Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (hereinafter ADHD) is a neuro developed disorder,
which is primarily shown as problems with attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.
Additional deficits develop in numerous children with ADHD. In general population, there
are approximately 5 % of children with ADHD, however, the number of children with
ADHD is growing. If the deficits are extreme and are prohibiting the normal educational
process, the child with ADHD is placed in the basic school programme with additional
professional support, which is implemented in regular primary schools. This means that
children with ADHD are taught by primary school teachers.
Oftentimes, ADHD is accompanied by behavioral and learning difficulties and also
problems in relations. An appropriate, individualized, learning environment can significantly
contribute to the child's educational success and to prevention and decline of his behavioral
problems. Teachers are the ones, who are mostly responsible for the organization of the
learning environment. They are required to have a level of knowledge about ADHD, with
which they are able to provide appropriate adjustments and are able to use an effective
approach, efficient methods of working or are able to recognize the derogations in a child
which show the needs to adjust the learning environment or to provide a more in-depth
diagnostic assessment of a child’s functioning.
In this master's thesis we have presented the basic characteristics, frequency and
classification of ADHD, placement of children with ADHD, different approaches of dealing
with the deficit, concrete adjustments of the learning environment and strategies for working
with ADHD pupils. We have presented studies, which were similar in researching how
university graduate students of Primary Teacher Education are equiped to educate students
with ADHD and have examined the syllabus of the Primary Teacher Education programme
to see, which content about ADHD is intended at which subject. It has been discovered in
numerous researches that that teachers and students are lacking knowledge about children
with ADHD. The same has been reported by the teachers and students themselves. We have
limited our research to students, future teachers of primary education, who are about to finish
their university education. We were interested in the level of students' competence to teach
pupils with ADHD. With this purpose we have devised a questionnaire, which examines the
knowledge of teachers about general facts and signs of ADHD, diagnostic assessment and
approaches of dealing with ADHD, knowledge of adjusting educational process to pupils
with ADHD and knowledge of strategies and ways of acting in given problematic situations.
In addition, students have evaluated their own capabilities for teaching pupils with ADHD
and their need for any additional training. The results have shown that students of primary
teacher education have only very basic knowledge about ADHD and that their knowledge is
lacking in planning appropriate adjustments of the education process and planning strategies
to work with children with ADHD. Their knowledge of diagnostic assessment of ADHD and
handling children with ADHD is also lacking. Students are also of opinion that they do not
have enough knowledge in this area and that they desperately need additional training.
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