Children with ADHD Transferring to Secondary Schools: Potential Difficulties and Solutions

Abstract

We describe some of the difficulties commonly faced by children with attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the transition from primary to secondary school. Some difficulties arise because the more exacting academic and environmental demands of secondary schools exacerbate symptoms of ADHD or unmask associated difficulties. Other problems may be related to the practical problems of taking psychostimulants in schools. In addition, all children of this age group are slowly mastering the developmental tasks of pre-adolescence, and some children with ADHD find this particularly challenging. Typical interventions offered by our multidisciplinary Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) team for these school-based difficulties are described. These are usually coordinated by the members of the Education Directorate’s Emotional and Behavioural Support Service who are based in CAMHS. Close working between health practitioners and school staff in this way is well received by families and teachers, and contributes to the holistic management of children with ADHD at this important stage of their lives.