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En normkritisk studie om blivande specialpedagogers och speciallärares kunskaper om och syn på ADHD.
The most common neuropsychiatric diagnose among children and adolescents in Swedish schools today is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Many of these pupils are in need of special support and it is therefore important that special teachers and special educational needs coordinators (SENCO:s) have the competence required to meet their needs. The purpose of this essay was to study special teacher and SENCO students? knowledge and attitudes regarding ADHD. This was done using a norm critical and gender perspective. Furthermore, the aim was to examine what kind of knowledge and pedagogical strategies that were transferred to the students during their university education. The study was carried out with a quantitative approach were the respondents (N=183) was asked to answer a questionnaire containing 31 questions about ADHD, gender and learning. Those selected for the study were all students attending their last semester of their university education. The response rate was 55,2 %. The result implies that the special teacher and SENCO students experience a lack of knowledge about ADHD and also that the university programs did not give the students enough education about ADHD. This was, according to the students, a shortfall which could lead to consequences in their future professions when it comes to give support to pupils in need of special support but also in the support of other teachers A majority of the respondents thought that differences exists between girls and boys when it comes to how the symptom of ADHD appears. The special teacher and SENCO students often seemed to believe that girls shows more inattentive symptoms compered to boys who more often shows symptoms of hyperactivity. However, they did not believe that the need for special support differ between girls and boys. The respondents did not support the idea that pupils with ADHD should be placed in special teaching groups; instead a majority advocated an inclusive perspective on learning. The students in general did not think that an ADHD-diagnose have a negative effect on the pupils? learning process. Somewhat contradictory, they thought that diagnosed pupils often are in need of special support and that ADHD has a negative effect for the individual identification process. The students? answers suggest that more education about ADHD is at need. This is important in several aspects. To be able to challenge the medical discourse in Swedish schools, knowledge about ADHD is crucial. The knowledge and awareness about ADHD also contributes to discover and challenge institutionalized norms and gender stereotypes. From a pedagogical view this is important since it makes it possible for future special teachers and SENCO:s to work against categorization, exclusion and stigmatization of pupils diagnosed with ADHD.