"They USE space": youth affected by attentional and behavioral challenges and spatial boundaries in the classroom

Abstract

This thesis examines the perceivable effects of socially-imposed spatial boundaries on youth affected by attentional and behavioral challenges associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Using data collected from non-participatory observations in two upper-elementary school classrooms, along with formal interviews with the teachers of these classrooms, I explore the effects of classroom power relations and interrogate the efficacy of recommended educational techniques in order to analyze how these factors impact the ways that students affected by attentional and behavioral challenges experience and interpret space.