Children With ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a medical condition that typically presents in early childhood. Back in 1975, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) was created to ensure that each student gets an equal opportunity to obtain the same education, regardless of disability (Special Education News par. 1). An IEP outlines what accommodations are necessary for a child to succeed in their education. Most children with ADHD have a necessity to have special considerations to successfully complete their education. Children with ADHD do not fit the typical structure of public school. As if the ADHD diagnosis was not enough, the majority of children also receive a diagnosis of one of a plethora of other disorders, for instance, learning disabilities, which cause issues with communication and understanding. Additionally, ADHD could

Due to the developmental delay that characterizes ADHD, most children lag three years behind their chronological peers in social/emotional functioning, even when they function three years beyond their peers intellectually. This discrepancy presents a baffling contrast in the abilities of the “twice exceptional” child. (Littman par. 1).

Taking into account what this means in relation to maturity, organization skills, and already diminished attention spans. Imagine a typical 5-year-old in a third-grade classroom, does he look out of place? Do the other children notice? Does he act like the other children? Probably not, right? That child would not have a fair opportunity to succeed, and neither does an ADHD child without an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

“ADHD is among the most thoroughly medically-researched and documented psychiatric disorders. ADHD qualifies as a disability under the Other Health Impairment (OHI) category of special-education law and as a disability under Section 504.” (Cohen par.