ADHD and the role of medication: knowledge and perceptions of qualified and student teachers

Attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is thought to affect 3–5% of school‐aged children. A sound knowledge of both the disorder and its treatment would appear to be useful for school teachers. This study compared the knowledge and attitudes of Scottish qualified and student teachers towards ADHD and its pharmacological treatment. Data regarding teachers' sources of information on ADHD and their familiarity with ADHD websites are also presented. Forty‐three experienced and 25 student teachers were surveyed using an anonymous self‐administered questionnaire. The mean (±SD) number of correct responses to 15 true/false knowledge statements was 5.1 (±2.3) and 5.4 (±2.5) for qualified and student teachers respectively. On medication‐specific issues such as side effects, student teachers achieved more correct responses than qualified teachers (mean [±SD] values were 3.6 [±3.4] and 3.3 [±2.8] out of 18 respectively). Beliefs and attitudes were assessed by Likert‐scale responses to 12 statements. Qualifi...