The School Counselor's Guide to ADHD: What to Know and Do to Help Your Students » (New Edition)

David Rosenthal, MD, is an adult, adolescent, and child psychiatrist in private practice in Boulder, Colorado. He is an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver, where he teaches courses on psychopharmacology.

Rosenthal practiced psychiatry in various settings in California for many years and treated thousands of patients with ADHD, anxiety, and mood disorders before coauthoring two books on ADHD: ADHD: A Survival Guide for Parents and Teachers (Hope Press/2007) and Teaching Young Children With ADHD: Successful Strategies and Practical Interventions for PreK-3 (Corwin Press/2007). He also has written articles on ADHD and regularly speaks at state and national conferences on ADHD.

Rosenthal earned his medical degree at the University of Iowa School of Medicine in 1986, and completed his residency in adult psychiatry and fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center.

Silvia L. DeRuvo is a special education resources development specialist with WestEd, a nonprofit agency that works with schools, districts, state agencies, and national policy makers in the areas of educational research, products, and programs. Her work focuses primarily on working with schools and teachers on effective research-based instructional practices that support the needs of students with disabilities within core content integrated classrooms. Prior to her work at WestEd, DeRuvo has been an elementary special educator for nearly 20 years, and a teacher trainer at California State University, Sacramento.

Her experience in the classroom, as well as in state special education leadership, has given her vast experience in the area of special education practices and effective inclusion practices that support the needs of students with ADHD and other learning disabilities. She is a national speaker for the Bureau of Education and Research on Response to Intervention implementation practices and is a coauthor of Teaching Young Children With ADHD: Successful Strategies and Practical Interventions for PreK-3, a book on classroom strategies for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) published in 2007 by Corwin Press. She is currently authoring a book on instructional strategies to support secondary students with ADHD that will be published in 2009.

DeRuvo received an MA in communicative disorders, and holds credentials in Multiple Subjects, Special Education Specialist Communications Handicapped, and Resource Specialist certification from California State University, Fresno.

Richard A. Lougy has been living and working for the last 30 years in Sacramento, California, where he began his career as a middle school teacher. During that time, he also served as an elementary school counselor and later as a school psychologist. Before retiring in 2007, he oversaw mental health services for Head Start and Early Head Start programs in a large metropolitan school district in Northern California.He currently runs a private practice specializing in ADHD and related disorders, as well as being a mental health consultant for Early Head Start programs and Before and After School Care Programs for a large school district.

Lougy has treated and worked with thousands of children with ADHD and their families throughout his career. In addition to coauthoring two books on ADHD, ADHD: A Survival Guide for Parents and Teachers (Hope Press/2002) and Teaching Young Children With ADHD: Successful Strategies and Practical Interventions for PreK-3 (Corwin Press/2007), Lougy has also written numerous articles on ADHD and regularly presents at state and national conferences.

To help establish an optimal learning environment and support students with ADHD and their families, education professionals need up-to-date knowledge, in-depth advice, and practical tools that can be immediately and easily implemented.

The School Counselor's Guide to ADHD covers not only principal causes, symptoms, and interventions for ADHD, but also current, detailed information on executive brain function. This comprehensive resource offers a wide range of inclusive practices that help define the multiple roles and responsibilities of school counselors, such as

Providing effective student interventions to ensure individual success

Collaborating with teachers to deliver instruction, manage behavior, and facilitate classroom accommodations

Communicating with parents about student progress and challenges

Understanding common ADHD medications and their effects on children

Use this resource to strengthen your work with students and key stakeholders and ensure that students with ADHD have the support they need to thrive.

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

About the Authors xiii

1 What Is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? 1

Is ADHD a Mythical Disorder? 2

Theory Versus Scientific Fact 2

ADHD Is a Complex Set of Behaviors 3

Diagnostic Criteria 4

Manifestations of ADHD 5

Prevalence of ADHD 6

What Causes ADHD 9

Primary Symptoms and Common Impairments 10

Predominantly Inattentive Type of ADHD 14

Summary 15

2 Impairments in Executive Functioning 17

Why Spend So Much Time on Executive Function? 17

What Is Executive Function? 18

Role of Executive Function as Related to ADHD 18

Snapshot Overview of Executive Function Processes 18

Deficit in Behavioral Inhibition Russell Barkley 19

Components of Executive Function 20

Executive Functions Work Together in Various Combinations Thomas Brown 22

Summary 26

3 Treating Children With ADHD Fairly 29

Fair and Equal Are Not the Same 29

The School Counselor's Role 30

The School Counselor's Role as a Consultant 30

The School Counselor's Role in Helping Teachers Better Understand 34

Explaining Risk Factors on School Performance 34

Encountering Teachers Who Seem Very Resistant to Accommodations 35

The School Counselor's Role in Helping Parents Better Understand 36

The Counselor's Role in Helping Parents Talk to Their Child About ADHD 37

The Parent-Child Relationship With Regard to the School 39

The Empathic Educator 41

This Hidden Disability Does Not Keep the Child From Succeeding 42

Road Map for Assuring Fairness 42

Summary 52

4 Classroom Strategies: A Recipe for Student Success Silvia L. DeRuvo 53

The School Counselor's Role in Inciting Change 54

Recognizing the Academic Challenges54

Related Academic Performance Areas Challenging for Children With ADHD 61

Recognizing Learning Styles 63

Multimodality Teaching Strategies 65

Time Management and Organizational Skills 67

Summary 71

5 Managing ADHD Behaviors in the School Setting 73

Let's Begin 74

Positive Schoolwide Intervention 75

Positive Individual Interventions 78

The Teacher May Have to Make Some Changes Too 103

Summary 104

6 What Teachers Should Know About Medication David Rosenthal 105

Should My Child Be on Medication? 107

Common Medications to Treat ADHD 108

Changes in Students on Stimulants 111

Do Stimulants Cure ADHD? How Do These Medicines Work? 112

How Long Does It Take for the Medication to Work? 112

Signs of Being Overmedicated 112

If the Medicine Works, Does That Confirm That the Diagnosis of ADHD Is Correct? 113

Side Effects From Stimulants 113

Information That Should Be Communicated to the Doctor 115

Can Stimulants Cause Problems With Growth? 116

Are Stimulants Addictive? 116

Can Stimulants Lead to Problems With Abuse of Other Drugs? 117

Are There Particular Children Who Would Be Expected to Do Poorly on Stimulants? 118

Are There Children Who Only Need to Be on Medication at School? 119

Drug Interactions With Stimulant Medication 119

Can Children Become Psychotic on Stimulants? 120

Can Stimulants Be Used in Children Under Age Five? 120

My Student Used to Do Well on Ritalin, but Now It Doesn't Work. What Is Going on? 121

Natural Remedies to Treat ADHD 122

Prozac as a Treatment for ADHD 125

Do Medications Help Learning Disabilities? 125

One of My Students Is Very Defiant and Oppositional. Will Medications Help With This? 125

Summary 126

7 Communicating Effectively With Parents 127

Parents: The Most Important Resource 127

Respect and Acknowledge the Challenges Parents Face 128

Helping Parents Distinguish Enabling From Supportive Decisions 129

Regular Communication Is Critical 130

Attending Teacher-Parent Meetings 130

Summary 131

Resources

Resource A Useful Web Sites for Parents and Teachers 133

Resource B Recommended Books for Teachers 141

Resource C Recommended Books for Parents 143

Resource D Recommended Books for Children 145

Resource E Childhood Disorders and Conditions That Can Mimic ADHD 147

References 149

Index 157