Survey headlines:
Over a third of ADHD children officially
excluded from school New findings mark start of
first ever National ADHD Awareness Week
- ADDISS has surveyed over 500
parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD)
- 39% reported that their child
had been ‘fixed term’ excluded from school
as a result of their condition, with 11% excluded
permanently 1
- Almost two thirds of parents
said their child’s ability to achieve at school
was ‘very affected’ by their ADHD
- 67% felt they miss out on positive
learning experiences
1
See full survey
Why is
ADDISS launching this campaign?
Launched by ADDISS and the 22 parent
support groups in the ADDISS Affiliation Network, National
ADHD Awareness Week, 18th-24th September 2006,
is calling for:
- Better understanding of why
ADHD children behave as they do and greater acceptance
of their needs
- Improved access to resources
and support for children with ADHD and their families
- More focus within the school
system to ensure the Government pledge that ‘Every
Child Matters’ also applies to ADHD children
Support from other organsations
ADDISS has been inundated with messages
of support from other organisations and individuals
who are working with us to foster a greater understanding
of ADHD and help us to achieve our aims, listed above:
Professor
Eric Taylor, Institute of Psychiatry,
King’s College London
“I very much welcome
the initiative of ADDISS in getting the voice of people
with ADHD and their carers to be heard. They bear the
weight of the problems; too often, their concerns are
belittled by theorists; they deserve every attention
in this week of raising awareness.”
NSPCC
Chris Cloke, head of child protection
awareness for the NSPCC says:
"The NSPCC is pleased
to support ADHD Awareness Week. We recognise that Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can place considerable
stress on families and that greater understanding and
support will benefit the children involved."
Youth
Justice Board
The Youth Justice Board gives its support to the UK's
first National ADHD Awareness Week. Bill Kerslake
- Head of Policy at the YJB states.
“YJB research published in 2005 found that 31%
of young people in the Youth Justice system had a mental
health need, 3 times higher than the general population,
of which 7% had problems with hyperactivity. While hyperactivity
is only an indicator of a possible diagnosis of ADHD,
it is critical that Youth Justice and Child and Adolescent
Mental Health services are able to identify and work
with young people with ADHD. This is because associated
features in young people with ADHD can include: impaired
attention, poor concentration, impulsivity, anti-social
behaviour, learning difficulties and early substance
misuse. ADHD can be successfully managed through specialist
intervention and treatment, so it is important that
these young people are identified early and that they
and their families receive the support they need.”
Contact
A Family
“Our national freephone
helpline gets many calls from parents of children and
young people with ADHD. They are desperate for help
and support. Many complain that local agencies will
not or unable to meet the needs of their child. Some
families feel very alone and in addition to giving them
practical advice, Contact a Family puts them in touch
with local parent led ADHD groups for support. We also
encourage parents to work with organisations such as
ADDIS and Contact a Family to bring about real improvements
in the lives of children and young people affected by
ADHD.” Francine Bates,
Chief Executive
Advisory
Centre for Education
“The Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) offers
independent advice to parents and carers of children
in state education in England and Wales. Our vision
is ‘a fair education for all’. We aim to
provide the information, support and high quality legal
advice that parents and carers need to help their children
at school, particularly when there are problems. Founded
in 1960, ACE is a registered charity.
“Many of the children
we hear about on our advice lines are in trouble at
school because of lack of recognition of and support
for their difficulties. We are very aware that ADHD
seems a particularly difficult area for schools, especially
those whose rigid rules do not accommodate behaviour
arising from this disability. We hope the Government
will offer constructive clear solutions to schools in
the new guidance on behaviour policies due out in autumn
2006. Schools can and do make a difference if they work
in partnership with families.
“ACE supports ADHD
Awareness Week and hopes that it will raise the profile
of the problems these families face and enable the dissemination
of good practice to help families and schools.”
Network
81
“Standard education
in this country does not meet the needs of children
with ADHD. People need to think outside of the box when
dealing with these children. Currently, teachers do
not receive enough training about ADHD and the condition
is not adequately recognised. In addition, what we see
when a child with ADHD is in the classroom is just the
tip of the iceberg – parents have to live with
the rest.” Eirwen Grenfell-Essam,
Chair of Network 81
Adders.org
"the condition of ADHD is often shunned by people
as being an excuse to let parents off the hook in their
view - However ADHD is a Real Condition
that affects children and adults alike. The affect this
has on the child or adult has a major impact on all
aspects of daily life. ADHD is not an excuse it is a
contributory factor that needs to be taken seriously
by professionals and lay people alike. Those affected
by ADHD deserve the right to appropriate treatment options
and accommodations just the same as any other person
with any other medical condition.The members of the
Adders.org forum boards tell the real story of living
with ADHD
"adders.org supports the
ADHD Awareness Week - ADHD is REAL and hope that this
awareness campaign will raise more awareness to ADHD
to make people more aware of the impact of this on families
and individuals."
Caroline Hensby founder
Adders.org
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