Predictors of Receipt of School Services in a National Sample of Youth With ADHD

J Atten Disord. 2019 Sep;23(11):1303-1319. doi: 10.1177/1087054718816169. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study is to describe the extent to which students with ADHD received school-based intervention services and identify demographic, diagnostic, and impairment-related variables that are associated with service receipt in a large, nationally drawn sample. Method: Parent-reported data were obtained for 2,495 children with ADHD aged 4 to 17 years from the National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome (NS-DATA). Results: The majority (69.3%) of students with ADHD currently receive one or more school services. Educational support (62.3%) was nearly twice as prevalent as classroom behavior management (32.0%). More than 3 times as many students with ADHD had an individualized education program (IEP; 42.9%) as a Section 504 plan (13.6%). Conclusion: At least one in five students with ADHD do not receive school services despite experiencing significant academic and social impairment, a gap that is particularly evident for adolescents and youth from non-English-speaking and/or lower income families.

Keywords: ADHD; academic functioning; school services; social functioning.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / therapy*
  • Behavior Therapy / methods*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Education, Special / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Problem Behavior / psychology
  • School Health Services / statistics & numerical data*
  • Students / statistics & numerical data
  • Tourette Syndrome / therapy
  • United States