When it’s Not Just ADHD―Getting Help at School
Is your child among the majority of children and young adults who is coping with ADHD-plus? More than two-thirds of kids diagnosed with ADHD also have a co-occurring condition, frequently an emotional/behavior disability, or EBD.
Students affected by both ADHD and EBD can receive services at school, writes Shari Gent, MS, in They Told Me My Child is Disturbed: ADHD with Other Mental Health Conditions Goes to School from CHADD’s Attention magazine .
“While just one percent of the school population qualifies for special education as a child with EBD, fully 20 percent of students will experience an emotional or behavioral condition that will interfere with their ability to learn at some time during their school career, according to the National Institute of Mental Health,” she writes. “For children with ADHD, this number is more than one-half, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. A small number of these students will qualify for special education as having an emotional/behavioral disability. Most will experience emotional difficulties that are not severe enough to qualify for EBD services, but continue to affect the student’s ability to make and keep friends and perform academically.”
What can you and your child’s educators do to help her when coping with a dual diagnosis? Ms. Gent suggests focusing on healthy relationships between your child and caring adults, along with appropriate accommodations for both behavior and academics.
Read more on Ms. Gent’s suggestions on what you and your child’s school can do to help your child be successful.