This is our Students Section where we have some basic information to help with various projects. All of our further information is freely available on the site and you are welcome to use this providing it remains intact and correctly accredited.
This sheet gives some very basic points
The family with a child with ADD/ADHD
Although ADD/ADHD is not always officially recognised in children until they are four to six years old (and sometimes not until they reach their teens) many parents may already be aware that something is wrong with their child's development. The diagnosis that their child has ADD/ADHD may not therefore come as a complete shock but it will certainly be distressing news for the whole family. (Most books and articles written by parents or siblings reflect on the effects of ADD/ADHD on a family. Check out the General and Parents Section of the Books & Resources Section at adders.org where there are some books written by parents. Also on our About Us Section are some of the media articles we have done interviews for as parent. The Forum Board - Parents on adders.org also give a number of personal accounts of life with a child with ADD/ADHD - However if you wish to use anything from this section or from adders.org in general please contact us for permission first and always speak of individuals in the third person and keep them anonymous).
Services for people with ADD/ADHD
The range of services for children with ADD/ADHD is extremely varied but on the whole is provided through local statutory agencies, such as social services departments, education authorities and health authorities. Voluntary organisations also provide a number of services for children with disabilities. (e.g. adders.org - on here you will find links to Support Groups throughout the world with links to any websites these groups have). However if you do wish to contact one of the local Support Groups near to you direct, please explain fully what you are looking at doing and always offer to write to them direct for information and ask for a contact address you can send this to them. - Try to send stamps and an envelope - keep the stamps loose, as all of these groups will be non profit groups and will have little funding available so any information they send you needs to be paid for so by send stamps to the value of approximately £2.50 then whatever it costs them to send the information to you should hopefully be covered and if there are any stamps left over then you will have also made a very small donation to help with sending other information to maybe a parent in desperate need.
Some of the services available are listed below:
A. Health services
Health professionals who may be involved with children with ADD/ADHD include paediatricians (doctors who specialise in child health and development); child health clinic professionals; health visitors; speech and language therapists; occupational therapists; child psychologists; psychiatrists etc. ADD/ADHD may be first recognised by any of these health professionals or by nursery nurse staff, teachers and so on. A diagnosis of ADD/ADHD is, however, usually conducted at a clinic, hospital or specialist centre and involves a lengthy assessment of a child (including intelligence and language tests) and a detailed history of his or her development.
B. Education services
Pre-school provision
Facilities may include toy libraries/playgroups/opportunity groups/Early years centres/nurseries/playschemes etc.
School provision
If a child has been recognised as having special educational needs their school or local education authority has a responsibility to identify, assess and provide for those needs. This may involve a statutory assessment and the production of a statement of special educational needs. Children with ADD/ADHD will be placed in a variety of different types of schools. These will include special schools for children with ADD/ADHD, schools for children with learning disabilities and mainstream schools. Some schools will offer weekly or termly boarding facilities: others provide for children on a daily basis only. [The most important piece of legislation dealing with special education is the 1993 Education Act. Under the 1993 Act, the Secretary of State issued a Code of Practice, giving practical guidance on how to identify and assess special educational needs].
C. Post-school provision
There are a number of possibilities for further education, training and employment for young people after school. An increasing number of colleges of further education for example, cater for students with a wide range of abilities. Many will provide extra support for young people with special needs. Students with disabilities are able to be educated up to the age of 19. Vocational training and planned work experience for school and college leavers may be available - including young people with disabilities. Other possibilities may be sheltered employment schemes or supported employment schemes, adult training centres and residential services.
D. Other services
Benefits
Parents, carers and/or children/adults with ADD/ADHD may be entitled to several different social security benefits including Disability Living Allowance, Invalid Care Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance, and Income Support.
Respite care
A number of schemes operate at a local level, which gives parents/carers of children with disabilities the opportunity for a short break by offering short-term care for children. However very few will be able to offer provision for children with ADD/ADHD but the local social services departments will have details of short-term care facilities in your area.
Holiday schemes
Local authorities and/or local voluntary organisations often arrange holiday schemes for children with special needs.
E. Legislation
People with ADD/ADHD are subject to the same laws as all other citizens. There are also a number of provisions relating specifically to people with disabilities - including learning disability.
Some relevant Acts of Parliament include: Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970; Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; NHS and Community Care Act 1990; Education Act 1944; The Education Act 1993; Children Act 1989.
Mencap (Royal Society for Mentally Handicapped Children & Adults) produces a booklet on "Acts of Parliament relevant to people with a learning disability". (Mencap Telephone No: 020 7454 0454).
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