ADHD putting strain on schools
A Manatee County case spotlights a growing concern in public education.

By Tiffany Lankes, HeraldTribune.com, June 27, 2004

Schools across the country aren't keeping up with the demand to provide special services to a growing number of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The push comes as educators struggle to keep up with crowded classrooms and high-stakes standardized tests. Many school systems don't have the training or resources to handle children with ADHD, doctors and parents complain.

The result, parents say, is that students end up spending more time in the corner than in the classroom.

School officials say they don't have the money or resources to offer special services to every child with ADHD. They argue that many of these children don't need such individualized attention.

In Manatee County the debate is headed to court as the school district appeals a judge's order to provide special education services to a child with ADHD.

Local school officials say the judge's ruling would open the door to special services for thousands of students across the state, costing school districts millions.

Special education experts say it's a national issue that stems from ignorance about the disorder and its effects.

"We live in a world where there's more tension and more stress," said Jerome Schultz, a doctor with the Learning Lab at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. "We have more kids that exhibit these symptoms. You can't not respond to that."

ADHD in the classroom

ADHD is a brain disorder that affects children's ability to pay attention and control their behavior. It can also affect their organization, social and handwriting skills.

"They have no filters," said Bobbi Law, a Bradenton psychotherapist and patient advocate. "They can't sort through all the noises and smells and everything going on around them."

Children with ADHD qualify for special education if the disorder negatively affects their ability to learn.

But some parents spend years trying to get schools to recognize their children's needs.

After two years of fighting with her son's school to provide special education, Joanie Derry took her case to an administrative law judge, who ruled in her favor.

The district wrote a learning plan to accommodate his disorder, but it was not as extensive as the one his mother wants, and his teachers didn't always follow it.

The first page of the child's plan states that he needs movement during class time and that physical activity helps reduce his need for medication.

According to the judge's findings, teachers at Stewart Elementary repeatedly punished the child for his ADHD-related behavior by denying him recess, physical activity and socialization with his classmates.

"I knew from the very get-go that these things were against his plan," Derry said. "All of the sudden he became this depressed, upset kid."

Derry wants the special education plan because it is tied to state funding and more easily enforced.

But even when districts agree to provide special education for children with ADHD, they can't always provide adequate services, some parents and doctors say.

Schultz, the Cambridge doctor, said school systems across the country have shown that they are not equipped to accommodate students with ADHD.

Part of the problem is that educators don't always understand the disorder. Some just aren't sure how to deal with it in the classroom.

"A lot of teachers may have had training on it, but don't know how to apply that in the classroom," Schultz said.

Sharon Lowe says she knows that firsthand from her grandson's experience at Tara Elementary in Manatee County.

A doctor diagnosed the child's ADHD when he was in kindergarten. It took the district a year to develop a plan, and after he had it, Lowe said, his teachers didn't always follow it.

The plan detailed ways to deal with ADHD symptoms, including inattention and restlessness. Still, the child spent more than a dozen school days in the principal's office. A number of other times the school sent him home or suspended him when he misbehaved in class.

"He couldn't sit still; he couldn't keep his mind on things," Lowe said. "He was spending all of his time at home or in the office. They took away the very things he needed."

His grandparents and mother are sending him to a private school next year.

Weighing the costs

Some doctors say teachers who are not trained to teach children with ADHD often try to control behavior with punishment.

Because many districts are beginning to integrate special education into all classrooms, teachers who deal with ADHD kids don't have extensive disability training, Schultz said.

It's the district's responsibility to ensure students get what they need, he says.

In some cases, teachers are so overwhelmed with escalating responsibilities it's difficult to give students individualized attention.

"Teachers are more stressed than they've ever been," Schultz said. "They're worrying about standardized tests and crowded classrooms. When they get the kid that throws a pencil across the room, they just can't deal with it."

Sometimes, when parents perceive that schools aren't providing enough for their children, the relationship becomes adversarial.

While not all students with ADHD need special education, many parents ask districts for the services so their children get individual attention.

Others in Florida want the designation so they can qualify for the McKay Scholarship, a voucher that allows students with disabilities to attend a private school.

"You'll always have people that take advantage of the system," Law said.

A growing concern

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 3 percent to 5 percent of children have ADHD. It is now one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in children.

The federal government requires districts to provide special education services to students if the disability interferes with their academic progress. The law includes ADHD in a category of "other health impairments."

The number of children that fell in this category increased by nearly 400 percent between 1992 and 2001, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

In the past 10 years, the Sarasota County school district has seen a rise of about 3 percent each year in the number of referrals for students with ADHD.

There are no definitive criteria for determining whether a child's ADHD is affecting his ability to learn.

In the Manatee case, school officials argue that the child's high grades and performance on standardized tests indicate his condition doesn't affect his learning.

The administrative judge, however, said the district needs to look at more than just grades and test scores.

"The issue is one of enlightenment," Schultz said. "This is a neurologically based condition that affects them beyond their grades."

But evaluating things like behavior and social skills is more difficult and is open to debate, said Mike McHugh, director of student support services for the Sarasota County district.

"That's a slippery slope to start down," he said. "Those areas are a little tougher to qualify."

Several parents have challenged the Sarasota County district's refusal to provide special education to their children. The judge ruled against the district in only one case.

While Sarasota didn't appeal, McHugh said he understands Manatee's rationale for fighting the ruling. If it stands, it will affect school districts across the state, McHugh said.

"I'm sure we would see some backlash from that," he said. "There are parents out there that push very hard to get their kid special education."

Manatee County officials estimate the judge's ruling could force the district to provide special education to as many as 2,500 other students at a cost of $14 million a year.

Some parents and patient advocates, however, don't think the district should put a price on providing services to children.

"I'm sorry that it's going to cost the district money, but it seems like they're diminishing the disorder," Law said. "The message they're sending out is these kids don't count."