Avital Tamsut
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, IsraelPresentation Title:
Effects of ADHD-related traits, achievement, and giftedness on teachers' decisions on addressing and referral of students for an ADHD evaluation
Abstract
In school settings, teachers/counselors are involved in identifying pupils' strengths and weaknesses. In the case of ADHD, they are often involved in referring pupils for ADHD evaluation and addressing them during a high-level-interdisciplinary school-team-meeting (HISTM). This study examined the effect of three factors: ADHD-related traits (i.e., symptoms, school-engagement, non-academic impairments: organization, peer-relations, injuries, and tardiness), academic-achievement-level, and giftedness label, on elementary school teachers/counselors' recommendations to refer pupils for ADHD diagnosis and addressing during a HISTM.
Method: Participants (N=532) elementary school teachers and counselors, were contacted via social media. Based on one of 12 randomly assigned vignettes describing a hypothetical pupil. Vignettes differed in ADHD-related traits, academic achievement level, and the existence of a giftedness label, participants were asked to rate the likelihood they would recommend the referral of the pupil described to a formal diagnosis of ADHD and addressing them during a HISTM.
Results: Main effects for both ADHD-related traits and academic-achievement level were significant. The likelihood of ADHD diagnosis referral and addressing pupils during a HISTM, were higher when ADHD-related traits were indicated and achievement was low.
Interaction between ADHD-related traits and academic-achievement was also significant. When ADHD-related traits were indicated, they were sufficient to affect participants' decisions. Yet, when ADHD related traits weren't indicated, participants' decisions were influenced by low achievement. Giftedness label didn't yield any significant effect.
Overall, the findings of this study have important implications for the identification and support of elementary school pupils who present ADHD-related traits and, or struggle with their academic achievement. Furthermore, the study raises interesting considerations for research on twice-exceptional pupils in elementary schools.
Biography
Avital is a Learning disabilities specialist and an Applied behavior analyst. She completed her masters in the field of Learning disabilities, and studies in ABA at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem. She is in the process of submitting her PhD proposal on effects of reinforcement learning on sub-optimal decision-making in ADHD. She holds the position of a senior member of the testing accommodations comity at the National Institution for Testing and Evaluation. She also teaches fundamental courses in Applied Behavior Analysis to first year ABA students ant the Hebrew university. Her research interests include suboptimal decisions in ADHD, 'twice exceptional' pupils, enhancing accuracy and efficacy of psycho-educational evaluations.
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