[Development and evaluation of an ADHD teacher group training--a pilot study]

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Child Psychology
• Special Education

Context:

• Lack of controlled studies on teacher training for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in German literature.
• High demand for in-service training for teachers dealing with children with ADHD.
• Need for evidence-based interventions to support students with ADHD in mainstream classrooms.

Purpose:

• To develop and evaluate a two-step teacher group training program for ADHD.
• To assess the impact of different training modules on classroom behavior and adaptive functioning of students with ADHD symptoms.
• To evaluate teacher satisfaction and knowledge acquisition following the training.

Summary:

• A 12-hour training for advisory teachers covered ADHD theory, contingency management, and TEACCH-based interventions.
• Classroom teachers received either a basic (6h) or intensive (14h) training module, including student-related contingency management.
• Results showed favorable training processes, increased teacher knowledge, and significant reduction in ADHD symptoms for students in both groups.

Impact:

• The intensive teacher training group demonstrated stronger and more sustained improvements in children's problem behaviors and adaptive functioning.
• Findings support the effectiveness of a teacher-mediated training approach for improving classroom behaviors of children with ADHD symptoms.
• Provides a scalable and effective model for professional development in special education for ADHD.