DAVIS COUNTY ó According to the Davis School District, out of the entire school population, at least 10 percent of students suffer from ADHD. Davis School District, charter schools and private schools all have their own ways to deal with and teach those students.##M:MORE##

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder that is most common in people under the age 19. Three to four percent of the worldís population suffer from inattention, hyperability, forgetfulness, poor impulse control and being distracted.

ìOne of the biggest problems with ADHD is the fact that people donít believe itís a real condition,î said Utah CHADD director, Linda Smith.

Children and adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders is a non-profit organization that offers support for parents and family members of those who suffer from ADHD. CHADD often works with the Davis School District to provide classes and support for family members.

CHADD says that al-though there are adults who suffer from ADHD, it is more common in children. ìAnd the message we want to get out there is that it can be treated,î said Smith.

Attitudes toward ADHD have changed slightly over the past 10-15 years, though there are still stigmas about the disorder. CHADD wants people to know that ADHD is a disorder. There are also people from the Davis School District who say the same.

Davis Diagnostic Resource Center director, Heather Sather, has been working with ADHD students for over 12 years.

ìAttitudes have improved,î she said and there is concrete research and evidence every day of the fact that ADHD is a disorder.

Teachers and counselors in the school district are aware of students with the disorder, and most are very willing to work with families.

ìMost teachers can identify students in their classroom struggling with ADHD behaviors,î said Bountiful Elementary School counselor, Carla Miele. ìIn order for a student to have this diagnosis, that student must show an impairment in the ability to learn in school; therefore, teachers fairly readily recognize these students.î

From the district, Sather said that she has placed a copy of Sandra Reifís ìThe ADHD Book of Listsî with each resource coordinator at the schools. The book focuses on how to deal with ADHD students in a classroom setting.

Sather also pointed out the fact that more medication and help is available now than there was 12 years ago. ìNow, we have about a 95 percent success rate teaching a student when they get the right help,î she said. ìAny given childís experience is as good as our teachers and parents make it.î

sroberts@davisclipper.com