‘Eliciting the voices of children and young people diagnosed with ADHD, who have experienced exclusion and been placed in a Pupil Referral Unit, to understand their experiences and perceptions of ADHD diagnosis and intervention processes’

Abstract

Significant international increase over the past 30 years in the number of children and young people diagnosed with ADHD as a behavioural disorder and consequently prescribed medication for ADHD has raised concern amongst EPs. Despite government guidelines stating children and families should first receive psychological intervention before medication, the prescription rates continue to increase. Existing literature places the value of the ADHD diagnosis into question. Furthermore, diagnosis rates are disproportionately higher amongst children who have experienced school failure. Reviews of existing practice indicate a lack of robust measures amongst EPs to support children during ADHD assessment and in developing effective interventions. Legislative guidelines recommend that children’s voices are listened to and incorporated into school intervention and care plans. This research aimed to give a voice to ADHD diagnosed children and young people who had experienced exclusion and placement into Pupil Referral Units. Suggestions of how their views and experiences may be embedded into EP practice are proposed in order to enhance the quality of the EP role in ADHD diagnosis and intervention processes. Semi-structured interviews employing dynamic interactive tools were carried out with 15 children and young people. The findings illustrated the importance of the EP working therapeutically and promoting awareness of impacting context on a child or young person’s behavioural presentation, during ADHD diagnosis and intervention processes. Prominent themes included: a lack of supportive relationships from key adults, needing to be understood and how their personal situations affected them. Additionally, references to improved psychosocial functioning and a reduction in ADHD related challenges as a result of being understood by key adults were made. Inadequate resources for psychological containment and isolation and exclusion appeared to have facilitated adverse functioning and upkeep of ADHD behaviour. Suggestions for EP practice are proposed, as a ‘Six-Step’ model