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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and OHD

Many students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) need academic and behavioral supports in order to be successful in school. Students diagnosed with ADHD may qualify for special education under the OHD category when the ADHD impairs learning and negatively affects the student’s educational progress. However, not all students with ADHD need special education, or some may qualify for special education under another special education category. It is important to understand ADHD and how a student with ADHD might qualify for special education because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that students with disabilities (including ADHD) receive a free, appropriate education that meets their educational needs.

What is ADHD?

To learn more about ADHD, including educational implications for students with ADHD, view the Children's Mental Health Disorder Fact Sheet for the Classroom (PDF).

Do all students with ADHD require special education and related services?

As with all medical diagnoses, the presence of the condition alone is not sufficient to determine eligibility. In many cases, no support beyond general education interventions is needed to ensure success for the student. In some cases, 504 adaptations (reasonable accommodations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) are needed, and a student’s needs must be evaluated and documented in a 504 Plan. If special education is considered, the team—through a comprehensive evaluation process—will determine the needs of the student in the educational setting. This will lead to the designation of the appropriate special education area of disability: for example; Developmental Cognitive Disabilities (DCD), Emotional and/or Behavioral Disorders (EBD), and/or Learning Disabilities (LD). Students with ADHD considered for eligibility under the OHD category must have documentation of a medical diagnosis by a licensed physician. The physician must conduct a comprehensive clinical evaluation that addresses inattention and impulsivity that persists more than six months and was evident before age 7. Along with the medical diagnosis, the school’s educational team must establish a clear link between the disorder and documented evidence of its adverse affects on the student’s academic performance.

Once it is determined that the ADHD adversely affects the student’s educational performance and that specially designed instruction is needed, the student’s educational team must design an appropriate educational plan to meet the student’s needs. Options include regular classroom with nondisabled classmates with adaptive instruction and environmental adaptation to meet the needs of the student, a separate classroom setting with one-to-one instruction, or some combination of these.

References  

Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health. (n.d.). Children’s mental health disorder fact sheet for the classroom: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. St. Paul, MN: Author. Retrieved March 29, 2007, from http://www.macmh.org/publications/fact_sheets/ADHD.pdf

Minnesota Department of Education. (2007). Other Health Disabilities Companion Manual (Draft). St. Paul: Author. Retrieved March 29, 2007, from http://education.state.mn.us/mdeprod/groups/SpecialEd/documents/Publication/001683.pdf

The Para eLink is sponsored by the Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, located at the Institute on Community Integration in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

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