Teachers as disorder-spotters: (in)decisiveness in assigning a child's hyperactivity, impulsivity and/or inattention to ADHD as the undarlying cause

Their unique observational position in the classroom allows teachers to take on an informal role as disorder-spotter. By means of focus groups in four Flemish elementary schools, this study investigates teachers' decisiveness in assigning a child's hyperactivity, impulsivity and/or inattention to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as the underlying cause. Results show that, when teachers talked about specific children who exhibited hyperactivity, impulsivity and/or inattention, they were, more often than not, decisive in their observation that ADHD was or was not the underlying cause of the child's behaviours. However, several child-related factors caused teachers to be indecisive about whether ADHD was indeed at the base of a specific child's hyperactivity, impulsivity and/or inattention.

Automated summary

Teachers often have a decisive observation on whether a student has Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the classroom, but there are also child-related factors that cause them to be indecisive.