Teachers are often frustrated by the controversy surrounding children and ADD. Teachers are in a sometimes precarious position since they are responsible for making decisions in the best interest of their students. Inevitably, a teacher will have a student suspected to have ADD. It is in situations like these that the student-teacher and teacher-parent relationship can become tricky. Clear and open communication can help to ease the transition into proper treatment for children with ADD as well as for their teachers.

Teachers who suspect one of their students may have ADD need to communicate with the child’s parents. By working together as a team, both the teacher and the child’s parents can determine the best solution for the child. The teacher should be educated about the common signs and symptoms of ADD. The child should be experiencing more than just one symptom, such as speaking out or inability to sit still. The child will also likely have poor grades and will be struggling to complete his or her assignments.

It can be frustrating to the teacher to suggest to parents that their child has ADD. The parents could refuse to seek help and assert their child’s behavior as the result of other factors. Or the parents could blame the teacher for not structuring the classroom environment enough for their child. It is important to remember that teachers today are often overworked and underpaid, with the stressful task of teaching and guarding after many students throughout the day. At school, the teacher takes on the role of educator and nurse, dietician and caretaker.

Despite this, some parents may be unwilling to take the teacher’s advice to have their child examined for ADD or another learning disability. On the other hand, the often over stressed teacher is not perfect and is quite capable of making mistakes. With sometimes thirty children to look after and not enough help, it would not be uncommon for a teacher to recommend an over active child be medicated for ADD when in fact the child may simply be bored with his current level of learning.

While it is a teacher’s job to run classes in the best interest of the students, the way in which the school system is run can mean the difference between success or hardship for the student with ADD. Teachers can only give so much extra work or attention to a gifted student with thirty other students waiting in the wings. If there is not proper guidance or counseling available in the school, the teacher may have to spend valuable time tutoring one student with ADD. At this point, communication between parents and teachers is the most important part of the equation.