SUMMARY
One of the goals for this research paper was to make
distinctly evident the failure that traditional school systems have been for
ADHD students, both now and in the past. Change may be difficult to
bring to pass on a grand scale, but the time has certainly come whereby
change must come about in regards to providing newer instructional
methods for ADHD children!
Another goal of this paper was to identify the educational problems which exist for ADHD students. This was necessary before coming up with a proposal for a solution to the problem statement.
And finally, as mentioned, the primary goal for this paper was to provide an idealistic and obtainable solution which answers the question, "HOW SHOULD WE BEST EDUCATE ADHD CHILDREN?" By virtue of my experience with my own ADHD child, I believe the answer is two-fold: first, change the method of classroom instruction from being teacher-directed to student-directed; secondly, maximize technology by using Internet-accessed computers with remarkable interactive educational software. This dual solution has the remarkable ability to greatly diminish the negatives usually associated with ADHD children by highlighting and magnifying their strengths. If this proposal is instituted, who knows—maybe ADHD kids will be our brightest students of tomorrow!
Still, none of this will take place unless two things
occur. First, educational entrepreneurs and educational software
companies must provide a complete set of K-12 highly-interactive
educational software which can be 100% substituted in lieu of current
textbooks. And these programs need to be offered via the Internet for obvious
logistical problems associated with CD-ROM's, etc. Secondly, schools
must provide every student with a Internet-accessed computer, and must
activate this model fairly soon. If they don’t, alternate schools,
i.e. charter, private, or home schools, will.
Though the computer and the Internet, equipped with outstanding interactive educational software, won’t solve all of the problems for ADHD students, it will at the very least, provide for them greater hope and higher self-esteem than they have ever experienced before in traditional classrooms.