Insurance of quality Vocational Education for students with ADHD.

To support the provision of quality Vocational Education to people with ADHD.

In Europe, according to recent estimations, the number of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is 15 million (EC2012), and about 5% of the population of people ≤18 suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – ADHD (DSM-5®,2015). According to an international study, 50-60% of children and adolescents with ADHD will continue to have ADHD as adults (Childhood predictors of adult ADHD, Lara Carmen, 2009).

The “Vocational Education Quality Assurance for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” project has identified the following problems:

• Limited access to early and precise diagnosis of ADHD (in schools, workplaces).
• Generally, these disorders aren’t treated with a lifelong learning approach: from kindergarten to Vocational Education and adult education.
• Limited number of specialized staff for integration into the education procedure.
• Lack of State Educational Standards for children with special educational needs in all European countries, though new educational standards are under development.
• Reduced recognition of “what ADHD is” and the existing support opportunities for learners with ADHD and their families. Vocational Education providers, specialists, and professionals need to be more active in presenting these disorders and sharing information regarding support opportunities in different countries.

The main consequence of these problems is that students with ADHD often leave school with little qualifications and tend to be unemployed or financially inactive.

Insurance of quality Vocational Education for students with ADHD.

Dozens of Vocational Education providers were informed and trained on the utilization of the tools in various European countries.