those with both academic and social difficulties were about 3.7 times as likely to have received educational support as children with no such difficulties (OR 3.74). Children who also had a learning or thinking disorder were more likely again, about 7.7 times (OR 7.68). Younger children got more help than teens. A 504 plan was more common for children from English-speaking homes and those with private insurance.
The authors found a gap. About 87.7% of these children had academic or social difficulties, but only 69.3% were getting any school service, leaving roughly one in five impaired but not served. This was most common among teens and children from non-English-speaking or lower-income families.
The authors suggest school staff could do more to find and support students with ADHD who have significant impairment but no help.
Source: George J. DuPaul, Andrea Chronis‐Tuscano, Melissa L. Danielson, et al.. Predictors of Receipt of School Services in a National Sample of Youth With ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders (2018). doi:10.1177/1087054718816169