POVERTY
CHILDREN
IN
Children in poverty with special needs
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD]
ADHD is a mental disorder with symptoms of attention deficiencies, hyperactivity and impulsiveness that appears before the age of 7 in both home and school settings (Forness & Kavale 2001, pp. 224-225).
When children have a disability and also live in poverty, the impact of poverty may be more significant in children’s learning outcomes (Park et al. 2002).
Study (NCBI 2013) has shown that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most prevalence neurobehavioral disorders emerged in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in Australia, with approximately 7.4% of children assessed as having ADHD in Australia (or about 315,000 people in Australia) (AIHW, 2019; Lawrence et al. 2005, p. 4).
Figure 7: Prevalence of mental disorders in 2017 among those aged 4-17 ((Lawrence et al. 2015, p. 4)
High-risk groups of ADHD
According to the Department of Health (2015 p. 40), several sociodemographic characteristics associated with the exposure of higher risk of ADHD include:
- Family type (Young people in step, blended and sole parent or carer families)
- Household income (families with the lowest income level)
- Level of the parent (education level)
- Carer education
- Parent and carer labour forces status
- Area of residence and family functioning (live outside of the greater capital city area)
Implications of ADHD in early childhood setting includes:
-
Inattention
-
Impulsiveness
-
Inner restlessness
-
Excessively aggressive and antisocial behaviour
-
Academic failure, dropping out of school
-
Rejection by peers
-
Low self-esteem
-
Poor sleep patterns; daytime behaviour is often worse when sleep is badly affected
(Choi et al. 2017, p. 56)
Figure 8: Stages of ADHD (Harpin 2005, p. i3)
WHAT NEXT....?
WHAT SHALL EDUCATORS DO TO SUPPORT CHILDREN IN NEEDS?