Schools and classes for children with ADHD in Poland

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Schools for children with ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
What schools offer to their students with ADHD
Formative assessment
Therapies for children with ADHD used in Polish schools
Integration trips
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Schools for children with ADHD

The diagnosis of ADHD is crucial for the child to be admitted to school and for the use of appropriate methods to facilitate the educational process in the school setting. An opinion is issued on adapting educational requirements and forms of work to the individual developmental, educational, and psychophysical needs of a child. The clinic presents a detailed program of work with a child with ADHD. It contains a wealth of information on attention disorders, excessive impulsivity, and hyperactivity.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Not long ago, as late as the early years of the 21st century, the knowledge among Polish school teachers about ADHD was embarrassingly low. Teachers didn’t know how to treat a child with ADHD. There were frequent cases when such children were not admitted to schools. Parents were offered an option of individual education for children with ADHD, which did not have a positive effect on the socialization process. The situation is better today. Integrated schools make sure teachers attend training courses that prepare them to deal with kids with ADHD. An important part of the work of a school teacher teaching ADHD students is cooperation with their parents.

What schools offer to their students with ADHD

The best conditions for educating children with ADHD are small groups which allow the teacher to focus on the individual needs of the student. A child with ADHD in a smaller group also feels much better.

Schools for children with ADHD, special schools, or schools that offer integrated classes, offer a range of activities to increase the educational opportunities of students. These are primarily remedial classes, but also social skills training, activities supporting gifted students with emotional development issues, spelling and grammar classes, and integration and sports classes. In each school with integrated classes, speech therapists are employed as well.

Formative assessment

A great opportunity for individually tailored education for children with ADHD is the increasingly popular system of formative assessment, promoted by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, among others. The teacher using the formative assessment method defines the goals of the lesson by formulating them in a way that’s comprehensible to the student. The teacher determines precisely the goals the students should achieve by themselves or with other students, and this progress is checked at the end of the lesson. You can read more about this program, which was initially introduced in UK schools and is now used in different regions of the world here. There are workshops for principals and teachers promoting this method.

Therapies for children with ADHD used in Polish schools

Several rehabilitation procedures are effective therapies for children with ADHD, used by various private and public schools with integrated classes:

• Sensory integration therapy,

• Various relaxation techniques, e.g., Schultz autogenic training,

• EEG therapy - Biofeedback,

• Educational kinesiology,

• Art therapy.

Sensory integration therapy

The most common method of working with children with ADHD in Polish schools is therapy in the form of academic play, i.e., sensory integration therapy. Many schools, both public and private, use this therapy. Some schools have specialized therapy rooms. This is usually the case in special public and private primary schools. This type of therapy is designed to properly stimulate the student's senses for harmonious development.

Autogenic Schultz training

Therapy using Schulz autogenic training helps to trigger reactions of relaxation and concentration. Relaxation exercises are intended to replace negative ideas with positive ones.

EEG therapy - Biofeedback

EEG Biofeedback training is a modern therapeutic method that increases the effectiveness of brain functioning.

Educational kinesiology

Educational kinesiology, developed by Dr. Paul Dennison, is a brain exercise program that activates the muscles of the body on both sides, which, in turn, stimulate the nervous system in both hemispheres of the brain.

Art therapy

Art therapy is a creative therapy through art. The enrichment of one's personality takes place through the process of creation. Not only through visual arts, but also through music, dance, theatre, and more. This therapy was developed by the Polish educator Stefan Szuman.

Integration trips

Trips are organized in many schools with integrated classes. Some of them offer participation in those trips only to teachers, but also school specialists, i.e., psychologists and educators. During such trips, various educational activities are held to stimulate the expression of students’ own feelings, needs, and expectations.