A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                                Contact:  Jim Bradshaw    February 15, 1995                                  (202) 401-2310

Studies, Videos Show Students With Attention Deficit Disorder Can Compete In Regular Classes

Students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) can be taught effectively in school when behavioral and instructional strategies are combined with medication traditionally prescribed to control their behavior, according to an Education Department analysis of existing research.

To help spread that message and others about ADD, the department released at a U.S. Capitol news conference two videos narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Rita Moreno and CNN's Frank Sesno to help raise public awareness about the disorder.

ADD is characterized by inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity -- often chronic and inappropriate for a child's age. More than 1.4 million students have the neurological disability, which is often treated with drugs like Ritalin, Cylert and Dexedrine.

"We found that ADD students can compete in regular classes and that medication alone is not sufficient to ensure that these children learn and achieve in school," said Judith Heumann, assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services.

Congress, recognizing that information on ADD is not readily available and often is confusing and contradictory, mandated in 1990 that the department's Office of Special Education Programs examine the disorder and report its findings.

Using $3 million earmarked by Congress for the effort, the office established centers to synthesize existing research, collected public comments, invited parents and teachers to identify the most critical issues for them, held a national conference, and developed print and video materials for parents and educators, which are being released today.

The department also is working with the National Institute of Mental Health to further study treatments for ADD children. In analyzing existing research, the project revealed strategies that will engage children with ADD in school. They include:

Changing the classroom environment for the child, which may include seating the child next to the teacher or a student role model.
Using behavior management -- such as positive reinforcement in which the child is rewarded for good behavior -- to control ADD behaviors.
And, employing teaching methods that build on students' strengths and help them compensate for the disorder, such as previewing expectations about what students will learn and how they should behave during a lesson.

Tips on helping ADD students are included in the two videos being released today -- one for educators and the other for parents.

The tapes, "Facing the Challenge of ADD" and "One Child in Every Classroom," take parents and educators into the homes, classrooms and lives of children and families living with ADD.

Narrators Moreno and Sesno bring together parents, teachers and researchers whose first-hand experiences shed light on what can be done to help children with ADD reach their potential.

The videos and associated print materials were produced for the Education Department by the Chesapeake Institute, a nonprofit research corporation specializing in education issues.

The tapes and guides will be distributed to groups such as the National Education Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD) to share with their members and others interested in ADD.

In addition, the materials will be available from the department's ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, 1-800-328-0272, as well as in electronic format through the ADD Forum on Compuserve, 1-800-524-3388, and on the PROGRAM.EVAL bulletin board on SpecialNet -- 1-800-927-3000.