The aim of the current case study was to examine the integration of a social skills learning programme for young people aged 13-18 identified with ADHD and learning difficulties within the framework of a junior and high school in Israel designed for young people identified with ADHD. At the start of this inquiry, the stance of the Israeli Ministry of Education mainly leaned on the medicalised model. During the process of conducting this study, the researcher developed a gradual shift from the medicalised to the social constructivist model as an alternative which considers young people from a holistic view. The study explored three perspectives on the integration of the social skills learning groups within the school: those of the educational staff, the therapeutic staff who facilitated the social skills learning groups and those of the group participants. It also explored how each group perceived the intervention in terms of supporting social skills among young people identified with ADHD. Two groups of students took part. One group comprised seven students from the 7th grade who were in their first year of the intervention and another group comprised seven students from the 9th grade who were in their third year of the four-year programme. The study was conducted using a qualitative methodology from an insider perspective, the researcher being a therapist and facilitator of one of the social skills learning groups. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews with staff members, the researcher's reflective diary and a student questionnaire. The study found that the educational staff's perspective on the social skills learning groups involved a gradual process from difficulty accepting the groups to believing that they played an important role in school provision. A parallel process took place among the therapeutic staff who questioned the groups' definition as a class or as group therapy, which required the therapists to examine their professional identity. This process of self-examination of staff members' professional identity and examination of the other staff members' professional roles influenced the integration of the groups in the school. Overall, the study suggested that interventions focusing on assisting the development of social skills can play an important role in school provision for young people identified with ADHD when they are included as part of the school curriculum. However, in order to successfully embed a therapeutic intervention within a school framework, the study suggested that teachers and therapists should cooperate both professionally and personally to build a new common language toward a common goal.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:658951 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Shapira Faians, Adi |
| Publisher | University of Sussex |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/54452/ |
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