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Increasing Teachers' Knowledge About ADHD and Learning Disorders: An Investigation on the Role of a Psychoeducational Intervention

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Journal of Attention Disorders: A Journal of Theoretical and Applied Science

Published online on

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. (J. of Att. Dis. 2012; XX(X) 1-XX)