What do ADHD Neuroimaging Studies Reveal for Teachers, Teacher Educators and Inclusive Education?

Abstract

Ongoing debate about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has not resolved ambivalent teacher beliefs about ADHD. This is an important matter since teachers’ beliefs influence their pedagogy, classroom management, and their referral procedures for formal diagnoses of ADHD. They therefore must be provided with up-to-date professional learning about ADHD. To synthesise neuroimaging studies, which examined differences in brain organisation and function in those with ADHD compared to matched unaffected controls. The overarching goal was to enhance teachers’ understanding of ADHD by providing synthesised research findings around the neurological basis of ADHD. The PRISMA method was used to search the Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus databases to complete a systematic review of peer-reviewed research that compared individuals with ADHD with matched controls published between 2010 and December 2015. The identification and analyses of 174 MRI and fMRI relevant studies across a sample of over 24,000 showed that there are significant differences in neural anatomy and processing in ADHD compared to unaffected matched controls. Compelling evidence shows ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disability, not a socially determined set of behaviours. Results point to an urgent need for teacher professional learning and systematic up-to-date preservice teacher education along with inclusive education policy reform.