ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate computer use in educational activities by students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in comparison with that of students with physical disabilities and students from the general population. METHODS: The design of the study was cross-sectional with group comparison. Students with ADHD (n = 102) were pair-matched in terms of age and sex with students with physical disabilities and students from the general population (n = 940) were used as a reference group. RESULTS: The study showed that less than half of the students with ADHD had access to a computer in the classroom. Students with ADHD reported significantly less frequent use of computers for almost all educational activities compared with students with physical disabilities and students from the general population. Students with ADHD reported low satisfaction with computer use in school. In addition, students with ADHD reported a desire to use computers more often and for more activities in school compared with students with physical disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that occupational therapists should place more emphasize on how to enable students with ADHD to use computers in educational activities in school.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity , Consumer Behavior , Microcomputers/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Disabled Children/education , Disabled Children/statistics & numerical data , Female , Humans , Information Storage and Retrieval , Internet/statistics & numerical data , Male , Schools/statistics & numerical data , Students/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires , Sweden , WritingABSTRACT
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is intended to provide a framework for practitioners. A client-centred ICF-based assessment (ICF-A) was developed to be used by occupational therapists in problem identification. The aim was to evaluate the ICF-based assessment (ICF-A) focusing on the examination of its utility on the basis of occupational therapists' perspectives regarding clinical relevance and potential for implementation. Eleven occupational therapists, most of whom worked in hospitals, performed in total 99 ICF-A based assessments and completed three self-reported questionnaires related to the utility of the ICF-A, resulting in a total of 121 questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and directed content analysis. The results from this initial testing of ICF-A showed that its clinical relevance was considered low since ICF-A included too many categories. In addition, the time needed to perform the assessments decreased during the 10 assessment occasions. Furthermore, concerning its implementation potential, the client-centred approach in the ICF-A was rated as weak. The target group did not benefit from using ICF-A in a hospital context. Hence, an investigation of its utility among occupational therapists in community and primary care will be the next step in the development of the ICF-A.
