Current research and teaching strategies for the writing, reading and literary education of the pupils with ADHD

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common disorders of childhood and, as of 2006, 4.5 million children have been diagnosed at some time with ADHD. ADHD is described as having “many faces”, and as being “one of the most talked-about and controversial subjects in education”, causing “heated debates” (Bloom et Cohen, 2006). To be consistent with the existing literature, the term “ADHD” will be used in this paper and will represent the full spectrum of attention disorders. There has been great controversy surrounding the acceptance of ADHD as a “real” disorder, which is likely related to the lack of a definitive diagnostic test and the perceived overuse of stimulant medication with children. The National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH, 2009) states that ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and into adulthood and involves difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behaviour, hyperactivity (overactivity). The U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE, 2009) states that ADHD is a neurological condition that involves problems with inattention and hyperactivity – impulsivity that are developmentally inconsistent with the age of the child and is a function on developmental failure in the brain circuitry that monitors inhibition and self-control. However, most professionals use the APA diagnostics manuals, though some use the ICD-10 Classification system of the World Health Organization, which uses the term hyperkinetic disorder. In the most current edition, the DSM-V (APA, 2013), ADHD is defined as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity – impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and more severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development.