The School Psychologist’s Role in Diagnosing and Intervening with ADHD in the Classroom By

The behaviors associated with ADHD can cause many problems in the classroom. Detecting ADHD is integral to maintain an environment conducive to learning. School psychologists assess children and plan interventions to eliminate negative behaviors associated with ADHD. This study aimed to examine what behaviors are associated with ADHD and whether those behaviors stand out in a classroom setting. It was hypothesized that children with possible ADHD would exhibit higher levels of off-task behaviors and out of seat behavior and there would be grade level differences. Results show that children with possible ADHD do demonstrate more behaviors as well as out of seat behavior but only out of seat produced a grade level difference. Implications, limitations and future research are discussed. The School Psychologist’s Role 3 The School Psychologist’s Role in Diagnosing and Intervening with ADHD in the Classroom Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that has become prevalent in today’s classrooms. ADHD affects between 3 and 7 percent of school-aged children today, (DSM IV-TR, 2000) or about one in every 20 to 30 students (Vile Junod, DuPaul