A study of the perceptions of both parents and teachers on whether pharmacological interventions along with behavior modification work in controlling behavior in students with ADD

More and more students are being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and placed on medication. This study looks at students in both private and public schools who are already diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and are on medication. Both parents and teachers of the same student filled out surveys inquiring whether behavior modification is used along with medication in controlling student behavior at home and in the classroom. There are 25 pairs of participants in this study. Twenty pairs of respondents are from private schools, with five pairs from public schools. The surveys sent out included nine questions for parents and five for teachers. Both sets of questions included a comment section. Because of the need for confidentiality, the names of those students on medication within the school setting were known only to the school nurse and the classroom teacher. It was interesting to note that most parents did not use any behavior modification in conjunction with medication for their ADHD child. Less than half the responding teachers reported using behavior modification strategies as well. Results indicated that all 25 students on medication exercised greater positive control over their behavior, a factor which resulted in enhanced learning