Social work interventions with children with ADHD : perspectives of school social workers and parents

Abstract

This qualitative research study aims to explore the dual perspectives of school social workers and parents about the difficulties that children with ADHD experience in school settings in Malta. It further analyses school social workers‘ perspectives with regards to the interventions they use when working with children with ADHD and the associated challenges they encounter in their practice. Furthermore, the parents‘ perspectives are examined to establish the learning and social problems that children with ADHD experience at school and their own challenges parenting them. Twelve participants – six school social workers and six parents of 7-12 year old children with a diagnosis of ADHD took part in semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data which emerged from these interviews and four major themes were identified. This study produced some significant findings. All interviewees‘ statements highlighted that children with ADHD encounter a number of learning and social challenges at school which may impede their progress. The need for teachers to be trained in specific and effective strategies was also accentuated. This would provide a stimulating learning environment, therefore addressing the issues of weak motivation and boredom, ultimately allowing children with ADHD to reach their full capabilities. School social workers suggested that there might be the need for schools to create a more inclusive environment and to improve the curriculum in order to be adapted to the needs of the children with ADHD A multisensory room in schools, which would offer them the opportunity to enhance their concentration, attention, social skills and communication, creativity and the overall awareness of their surrounding environment was recommended. The most distressing issue that emerged from the social workers‘ and parents‘ statements was that children with ADHD are bullied and stigmatized by their peers, teachers and learning teaching assistants and even rejected and stigmatized by their peers for taking medication at school. Parents recommended that social workers should advocate for the rights of children with ADHD, especially when they are stigmatized or socially excluded and it was suggested that social workers should accentuate the positive characteristics of children with ADHD, focusing on their strengths in order to achieve positive outcomes. One of the main recommendations is that society needs to work on the removal of social stigma which is related to the ADHD condition, through more awareness about the ADHD disorder in order to understand that the challenges that families with children with ADHD face are real and have nothing to do with bad parenting practices. Most of the parents expressed their positive perspectives about the social workers‘ roles and interventions in their endeavour to help families with children with ADHD, emphasizing the fact that they are important in improving the overall wellbeing of families with children with ADHD.