Are we listening to children with adhd paula flynn 21 september 2011

ARE WE LISTENING TO CHILDREN WITH ADHD?Paula FlynnSchool of EducationTrinity College Dublin
ADHD AWARENESS WEEK
HADD Information Evening 20th September 2011

I’m going to lose my temper in a minute.
I would rather have ADHD than be normal.
Pig head.
I’m hoping that the positive side of their ADHD is going to take them forward.
I wouldn’t want to um not have it, cause it’s just the way I am.
I wouldn’t be me

I’m Me
Inclusive
Methods in
Mainstream
Education

OVERVIEW
The importance of listening authentically to the voice of the child with ADHD
Contextual framework of study
Interventions that were generated from a small scale pupil voice project
Emergent themes from preliminary analysis
Implications

PUPIL VOICE
UNCRC 1989 (Article 12)
NATIONAL CHILDREN’S STRATEGY 2000
Aims
Three national goals
Pupil Voice Research: Consultation, Participation, Authentic Listening, Transformation (Rudduck and McIntyre, 2007)
Those who shout the loudest....(Tangen 2009)

CONTEXT
Inclusion
Challenging Behaviour, Disaffection, Social Exclusion
Social, Emotional and/or Behavioural Difficulties

WHAT ARE SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND/OR BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES?
SEBD, BESD, ESBD or EBD
Students with EBD may have conditions such as
Neurosis,
childhood psychosis,
ADD, ADHD,
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Conduct Disorder
(Special Education Support Services)

STUDENTS WITH SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND/OR BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES
A student with such difficulties will present with varying degrees of behaviours that impinge on their learning and/or social development. At times their behaviour may also impact on the learning of others in the classroom.

Guidelines from DFEE (UK) May 2008
Characteristics of BESD
Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD)
being withdrawn
isolated
disruptive
disturbing
being hyperactive
lacking concentration
having immature social skills
presenting challenging behaviours arising from other complex special needs
emotional disorders
conduct disorders
hyperkinetic disorders
attention deficit disorder ADD
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]
Children and young people whose behavioural difficulties may be less obvious, for example:
those with anxiety
who self-harm
have school phobia
depression
those whose behaviour or emotional wellbeing are seen to be deteriorating

IMME or I’m Me...
small-scale participatory research project
35 pupil participants
4 Irish mainstream educational settings; two primary and two post-primary
From 2008 to 2011
Research enquiry: determine the impact on the pupils and their school community when participants were given the opportunity to become ‘active agents’ in positively transforming their experience of school.

Objectives of I’m Me
To give voice to a group of children within mainstream education who often find themselves at risk of exclusion from school
To provide opportunities for them to become ‘active agents’ in the pursuit of appropriate, beneficial and realistic methods to facilitate genuine inclusion for them in mainstream schools
To determine the impact on the pupils and their school community when participants were given the opportunity to positively transform their experience of school

PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS
17 (48%) with assessment of ADHD
(5 primary, 12 post primary)
1 co-existent Conduct Disorder
6 co-existent Oppositional Defiant Disorder
8 co-existent Learning Difficulties
15 on medication
2 children with full time SNA support

STRUCTURE OF I’m Me
First contact and preliminary interviews with students 2008 – 2009
Consent forms from students
Conclusion of programme in schools 2010 – 2011
Focus group meetings with students to conduct preliminary analysis and validate findings from January to June 2011

STRUCTURE OF I’m Me
Weekly, fortnightly or monthly meetings with students as appropriate
Meetings with Care Teams in Post Primary Schools including: Principal, SGC, SENCO, Home School Liaison Officer Half Term/Term Meetings
Group interviews that included student, parent(s)/guardian, NEPS Psychologist, SENCO and/or tutor
Creative Workshops: drama, music/rap, art, sculpture (post-primary)

INTERVENTIONS FROM STUDENTS
Egg-timer (primary school)
Positive Behaviour Acknowledgement  My PAD (all schools) (1)
‘Cool Card’ (primary school)
Mentoring Programme  ‘Buddy Timeout’  Teacher/Student mentoring (post-primary)
Peer Support Groups – weekly meetings and activities (post-primary)
Whole Class Workshops

EMERGENT THEMES
Significance of:
Praise
Acknowledgement
Positive Relationships (Davies 2005,Sellman 2009)
Attachment and Belonging (Cooper 2008, Smith 2006)
Leadership (Shevlin and Flynn 2010)

SOME REASONS FOR CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR
Encountering obstacles to learning or feeling ‘different’ can lead to frustration, low self esteem, resentment and even anger........any one of these emotions can manifest itself in either episodes of or recurring challenging behaviour.
Some students would rather get into trouble for bad behaviour than feel ashamed or embarrassed in front of their peers if they can’t contribute to or engage in learning that is taking place (Distractionary tactics)
(IMME Programme, Flynn)

IMPLICATIONS
The importance of ‘listening’ to children and acknowledging that they are ‘experts’ on their own experiences
The necessity for a ‘bottom up’ approach to problem solving or eliciting views from students requires a ‘top down’ response’
Consulting pupils does not equate to relinquishing ‘power’ and control in the classroom – but a change in ‘power dynamics’

USEFUL RESOURCES
www.hadd.ie
www.adhdandyou.ie

REFERENCES
Cooper, P. 2008 Nurturing Attachment to School: Contemporary Perspectives on Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. Pastoral Care in Education, 28.
Davies, J. 2005 ‘Voices from the Margins: Perceptions of Pupils with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties about their Educational Experience’ in Clough, P. et al (eds) Handbook of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, London: Sage
Flynn, P. Shevlin, M. Lodge, A. 2011 ‘Are you listening? I’m Me. Reach Vol 25, Issue 1
National Behaviour Support Service, 2010 Behaviour Support Classrooms: A Research Study of 36 Behaviour Support Classrooms Dublin: NBSS.
National Children’s Strategy, 2000 Our Children - Their Lives Dublin: Stationery Office.

National Educational Psychological Service, 2010 Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties: A Continuum of Support Dublin: Stationary Office.
Robinson, C. & Taylor, C. 2007.Theorizing Student Voice: Values and Perspectives. Improving Schools, 10.
Rudduck, J. & McIntyre, D. 2007.Improving Learning through Consulting Pupils, London: Routledge.
Sellman, E. 2009 Lessons Learned: Student Voice at a School for Pupils Experiencing Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 14.
Shevlin, M. & Flynn, P. 2011 ‘Leadership for Special Educational Needs’ In O'Sullivan, H. & West-Burnham, J. (eds) Leading and Managing Schools. London: Sage.
Smith, D. J. 2006 School Experience and Delinquency at ages 13 to 16, Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh, Centre for Law and Society.
Tangen, R. 2009 Conceptualising Quality of School Life from Pupils' Perspective: A Four Dimensional Model. International Journal of Inclusive Education.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, New York: UN.

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