This special issue introduction identifies major issues in educating students with attention deficit disorder, including the definition of attention deficit disorder, congressional actions, and Department of Education actions. It also previews articles in the special issue and considers the leadership role of the federal Office of Special…

This policy brief discusses students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their school performance. Reasons are presented to explain why children with ADHD fail. The three main characteristics of ADHD (inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity) and their interference with academic performance are discussed. The brief…

This paper examines issues concerning the eligibility of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) for special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A policy memorandum was issued by the Department of Education in September 1991, identifying those circumstances under which such children…

Evaluation of 170 boys, aged 6 to 11 years, who were referred for serious emotional disturbance (SED) indicated they were typically characterized by limited mental health and educational intervention, noteworthy family stressors, and externalizing psychiatric disorders, especially attention deficit disorder. Findings support revision of Public Law…

This study drew on four cycles of longitudinal data from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth to examine the academic and behavioural trajectories of youth between 10 and 15 years of age as a function of maternal age at childbearing. The analyses controlled for several family characteristics and examined the mediating…

This paper analyzes and synthesizes information on assessment of attention deficit disorder (ADD), to provide guidance to states as they formulate policies and practices. The paper presents an overview of ADD from an educational perspective, focusing on student characteristics, developmental patterns, and coexisting disorders. Schoolwide…

This transcript presents testimony given at a House of Representatives committee hearing on the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Included is the text of an amendment, the Braille Literacy Amendment, which is intended to improve the literacy rate among children with visual impairments. This amendment calls for an…

This policy brief summarizes the literature and identifies responsibilities of state and local policymakers in meeting legal obligations to provide educational services for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Presented in a general question-and-answer format,…

This policy brief describes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as involving three characteristics: inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. The brief reviews the causes of ADHD, including the belief that it is primarily an inherited, neurobiological disorder. The effects of ADHD on children are discussed and may include: other…

A review of the research and legal literature summarizes the status of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) under school law. Following a brief introduction, discussion of ADHD as a disability notes the impact of ADHD on overall functioning and provides a table of diagnostic criteria for subtypes of ADHD. The following section focuses…

A Michigan task force examined existing and needed services for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to assist school districts in developing services and to create a systematic plan for statewide information dissemination regarding referral, assessment, identification, intervention strategies, and legal mandates.…

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are provided for under three federal statutes: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. State education agencies have ultimate responsibility for providing a free…

The report to Congress by the Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities, required by the Health Research Extension Act of 1985, Public Law 99-158, provides a review and assessment of Federal research priorities, activities, and findings regarding learning disabilities. Included in the report is information on (1) the number of persons…

The 19th annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is organized around a model which views educational results as products of three sets of factors: the context and environment in which the education is provided, student characteristics, and school programs and services. Section 1, on…

This summary of the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1990, Public Law 101-476, identifies how these Amendments extend and expand special education research, demonstration, and training programs of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA authorizes three state formula grant programs and several discretionary grant…