Teachers' preferences for interventions for ethnically diverse learners with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

One hundred sixty-eight elementary and middle school teachers participated in this investigation on the impact of student gender and ethnicity on teacher recommendations for interventions for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants read a scenario describing a student with ADHD accompanied by a student photo which depicted his/her ethnicity and gender. Participants were then asked how strongly they would recommend four common interventions. Findings suggest teachers are more likely to recommend interventions requiring less parental involvement for minority students than for Caucasian students. Elementary and special education teachers were more likely to recommend interventions with greater empirical support than were middle school and regular education teachers. Ramifications for intervention selection in schools and suggestions for future investigations are reviewed.