ADD/ADHD and the Role of the School Counselor

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Hi,

This is a truly interesting topic. Let's take a closer look at your two questions.

1. What is the role of the school counselor for children diagnosed with ADHD?

I have found an highly informative article that provides a good overview of the role of school counselor, which is attached. It also lists 11 sources that you may decide to draw on for your paper:

ERIC Identifier: ED470600
Publication Date: 2002-12-00
Author: Pledge, Deanna S.
Title: ADD and ADHD: An Overview for School Counselors
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services Greensboro NC.

2. What information does the counselor need to know about ADD or ADHD (diagnosis criteria, symptoms, etc.)?

I have located a second article which addresses the information that school counsellors need to know about ADD and ADHD in order to deal successfully with a child diagnosed with one of these disorders. I will leave the article intact.

ARTICLE:

ADD and ADHD: An Overview for School Counselors. ERIC Digest (2003)

by Pledge, Deanna S.

INTRODUCTION

School counselors are often consultants for parents and teachers on problems that children and adolescents face. Attention deficit is one such problem. It is frequently misunderstood, presenting a challenge for parents and teachers alike. The counselor is a resource for initial identification and interventions at home and in the classroom. The counselor must have at least a working knowledge of typical symptoms and likely responses to environmental demands in order to be an effective resource on attention deficit.

ETIOLOGY

Attention Deficit Disorder without Hyperactivity (ADD) or with Hyperactivity (ADHD) continues to be a misunderstood diagnosis by many. Some parents and teachers still hold a perception that the label simply provides an excuse for disruptive behavior; however, studies continue to support a biochemical or organic basis to the disorder.

Presentation of symptoms can be affected by family interactions, school expectations, and other demands placed on the individual child. Part of the reason that attention deficit is usually diagnosed in school age children (e.g., first to third grade) is attributable to the demands placed on the child when beginning school (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). The structure at school differs from that in the home or preschool environment.

Typical predisposing factors within the individual, as well as in the family history, are being identified in the literature (Chi and Hinshaw, 2002). For example, a history of alcoholism, smoking, or depression in parents can be predisposing factors (Mick, Biederman, Faroane, Sayer, and Kleinman, 2002). Certain physiological markers, such as frequent early ear infections (Combs, 2002), have also been associated with the presentation of attention deficit. Physical complications can be a factor in the development of language and reading disabilities that are associated with attention deficit for between 45% and 60% of those diagnosed (Lloyd, Hallahan, Kauffman, and Keller, 1998).

Attention Deficit Disorder presents in a slightly different way for each individual, partially due to the factors noted above. Although there is a cluster of symptoms usually associated with the disorder, the individual presentation can be just as varied as the predisposing factors.

SYMPTOMS AND ...