A project to foster behavioral

monitoring in the field of ADHD

… The conference is an excellent opportunity for the presentation of current educational projects funded by the European Commission and by other sources …

Florence, Italy

13 - 14 June, 2013

International Conference

The Future of Education

Presentation: Antonella Chifari

Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche – CNR Palermo

Project funded by European Commission in the context of

the LLP – KA3 ICT Measure.

Summary

The WHAAM (Web Health Application for ADHD Monitoring) project main aims

Brief focus on the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Brief focus on Functional Analysis

Brief focus on the importance of training programs

WHAAM project’s outcomes

Expected impact

A project to foster behavioral monitoring in

the field of ADHD: WHAAM

Funded by European Commission in the

context of the LLP – KA3 ICT Measure.

AIMS:

◦ Improve Teachers and Parents skills to

monitor problematic behavior of ADHD

pupils and young adults (age 7-18)

◦ Disseminate the knowledge base on ADHD

◦ Improve the home-school collaboration in

the field of ADHD.

Brief focus on the Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD is a chronic neurobehavioral

disorder affecting from 4% - 12% of

school aged children.

Associated with significant impairment

across multiple domains of functioning:

◦ academic

◦ family and peer relationships

◦ low self esteem

Complications of unmanaged

ADHD

Brief focus on Functional Assesment

Brief focus on Functional Assesment

Problematic behaviors have a specific function.

Problematic behaviors occur in a specific

context.

So, it’s very important to lead the major

caregivers:

1. to identify antecedents and consequences which

have some role in increasing the probability of a

problematic behavior;

2. to manipulate antecedents and consequences to

test hypotheses about their functional

relationship to the target behavior.

Brief focus on Functional Assesment

Functional assessment of behavior in

individual children with ADHD can

facilitate intervention planning beyond the

initial diagnostic evaluation, by revealing

specific antecedent and consequent events

that affect each child’s academic and social

functioning and that can be manipulated so

as to alter that functioning.

We will see how the WHAAM project

want to face this important issues.

Brief focus on Parent and Teacher

Training

These programs are aimed to offer parents and teachers a knowledge base about ADHD and to improve their skills in managing the problematic behaviors (inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity).

Through providing safe and supportive home and school environments, effective and responsive academic instruction, behavioral intervention, and appropriate accommodations, caregivers and school teams can increase the opportunity for children with ADHD to achieve academic success and overall, life-long well-being.

Brief focus on Parent and Teacher

Training

Effective parents and teachers training

programs requires a multi-disciplinary, multi-

pronged approach. They have an important

role in the observation and assessment of

problematic behaviors in the child’s life

contexts (home and school). Through the

collaborative work of all caregivers will be

possible to obtain successful referral, good

assessment, and treatment protocols for

children, youth, and families.

WHAAM project’s outcomes

Theoretical Context Driven Framework

for ICT-based interventions for students

with ADHD

Development of a Web Application

targeted at parents of children with

ADHD, teachers, and health professionals

Parent and Teacher Training paths

e-Learning module on “ICT-based

interventions for students with ADHD”

WHAAM project’s outcomes:

the Framework

The main aim is to define a common theoretical structure within the partnership underlying main factors and methodologies implemented both in the project activities and outcomes.

The framework will be designed starting from the most effective scientific researches in this area, taking into account the ADHD complexity and multidimensionality.

The framework will collect the most recent research outcomes in ADHD intervention methodologies but its most innovative aspect will be the identification of strategic ways in which ICTs can support ADHD multimodal interventions.

WHAAM project’s outcomes:

the Web Application It will provide teachers and parents with features to

easily monitor young pupils’ behaviors in a specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely way.

Using the data gathered through the monitoring, the project Web Application will allow health personnel, parents and teachers to share observations, define together the best intervention plan for pupils and learn the most suitable strategies for the management of ADHD learning and behavioral difficulties.

The Web Application will be accessible through both personal computers and mobile devices and it will be translated in 4 languages.

WHAAM project’s outcomes: the

Parents and Teachers training

This is the central work package of the project. It will provide teachers and parents of students with ADHD with behavior modification techniques based on social learning and the use of the Web Application developed.

The most innovative aspect of this training will be the introduction of the Web Application as a tool to promote community-based interventions in which every element of the school-family system has a key-role in the identification and manipulation of pupils problematic behaviors.

WHAAM project’s outcomes: the

Parents and Teachers training/2

In particular, teachers and parents will be taught to:

◦ identify and manipulate the antecedents and consequences of child behavior through the use of the project Web Application for monitoring;

◦ coordinate actions on problematic behaviors, for instance rewarding students prosocial activities or ignoring the same unwanted behaviors;

◦ share and obtain feedback within a virtual network of teachers, parents and experts;

◦ target and monitor behavioral changes through Web Application charts features;

◦ plan didactic activities/school class organization taking into account the student behavior at home and at school.

WHAAM project’s outcomes:

the e-Learning module

This module, called “Methodologies and technologies for monitoring and treatment of ADHD students”, is aimed to construct a learning community engaged in studying and testing the methodological and technological approaches for supporting the inclusion of ADHD students in the educational processes.

The module will be delivered via Internet in order to promote a European-wide access. It will be available also beyond the end of the project, promoting a multiplicative effect of the project results. In fact, students trained in the module will have the opportunity to use the project Web Application in their working environments and spread their knowledge to other practitioners.

The module will be accredited by national universities belonging to every country involved in the project, ensuring that it will meet high quality standards for higher education students

Expected impact

Guide caregivers to:

◦ maximize quality of life of ADHD subject

◦ minimize dysfunctional behaviors

Improve the knowledge base in this field

Increase the home-school collaboration,

so as to produce a more uniform,

consistent, and effective plan of

management that incorporates the major

caregivers.

Partnership and contacts

◦ Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche (ITD) U.O. Palermo (Italy)

◦ Unit of Support of the Inclusive School - School of Education of the Polytechnic of Porto Institute (UAEI) Portugal

◦ Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) Greece

◦ Trinity College Dublin (TCD) - Ireland

◦ National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service (ADDISS) United Kingdom

◦ Centro per i disturbi dell’ apprendimento (Ce.D.Ap.) Italy.

whaampartners@pa.itd.cnr.it