PEDP 9004 - Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Information & Interventions for Effective Teaching

Course Description

The course Attention Deficit Disorder has been divided into four chapters. This course will provide information on such issues as definition, history, treatment and even some referral sources that may be accessed. The subject areas are sequential and, although it is not required, they should be completed in the order in which they are presented in the program. After completing these four sections you should have the basic framework for understanding what causes the disorder. This may also help you understand why students with ADD have behavioral problems in the classroom and other school settings. The first and second chapters are ?History & Prevalence? and ?Assessment & Special Education?; they give a clear picture of how to assess the disorder. Much of this information may be a review, but this chapter has been added so that upon completion of this chapter you will be familiar with the laws and criteria governing special education students with ADD and ADHD. Although this information may be somewhat dry, it is critical information for a classroom teacher working with ADD and ADHD students. Furthermore, while the information in this section is complete and thorough, there is much information published about Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactive Disorder. We recommend that you complete readings and research outside the course materials and information to gain a fuller understanding of the disorder and its treatment. To cover all areas and issues affecting ADD students and their behavior would not be possible in one university course. However, this introduction section and subsequent sections should give you a firm understanding of the disorder and effective tools for facilitating positive changes with these students. The third chapter of the Attention Deficit Disorder course is titled ?Resources & Approaches.? This section discusses the occurrences of the disorder and some of the possible causes. The information in this chapter serves to increase your background knowledge of ADD and ADHD, so that an effective intervention plan can be developed to help the student with both academic and behavioral difficulties. Gaining an understanding of the possible cause of the disorder will also help in the understanding of a child and his/her behavioral problems, as well as his/her academic needs. Chapter four is ?Curriculum Modifications & Interventions.? In this chapter you will be given information on various evaluation materials used to assess areas of academic weakness, the primary one being functional behavior analysis. This chapter describes different available interventions that can be used with these students in different subject areas. You will also be taught the different aspects of reinforcement techniques most commonly used. These four chapters should give you a firm understanding of ADD, its diagnosis, possible causes, assessment, and the laws surrounding the disorder. After you complete each chapter of the course, a