Increasing Teachers’ Knowledge About ADHD and Learning Disorders

Abstract

Objective: To investigate elementary school teachers’ baseline knowledge about ADHD and learning disorders (LD) and the impact of a strategy to increase awareness of these disorders. Method: A total of 37 teachers were selected from four elementary schools in the catchment area of the University Hospital, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. To evaluate teachers’ knowledge, two self-report questionnaires about ADHD and LD were applied before and after an awareness program on these disorders. Results: The intervention significantly increased teachers’ knowledge of both disorders, even after adjustment for confounding factors ( p < .001). In the repeated measures ANCOVA, only teachers’ previous knowledge of ADHD/LD ( p < .001) was significant in predicting score change in knowledge before and after the intervention. Conclusion: Results suggest the efficacy of a brief psychoeducational intervention program for increasing teacher awareness and knowledge about ADHD and LD. Future studies are warranted to confirm the efficacy and evaluate the long-term impact of this intervention.