Derrington 2012 thesis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

Centre School have a diagnosis of Autism or Conduct Disorder. All of these
conditions have higher prevalence rates among males than females 22 . On average,
25% of pupils at The Centre School are medicated for ADHD. In adolescence the
condition may predominantly present with attention and concentration difficulties
without the physical restlessness and over-activity which are seen in younger children
(Vostanis, 2007). Managing behaviours due to ADHD is easier in smaller classes and
when students have more time they can cope more easily because they do not feel
stressed or panicky. Conduct disorders are commonly associated with ADHD and can
include a range of behaviours such as aggression, destroying property, stealing,
truancy, breaking into houses and other violations of social rules. Children with
conduct disorders tend to have deficits in social skills and lack skills to understand or
find alternative solutions to problematic social situations.
Other than clinically defined needs, students at The Centre School may be
emotionally traumatised from abuse, been subject to neglect, for example, or
witnesses to domestic violence. Boys frequently react to such trauma by manifesting
physical aggression towards others. Girls may play truant, lie, run away, misuse
substances, suffer from extreme anxiety or have problems either by refusing food or
over-eating. This difference in behaviour is reflected in the statistics which show that
exclusion for boys is higher than for girls 23 . Particularly low self-esteem is a common
feature associated with emotional and behavioural difficulties and students are
‘unlikely to make good academic progress commensurate with their ability and
present exceptional and extreme behaviours either on spectacular one-off occasions
or persistently over time’ (Daniels et al.,1999, p.10).
3.3.2 Music therapy for students at The Centre School
Due to their past experiences and usually low self-esteem, students at The Centre
School often find reasons not to try something new and prefer to give up. My aim for
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22 ADHD is diagnosed two to four times more frequently in boys than in girls (Singh,
2008). There is evidence to suggest that there are more boys with Autistic Spectrum
Disorders than girls (Jenkins et al., 2009).
23 School exclusion statistics from the Department for Education 2009/10 showed that
the exclusion rate for boys was approximately four times higher than that for girls
(DfE, 2011).!
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