Understanding the Relationship between Early Elementary Children's ADHD Symptoms and Teachers' Needs Supportive Practices
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| Title: | Understanding the Relationship between Early Elementary Children's ADHD Symptoms and Teachers' Needs Supportive Practices |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Melissa Kang (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Attention Disorders. 2026 30(7):887-900. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Early Childhood Education Grade 1 Primary Education |
| Descriptors: | Elementary School Students, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Intervention, Personal Autonomy, Competence, Teacher Student Relationship, Sense of Belonging, Self Esteem, Grade 1, Student Attitudes, Teacher Role, Academic Achievement, Teacher Attitudes, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Student Behavior, Behavior Problems, Gender Differences, Foreign Countries |
| Geographic Terms: | Canada |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Student Teacher Relationship Scale, Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement |
| DOI: | 10.1177/10870547261427102 |
| ISSN: | 1087-0547 1557-1246 |
| Abstract: | Objective: Many children with diagnosed and subclinical ADHD struggle with low academic motivation in early elementary. Fortunately, teachers' needs' supportive practices (NSPs) can mitigate motivational challenges and protect against disengagement and underachievement. Teachers' NSPs include autonomy support, structure, and positive student-teacher relationships that target children's motivational resources (i.e., autonomy, competency, and relatedness) needed to engage with school materials. Particularly, autonomy support practices fuel children's feelings of autonomy, structure caters to feelings of competency, and positive student-teacher relationships provide feelings of belonging. Yet, it is unknown how ADHD symptoms in early elementary are associated with teachers' NSPs. Methods: One hundred and fifty-four first-grade students and 25 teachers from three school boards participated. We assessed children's perception of their teachers' autonomy support and structure and their standardised achievement. We also assessed teachers' perceptions of students' ADHD symptoms, student-teacher relationship quality, and conduct problems. Three linear regression analyses were performed with ADHD symptoms as the predictor and NSPs as the dependent variable. Sex, conduct problems, and achievement scores were included as covariates. Results: Sex (i.e., males), greater teacher-reported ADHD symptoms, and more teacher-reported conduct problems were associated with worse teacher-reported student-teacher relationship quality. Teacher-reported ADHD symptoms were positively related to student-reported autonomy support, while teacher-reported conduct problems were negatively associated with student-reported autonomy support. Teacher-reported ADHD symptoms and key covariates did not predict student-reported structure. Conclusion: Our study illustrates the need to further evaluate how best to support teachers managing disruptive behaviours in early elementary to protect the motivational needs of young children with ADHD symptoms. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1507628 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Objective: Many children with diagnosed and subclinical ADHD struggle with low academic motivation in early elementary. Fortunately, teachers' needs' supportive practices (NSPs) can mitigate motivational challenges and protect against disengagement and underachievement. Teachers' NSPs include autonomy support, structure, and positive student-teacher relationships that target children's motivational resources (i.e., autonomy, competency, and relatedness) needed to engage with school materials. Particularly, autonomy support practices fuel children's feelings of autonomy, structure caters to feelings of competency, and positive student-teacher relationships provide feelings of belonging. Yet, it is unknown how ADHD symptoms in early elementary are associated with teachers' NSPs. Methods: One hundred and fifty-four first-grade students and 25 teachers from three school boards participated. We assessed children's perception of their teachers' autonomy support and structure and their standardised achievement. We also assessed teachers' perceptions of students' ADHD symptoms, student-teacher relationship quality, and conduct problems. Three linear regression analyses were performed with ADHD symptoms as the predictor and NSPs as the dependent variable. Sex, conduct problems, and achievement scores were included as covariates. Results: Sex (i.e., males), greater teacher-reported ADHD symptoms, and more teacher-reported conduct problems were associated with worse teacher-reported student-teacher relationship quality. Teacher-reported ADHD symptoms were positively related to student-reported autonomy support, while teacher-reported conduct problems were negatively associated with student-reported autonomy support. Teacher-reported ADHD symptoms and key covariates did not predict student-reported structure. Conclusion: Our study illustrates the need to further evaluate how best to support teachers managing disruptive behaviours in early elementary to protect the motivational needs of young children with ADHD symptoms. |
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| ISSN: | 1087-0547 1557-1246 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/10870547261427102 |
