Knowledge and Attitude of Primary School Teachers in Tehran/Iran towards ADHD and SLD

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of primary school teachers in Tehran (Iran) towards attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific learning disability (SLD). This study was conducted on 205 primary school teachers in Tehran. Using multi-stage sampling, 25 schools were selected randomly. The selected teachers completed a self-report questionnaire on knowledge and attitude towards ADHD and SLD. They were found to have average knowledge of as well as mostly neutral attitudes towards SLD and ADHD. There was a positive significant relationship between knowledge and attitude scores of the participants on the two disorders. Regarding students with ADHD or SLD, instead of referring to specialists, most teachers chose to inform the parents. Our findings mainly indicate average knowledge and attitude scores for both ADHD and SLD-compared to lower findings in previous studies. Those responsible for organizing and holding in-service training workshops on these issues need to have complete mastery and up-to-date information. It is necessary that the results of such studies be used in educational planning and policy making in the Ministry of Education.