Making Education Research Relevant
It had a star turn in the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which required that schools submit detailed reports to NCLB of their programs and activities that provide “basic services” to students with disabilities (among other things). The report also included an evaluation of the effectiveness of its programs. Among the report’s findings was that one of the three-year pilot program resulted in higher grades; another saw a 50% increase in school success rates for children who had been placed in special interest classes. What the study didn’t measure, however, was whether these effects were sustained once they disappeared. Or even if they actually lasted at all, since it’s unclear that the researchers ever surveyed those children, let alone that their parents reported them. So the data and analysis used to support such political decisions? Turns out there are multiple ways to answer that question: you can use the same basic approach you’d employ when trying to convince people about science, but also take steps that advance public understanding of educational issues. In doing so, researchers gain insight into the meaning behind data, helping them understand how different types of knowledge are integrated into evidence-based strategies for making improvements.
It isn’t just more research, either. Over time, several studies have shown that the literature on K–12 education has changed over time. For example, one of the oldest studies in psychology that covered elementary school age children, conducted by David Wheel and Alan Kluger in 1963 (and updated in 1999) and again in 1992, found that although most teachers were taught to be inquisitive about how they would handle a difficult situation the way I learned to have such conversations with my father, they didn’t always think to ask what the other person thought. But they did go back to the assumption that adults had certain expectations of children, and that we should have some sort of conversation about our own values about ourselves before we make any judgments about another person. Then, in 1998, Steven P. Hirschi conducted a survey based on a similar premise, asking educators whether they would help a child with behavior problems get access to counseling without being too formal or rude. After he’d run samples of his data to confirm that his results would do well with his new test, he got lots or requests for details. He turned to the experts on the field, who told him that his questions were appropriate since they assessed both individual child characteristics and teacher attitudes toward effective learning. As a result, he was able to write a paper describing a two-part plan for implementing his model of intervention. Here, we’re going to look through a particular case of such a strategy — one that could have improved an extremely challenging student’s academic experience.
Children with ADHD are often referred to as ADD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder). Although ADHD doesn’t start until birth, it’s almost immediately apparent when a baby is showing signs of trouble paying attention. Even when medication might seem to make a difference, the symptoms can last long enough that a child might be misdiagnosed with something else, such as depression (especially given ADHD’s tendency to keep going after a treatment ends). Another kind of ADHD, known as “the emotional dysregulation,” occurs when the usual behaviors of children with ADHD become out of control: crying, screaming or running away from their peers. This version of the condition is most common among boys by nature (although girls have also heard it as rage), but girls may develop its symptomology over time without realizing it. One important thing to note for people with ADHD, then, is that these symptoms are not caused by ADHD itself, but rather the result of underlying conditions such as ADHD. Children who exhibit these symptoms have difficulties attending events in class and keeping quiet when something is wrong. They’re also less able than their non-ADD peers to self-soothe with their peers after frustration, anxiety or disappointment. These kids are also less likely to respond appropriately to social interactions or when faced with tests that require them to sit still, read a list backwards, or count items backward from ten. They can easily be misled into thinking a problem is related to their ADHD, then punished for having difficulty focusing, even though that’s not what’s happening. Many times, ADHD symptoms appear first when the child has a simple difficulty paying attention at school or during the day, before it begins affecting a broader pattern of performance. Once this happens, a parent notices this and tries to intervene, offering to pay extra money for a tutor, organizing a private tutoring session or letting the child bring along someone to give an extra set of hands during class. All of this helps, but neither ADHD diagnosis nor intervention alone will fix everything. Without better interventions, ADHD symptoms can become much worse than they already are.
This doesn’t mean that ADHD is not treatable, especially if ADHD symptoms are present along with other medical conditions. Any number of treatments, including medications and the latest developments involving gene therapy and stem cells, are now available. Because ADHD affects a broad range of brain functioning, including both executive (thinking skills) and social functioning, the choice of treatment often comes down to the level of ADHD symptoms. Medications that target specific circuits involved in ADHD symptoms, or drug replacement therapy (such as stimulants like Ritalin) may be necessary for symptoms that affect alertness, memory and spatial awareness. If ADHD medication doesn’t work, talk therapies that involve working against negative thoughts (called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT), group therapy or therapeutic parenting (such as Montessori, Piagetian, Stenhouse, Adolescent Family Therapist or Adolescence Group Psychotherapist) may be helpful. Parenting strategies that focus on positive aspects of ADHD, like teaching children how to laugh instead of getting embarrassed or angry, might be particularly helpful. You can also consider taking supplements made specifically for ADHD, which can include vitamins, minerals and herbal extracts that offer additional support for ADHD symptoms. There are many techniques to try for managing ADHD symptoms and behavior. Parents with ADHD are advised to talk with their doctor about these solutions, but may find them beneficial themselves. And if you’re struggling with your child’s ADHD, you may find other resources for advice and help. While these kinds of care can take the form of therapy, individualized case management plans, or even online chats, they can also be offered as free consultations by doctors, counselors and therapists. They’re usually affordable and come with a brochure that outlines all that service is available, along with contact information. There are also online chat groups (such as Meet ADHD People Online or ADHD Chat) that discuss relevant ADHD treatment options and link parents to specialists. Donning a hat will also be very useful: in addition to looking specifically at ADHD symptoms, there is growing consensus that wearing masks — such as clothing that covers the nose and mouth — helps reduce infection rates. Whether ADHD is genetic (such as me) or environmental (such as me) is not yet clear; a third of American schoolchildren have ADHD-like traits, according to estimates. Much of these ADHD cases are attributable to families where the boy’s mother was diagnosed with a mental illness, though ADHD does not have a strong association with genetics. Yet it is possible to identify ADHD in children with no family history. However, knowing ADHD is hereditary makes children especially vulnerable to developing ADHD symptoms, so ADHD research has focused on finding treatments, especially those targeted to kids whose parents had ADHD. Most efforts to manage ADHD symptoms involve psychotherapy, while the pharmaceutical industry has focused chiefly on diagnostics. Fortunately, some recent interventions are using neuroscience, including new approaches to ADHD treatment. A 2017 review in Science Translational Medicine noted that these can be combined with existing psychiatric drugs for the treatment of ADHD symptoms. The authors of that paper described a trial of combining fMRI and CBT for teens with ADHD that helped reduce the ADHD symptoms associated with fMRI. Other fMRI-based pharmacological trials have used deep brain stimulation for treating ADHD symptoms and a combination of serotonin reuptake inhibitors for reducing neuropathic pain and the risk of suicidal ideations and attempts, among other symptoms.
Although ADHD is a biological condition, it is only a weak type — one that can be helped. That’s why we need both prevention techniques and interventions, because once ADHD symptoms occur, a myriad of things can go wrong. How well the kid gets in classes and how well she interacts with her classmates. How many friends she has, and whether she wants to make new ones. What activities she likes, and whether they match her strengths. Who knows which ones will trigger flareups and which ones won’t? When things don’t go right, it’s tempting to blame them on ADHD. Maybe we shouldn’t even consider ADHD as a reason to treat or treat ADHD differently. ADHD isn’t really a unique condition; like cancer, we have a lot to learn about it before we can get rid of it, with both the medical community and policymakers eager to invest in research. Like all illnesses, ADHD is treated with a variety of drugs and therapies. Its treatments are often limited both geographically and temporally. Instead of giving up and hoping for the best, it’s possible to take preventive measures, with the aim not only of avoiding any potential development of ADHD symptoms in the future.
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