Inclusive Education, Theory and Practice Case Study:

James Hadley is a fourteen-year-old student in year seven, who attends a local high

school. James has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

(ADH D), a condition which affects approximately one in twenty Australian children

(The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, 2018). James has also been diagnosed

with a comorbid condition of depression, a common comorbidity which impacts thirty-

forty percent of children who have ADHD (Rief, 2003).

ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental condition which is characterised by

inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsiveness and commonly turbulent emotional

responses (McGough, 2014). This condition impacts an individual’s ability to

appropriately manage the executive functions of their brain, which includes their

working memory, attention span and their ability to self-regulate (Rief, 2003).

Individuals who have been diagnosed with ADHD, especially students like James,

often experience troubles in social settings and education attainment as they cannot

appropriately regulate their attention or impulses (Rae, 2015). As a direct result of

these difficulties students often exhibit generally low-levels of self-esteem and tend

to withdraw from such settings (McGough, 2012), which impacts their ability to form

positive social relationships and to perform academically (Sosin & Sosin, 1996).

Additionally, individuals who have ADHD with comorbid depression, generally

experience complications with their ability to have a goal-centred mindset, and ability

to regulate their emotions appropriately (Graves Hammerness, 2008). Students, in

particular who have been identified as having ADHD and comorbid depression often

lash out due to their conditions, especially when the environment is too demanding

of them (McGough, 2014). Importantly, due to the coexistent nature of ADHD and
depression, students are placed at a higher risk of academic failure due to the effect

their conditions have on their cognition (Martin, 2012).

Through analysis into the condition of ADHD and comorbid depression, James as

a student is able to be better understood, as the impacts of this condition are made

apparent. James often experiences extended periods of high levels of inattention, as

he usually leaves his seat and wanders around the room. This lack of attention often

results in low academic performance when he is given generic class work and

material to complete. James also has a low ability to self-regulate as he experiences

difficulty with staying on task, which often manifest through withdrawn behaviours

like daydreaming. The withdrawn behaviours that James experiences are caused by

low levels of engagement with the curriculum due to his condition (Lawrence,

Estrada & McCormick, 2016). As James displays characteristics of both depression

and ADHD he experiences the greatest levels of trouble with forming positive social

relationships, low self-esteem due to lack of engaging resources which support him

and his abilities causing him to withdraw within these environments.

Further, James does possess many strengths which enable him to be a unique

learner and an outstanding artist. James works extremely well when the content and

activities involve creativity and problem-solving skills, attributes which are common

yet often overlooked in students with ADHD as emphasis is usually placed on their

general inability to focus (Lee & Olenchak, 2014). Student-centred curriculum is

highly-engaging for James as he often becomes extremely focused on tasks which

draw on his interests and in doing so he maintains a high level of engagement. This

high level of focus that James exhibits when completing tasks which interest him is

known as hyper-focus (Sweitzer, 2014). Hyper-focus is common among many

individuals with ADHD and is defined by the inability of the individual to shift their
focus until their interest fades (Sweitzer, 2014). James’ tendency to hyper-focus on

certain creative tasks is in many ways an asset, as he is able to sustain his attention

on particular tasks, enabling him to complete them without distraction. James usually

hyper-focuses on kinaesthetic tasks, something which has been shown to often be a

preference for children with ADHD (Piek, Pitcher and Hay, 1999). An example of

such tasks which are preferable to James, is tasks that allow him to create a

response through drawing, to use images to represent ideas. The highly creative

nature of James, when linked to his ADHD has been shown by researchers to be a

common trend amongst similar students, as they tend to be highly-focused when

they are able to choose their method and type of work (Lee & Olenchak 2014).

Hyper-focus has a positive effect on James within the classroom as it enables him to

be calmer and exhibit more positive behaviours when completing activities that suit

his preferences, enabling him to work independently, something he is otherwise

unable to do.

Furthermore, James has outstanding and highly developed ICT skills as he

usually engages more positively with ICT tasks. ICT has been argued to be highly

beneficial for students with ADHD as it provides them with a mode that enables the

curriculum and tasks to be accessible for them (Drigas & Tourimpampa, 2014).

James, due to his depression, is often withdrawn within the classroom and tends to

not attempt or complete work, especially tasks which involve collaboration. However,

when the work is presented through digital platforms or he is able to complete tasks

with devices he engages appropriately with the work and his classmates as he, often

completes such tasks in an efficient manner. Additionally, ICT further enables James

to be a positive learner as it enables James to be given clear, sequential instructions

at a pace that suits him, this process is important as confusing or complicated

instructions can often cause an ADHD student to react negatively and withdraw

(Bolic, Lidstrom, Thelin, Kjellberg & Hemmingsson, 2013). Alongside the use of ICT,

James responds well to the aid of a student learning support officer, or SLSO, as he

feels comfortable working in a quiet and personal environment. The SLSO further

support James, as they chunk the classwork into smaller segments, allowing James

to have frequent and necessary brain-breaks to ensure the classwork

accommodates him and his needs (Sweitzer, 2014).

 Lesson Plan Amendments based off of the UDL will
be represented by the following
Topic area: Ancient Egypt Stage of Learner: 4 colours:
Multiple means of representation
Multiple means of expression
Multiple means of engagement
Teaching and learning actions
Time
0- 5 Students are to come in and settle in to class. Students are given a DEAL task they are to use their
laptops/devices to find information about their favourite historical figure. Students are to share either
verbally or visually.
Teacher is to mark the roll while students are completing this task.

5-15 Introduce the topic of Ancient Egypt.

Ask students create a title page/ poster in book/device is titled “Ancient Egypt” tell students that they
need to have at least three images, sentences or facts about Ancient Egypt. Allow the students to
source their information from websites, books and classwork. Devices available.

15-25 Concept Map: Teacher is to allow students to work independently or collaborative if they choose.
Students are asked to create a mind-map either in their books or on their devices, SLSO to scribe for
students who will complete the task verbally. Students are to place “Ancient Egypt” in the middle.
Students are to write or draw as many things they can think of that relate to Ancient Egypt. Students
can choose to pair up. Dictionaries or devices can be used to complete the mind map, and to allow the
students to get correct spelling.

20-25 Concept Map Classroom activity:

Teacher is to have the words “Ancient Egypt” on the white board/google doc, students can add images
or words to either. Teacher is to all the students to choose their contribution method. Students are to
add to their own concept maps some words they do not know. Slide show used to help visualise
terms.

25-30 BRAIN BREAK: Students are given a five-minute break. They are invited to stand up and get out of
their seat.
30-45 Glossary Activity 1:
Students are given a glossary worksheet (or google doc) to complete. They need to use words or
images from the concept map to fill it in. Students can also work collaboratively.

45-55 YouTube Clip

Show students an introduction of Ancient Egypt and discuss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO1tzmi1V5g
Students are to choose one thing from the clip and write/draw a definition/representation of it.
55-60 BRAIN BREAK.