Connor is nine years old and a spirited and clever boy. Nevertheless, he was hardly at school for two years because he became so afraid of some teachers and classmates that he no longer wanted to go there and became ill from fear. “A teacher told him he was stupid and would stay stupid,” says Connor’s mother, Cindy Nette. She fights to ensure that Connor grows up normally and can go to a normal school.
Diagnosis: ADHD and AVWS
This is obviously not easy, because Connor has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and also suffers from auditory processing and perception disorder (AVWS). Those affected can hear even quiet tones and noises normally, but cannot properly process and perceive what they hear, including speech.
Support must be requested from the school
As a result, Connor, with care level 3, has a relatively high level of care and is therefore entitled to additional special educational support, as well as a so-called integration assistant. This is a companion who relieves the teachers and supports Connor, for example, if he does not understand a task. Additional support like this is intended to enable children like Connor to participate in regular classes, but the schools have to apply for it every school year.
Special schools will be reduced in 2028
Nevertheless, there is no alternative to regular school for ADHD children, because the Ministry of Education plans to reduce the landscape of special schools from 2028 to focus on physical and mental disabilities. The existing special schools for children with developmental delays or learning difficulties should then be incorporated into special learning groups in the regular schools. However, most schools feel overwhelmed by this.
You can’t see ADHD
In addition, mental disorders such as ADHD have so far hardly been included in pedagogical training. In addition, Connor and his fellow sufferers do not notice that they have special needs and that their behavior cannot be changed through education in the classic sense.
Openness to those who don’t fit into the system
In fact, the opposite is true because these children cannot control their impulses. “In order to be able to educate ADHD children normally, we need significantly more informal and practical support for teachers and classmates, but also more openness for those who do not fit into our prefabricated education system,” says Evelin Theil, education officer at Diakonie Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania .
Children with original behavior are often extremely smart
Children like Connor are what are known in educational circles as behaviorally original. Connor has difficulty concentrating and finds it difficult to weight and sort information differently, says Cindy Nette. In addition, he often does not understand the task because he can hear the words but cannot always put them into a meaningful context. Connor has an above-average intelligence quotient.
ADHD can make you feel insecure in social situations
After the teacher called him stupid, he was completely desperate, remembers Cindy Nette. This is what happens to many children and young people with ADHD, according to the Cologne University Hospital’s ADHD information portal. Because they often experience rejection from others – from peers, from parents, from educators and teachers – many, although not all, children are insecure in social situations and show little self-confidence.
Not socially recognized
Around 500,000 children in Germany who have an ADHD diagnosis are like Connor. This often goes hand in hand with special talents in other areas. The main difficulty for these children is that ADHD is not socially recognized as a real disorder, although there are good diagnostic procedures. Many still believe that these children just need a little more discipline and exercise in order to “not step out of line”.
Integration requires trained staff
But that’s wrong, because children like Connor need clear structures and processes, but also support in understanding the environment and moving in it, describes Evelin Theil. Connor’s story also shows the deficits in the school system. The Ministry of Education’s integration plans can only be implemented successfully if there are enough trained teaching staff. Only then can the classic system be made more flexible and also offer a perspective for children like Connor.
