Parent and Carers Experiences of ADHD in Australian Schools
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Parent and carer experiences of ADHD in Australian schools: Critical gaps.
Parents for ADHD Advocacy Australia (PAAA) has a goal is to increase the capacity of schools to support students with ADHD.
In August 2018, PAAA undertook an extensive national quantitative study focusing on the performance of Australian schools in meeting the needs of ADHD students. This study collected brand new, previously unavailable data from over one thousand Australian families who have one or more children with ADHD.
The findings have now been published in a report entitled, “Parent and carer experiences of ADHD in Australian schools: Critical gaps”. The report highlights critical gaps in the capacity of schools to include and support students with ADHD, with 1 in 3 students with ADHD changing schools as a result of ADHD-related issues.
The report confirms that children with ADHD are at risk in the education system and are experiencing inequitable access to education, reflecting the lack of recognition of ADHD within the Australian education system as a serious impairment to learning. This is at odds with obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education (DSE), whose purpose is to ensure students with disability such as ADHD, can access education on the same basis as their peers.
What needs to happen now
Parents for ADHD Advocacy Australia (PAAA) is now urgently calling for a multi-agency effort in the recognition of the challenges of students with ADHD in schools, ensuring stakeholders such as Government, departments of education, principals, teachers, medical professionals and parents work together to address the gaps.
We encourage you to read this important report. Thanks for your time.