A New Behavioral Intervention for ADHD in the Classroom
The Life Course Model supports students with ADHD with evidence-based behavioral interventions and promotes better collaboration between parents and teachers.
As many parents will attest, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) often fail to improve classroom behavior, largely due to the absence of evidence-based interventions and support. For example, a recent study found that only half of IEPs for high school students with ADHD who exhibit challenging classroom behaviors included goals related to increasing on-task and socially appropriate behaviors.1 Of additional concern, only one in three students with ADHD receives classroom behavior-management support. 2 And even when a student has behavioral goals written into their IEP, there’s a good chance their teacher has not received direct training on how to implement these interventions.
An approach called the Life Course Model could significantly improve outcomes by keeping parents informed on the effectiveness of behavioral interventions and by ensuring consistency between home and school strategies.
The model’s primary aim is to foster collaborative family-school partnerships. Through meetings with the child’s academic and/or IEP team, parents can help make decisions regarding the best behavioral interventions to address the child’s needs.
[eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD and Classroom Behavior]
Daily communication about a student’s progress may also allow the teacher to advise on implementing interventions at home. However, successful student outcomes still rely on professional development and teacher training around ADHD interventions and strategies.
Life Course Model Implementation
These practice guidelines were created to help teachers address disruptive or noncompliant behaviors among students with ADHD by providing supports that build skills for independence and self-regulation. Interventions that reduce symptoms (e.g., medication) and accommodations that don’t necessarily build skills are given lower priority in the treatment plan sequence.
Life Course Model, Part 1: Services and Sequencing
| Sequence | Level | Goal | Possible Interventions |
| 1 | Foundational strategies | Establish appropriate behavior management in the classroom and at home; facilitate positive parent-child, teacher-student, family-school relationships |
|
| 2 | Strategies to increase competencies and address functional impairments | Identify specific areas of impairment and improve functioning in these areas |
|
| 3 | Modified or supplemental interventions | Improve symptoms and response to interventions in level 2 | |
| 4 | Accommodations, modified expectations, restrictions | Adapt environment to allow child to succeed |
|
Life Course Model, Part 2: Principles for Service Delivery
| 1. Apply interventions with an understanding of contextual and cultural factors | 5. Include ongoing practice supports for those implementing interventions |
| 2. Promote engagement of parents and youth | 6. Facilitate alliances between school, family, and health care providers |
| 3. Tailor interventions to the child’s developmental level | 7. Include progress monitoring to evaluate treatment response |
| 4. Tailor interventions to meet individual child and family needs | Read more about the Life Course Model at additu.de/dupaul |
Behavioral Interventions for ADHD: Next Steps
- Free Download: Classroom Accommodations for Children with ADHD
- Sign Up: Free ADHD Teacher Training Program!
- Read: Could a Behavior Intervention Plan Help Your Student with ADHD?
Marsha Ariol, M.S., is a third-year doctoral student in the school psychology program at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
George J. DuPaul, Ph.D., is a professor of school psychology and associate dean for research in the College of Education at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.
View Article Sources
1 Hustus, C.L., Evans, S.W., Owens, J.S., Benson, K., Hetrick, A., Kipperman, K., & DuPaul, G.J. (2020). An Evaluation of 504 and Individualized Educational Programs for High School Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. School Psychology Review,49, 333-345.doi: 10.1080/2372966X.2020.1777830
2 DuPaul, G.J., Chronis-Tuscano, A., Danielson, M.L., & Visser, S.N. (2019). Predictors of Receipt of School Services in a National Sample of Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 23, 1303-1319.doi: 10.1177/1087054718816169
