Issues with the Psychoeducational Assessment from a Parents Perspective and the Effectiveness of Academ ADHD Provided by the School: A Narrative Literature Review

This narrative literature review explores the challenges of adolescents with ADHD and/or comorbid disorders in classroom interventions (e.g. reading, writing, and organization skills) as well as the psychoeducational assessments involving their parents. The review draws from literature in three disciplines: psychology, education, and critical disability, in order to identify and highlight the issues, gain insights and demonstrate the subject’s intricate nature. The research questions explore the challenges parents face with psychoeducational assessments. It also explores the effectiveness of academic skills interventions provided by special education programs for adolescents with ADHD or ADHD and comorbid disorders. The review surfaces a gap in the literature on the issues of psychoeducational assessments generally and, specifically, a lack of peer-reviewed studies in Canada, which is the primary jurisdiction of interest. Six main themes emerged from ten studies, as well as three intersecting themes related to both assessments and interventions. Intersecting themes included compliance, willingness, effectiveness, and stigma. An analysis of the themes reveals that parents often adhere to assessment recommendations but struggle with the complexity of the report and question its efficacy. Adolescents' unwillingness to participate in interventions was related to issues such as perceived ineffectiveness and stigma. The analysis reveals that these issues hinder effectiveness in assessments and interventions. The conclusions offer insights on these issues and make recommendations that may assist adolescents with ADHD.