ADHD Weekly, July 23, 2026

When pediatric healthcare providers communicate with schools, students with ADHD may receive better care. A recent study suggests that more training for healthcare providers and fewer communication barriers between them and their patients’ schools could improve student health and academic outcomes.

Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Lehigh University looked into how primary care providers worked with schools for ADHD care. The study authors include Angelika H. Claussen, PhD, and Kimberly Newsome, MPH, BSN, who work closely with CHADD’s National Resource Center on ADHD, and George J. DuPaul, PhD, a contributor to CHADD’s Attention magazine and Ask the Expert webinar series.

The research team asked 1,047 primary care providers about their contact with the schools their patients attend. They found that twenty percent of providers had no communication with schools. Fifty-five percent of providers used information received from schools but still did not have any direct contact with the school. Twenty-three percent of providers, though, coordinated with schools about educational interventions for their patients.

National guidelines encourage healthcare providers and schools to have open lines of communication and to work together to support students. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthcare providers and schools work together to support ADHD evaluation and diagnosis, monitor treatment, and help children
access school-based services.

The researchers found some of the differences were based on the type of provider; for example, pediatricians were less likely to be directly in touch with schools than nurse practitioners. The study also found communication levels were connected to the healthcare provider’s own age. Professionals who were fifty years and older were less likely to work with or to use information from schools. Providers practicing for up to fifteen years were more likely to use information from schools but were still not in touch with the schools directly.

What’s in the way of doctor-school communication

Healthcare providers frequently cited these obstacles to caring for their ADHD patients: their comfort level about talking with schools, their experience in ADHD evaluation and diagnosis, their knowledge about the condition, and the practicality of billing insurance companies for time spent on ADHD care. They also told researchers that family views and concerns about stigma prevent them from providing ADHD care at a level they felt was needed.

Study limitations

The researchers did not examine how well, how often, or the way healthcare providers and schools communicated with each other. The study grouped providers based on whether they used information from schools or discussed interventions directly with school staff. How they collaborated was not included. For example, provider responses did not show whether they helped schools develop interventions, simply reviewed teacher rating scales or reports, or only provided documentation confirming an ADHD diagnosis.

Postgraduate training matters

Healthcare providers who were not in contact with schools were the least likely to have adequate post-degree training in ADHD diagnosis and treatment. But providers who did have adequate postgraduate ADHD training were more likely to work with schools. That, the authors write, suggests that continuing education may play a role in collaborative care.

“Postgraduate training appears to be critical for provision of school coordination services,” says Dr. DuPaul, a professor of school psychology in the department of education and human services at Lehigh University.

He thinks technology and stronger partnerships between healthcare and education can help overcome many of the barriers identified in the study. Digital tools, secure information-sharing portals, and integration of behavioral health specialists into primary care settings may improve communication between providers and schools.

“One way to address current barriers to care coordination may be for providers to partner with school psychologists and school nurses regarding implementation of communication and collaboration systems,” says Dr. DuPaul. “Perhaps by forming a cross-system advisory committee (e.g., health care providers, school staff, family members) to identify, monitor, and support interagency collaboration.”

More information on ADHD training for professionals

• Continuing Education on ADHD
• Clinical Practice Tools
• The ADHD Diagnostic Process
• Treatment of Complex ADHD
• How Would a Professional Approach Treating and Adult with ADHD?
• We Must Advance ADHD Care
• Where Can Adults with ADHD Find the Best Treatment?
• How Would a Professional Approach Treating an Adult with ADHD?