Introduction: Most people have heard of the term Attention Deficit Hyperactive (ADHD) disorder. “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder that interferes with an individual’s ability to attend to tasks (inattention), inhibits one’s behavior (impulsivity), and may interfere with a person’s ability to regulate one’s activity level (hyper-activity) in developmentally appropriate ways (Barkley 19)”. The most important job for teachers and parents is to separate fact from fiction, to clarify what we know and don’t know. Properly diagnosing ADHD, medication choices, and behavioral interventions are the key focal point. Is medication truly worth the side effects? Diagnosing ADHD As the name implies, ADHD is typically characterized by two distinct sets of symptoms: inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity. Although these problems usually occur together, one may be present without the other and still qualify for an ADHD diagnosis. Children are diagnosed with ADHD when they have met specific guidelines within these two categories. A number of parents observe signs of inattentiveness, restlessness, and impulsivity in their child even before their child starts school. The child might lose attention while playing a game or watching TV, or the child might dash about totally unrestrained. Since children mature at different levels and vary in character, nature, and energy levels, it is critical to obtain a specialist’s diagnosis of whether the behavior is suitable for the child's age, the child has ADHD or the child is simply immature or uncommonly high-spirited. To qualify as having ADHD, the symptoms must significantly affect a child's ability to function at home and at school. A diagnosis is based on the guidelines provided in the “American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) published in 1994 (Barkley 133)”. In general, children are diagnosed with ADHD if they show at least six symptoms from each category. Dr. Berkley lists the following symptoms for each category: Inattention: • Often fails to pay close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities • Often has trouble sustaining attention during tasks or play • Often doesn't seem to listen when spoken ... ... middle of paper ... ...counseling the child and the family and facilitating them in the development of new skills, attitudes, and ways of relating to each other. The important step is proper diagnosis of ADHD. It is imperative to know about any medication being prescribed for each individual child. Work Cited Page: American Academy of Physicians “ADHD: What Parents Should Know.” Family Doctor, 10 April, 2005 Barkley, Russel A. Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents. New York: The Gilford Press, 2000. Eli Lilly and Company “Strattera.” Strattera 10 April, 2005 McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, a Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc “Prescription Medication Overview” Focus on ADHD. 14 April, 2005 < http://www.focusonadhd.com/treatment/medical_treatments.jhtml> Rabnier, David. “Behavioral Treatment for ADHD: An Overview.” Health. 14 April, 2005 Wilens, Timothy E. Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications for Kids New York: The Guilford Press, 1999. Wilens T.C. et all. Does stimulant therapy of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder beget later substance abuse? A meta-analytic review of the literature. Pediatrics, (2003) 111:1:179-185.
Sojourner Truth was born in 1797, in Hurley N.Y. Sojourner was born into slavery, and was given the name Isabella Baumfree. Sojourner’s parents, were also slaves, in Ulster county N.Y. Because slave trading was very prominent in those days, Sojourner was traded and sold many times throughout her life.
Many psychologists regard ADHD as a state deficit, where children are highly aroused to compensate for the body’s feeling of under arousal. (Kerns, Eso, Thomson, 1999) Three main features of ADHD are 1.Impulsivity, the children often act before they consider consequences 2.Hyperactivity, the children struggle to sit still 3.Inattentiveness, the children have difficulty focusing on a subject because of the overload of stimuli in the environment. Research may indicate that ADHD has biological origins and set symptoms, such as fidgeting, excessive talking, difficulty maintaining concentration, impulsive behavior, lack of focus and messiness. (http://www.mnsi.net/~collinsw/ritalin.htm) According to the Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, in a recent conference held by the NIMH, National Institute of Mental Health, the validity of the diagnosis of ADHD was held in question. (www.breggin.com) The cause of ADHD is unknown as of yet, and speculation is all psychologists have to diagnose and treat patients. The DSM-IV has categorized ADHD by the three dimensions listed above and included 18 symptoms under the three categories, which include some listed above. ADHD has undergone significant renaming and evaluation since the last publication of the Diagnostic Statistic Manual. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity, was referred to as ADD or sometimes ADD-H, Attention Deficit Disorder with hyperactivity. (www.journals.cup.org)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most widely diagnosed “mental-illness” in children in the United States today, and approximately 99% of children diagnosed are prescribed daily doses of methylphenidate in order to control undesirable behaviors. (Stolzer)
Typically when one hears the term “ADHD” and the potential negative effects that it could have on someone striving towards academic success, they immediately think school age children. Though it is more common for children to be diagnosed and treated, 5% of U.S. adults are living with this condition (American Psychiatric Association, 2012). First ADHD must be defined before coping methods can be explained. ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is a diagnosis applied to children and adults who consistently display certain characteristic behaviors such as distractibility (poor sustained attention to tasks), impulsivity (impaired impulse control and delayed gratification), and hyperactivity (excessive activity and physical restlessness) (Jaksa, 1998). These are signs that will normally be identified by the child’s educator. Signs and/or symptoms could present themselves differently in adults and affect different aspects of their daily lives.
As stated previously, medication is the most common option that parents choose for their children. The most common prescriptions are Dexedrine, Cylert, Ritalin, and Adderall. Medication is highly effective. For around 75%-90% of prescribed patients, these work to solve their issues. This is a definite advantage to taking medication is that it is almost guaranteed to work. There are drawbacks to taking medication however; the trial-and-error process, cost of medication, and the side effects that can come with medication. As with any brain chemical medication, there comes a trial-and-error process to determine the right balance and the right amount to really curb the symptoms that come with. Just like any medication that people need to operate, the cost does add up whereas with behavioral therapy, there is no medication to buy and thus no costs. Lastly, there are side effects that come with ADHD. These can be insomnia, nervousness, headaches, and weight loss. Despite all these drawbacks, medication is the fastest and most effective way to treat ADHD (“Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit
Kelland, Kate. "Children with ADHD say stimulant drugs help them: study." Huffington Post. 10 14 2012: n. page. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Children who have symptoms of inattention may be easily distracted, have difficulties focusing, become bored easily, have no organizational skills, or just can't seem to complete or turn in their homework. Children who have symptoms of hyperactivity may have trouble sitting still and being quite, or they may seem like they are constantly "on the go." C...
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly referred to as simply ADHD, is the most commonly diagnosed disorder among American children today. According to the National Institute on Mental Health an estimated 3 to 5 percent of school age children are affected by this disorder. (1) There are more diagnosed cases of ADHD of in the United States than there are anywhere in the world. The main symptoms of ADHD include "developmentally inappropriate levels of attention, concentration, activity, distractibility, and impulsivity." (1) While the number of people diagnosed with ADHD increases dramatically every year, there is still much about the disorder that is not understood. While scientists have deduced that ADHD originates in the brain, they still have many questions about the nature of it. The classification of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become quite a controversial topic in American society today. There are some who believe that by recognizing the symptoms associated with the disorder as ADHD; science is simply putting a band-aid on a problem that could be otherwise corrected with behavior modification.
The current diagnostic criterion for ADHD primarily focuses on significant hyperactivity and inattention. Aside from those two, in order for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD the DSM-IV says symptoms must show begin to show before the age of seven, show impairment in two or more settings, the impairment must be clinically significant or affect academic functioning, and the symptoms cannot be explained by another mental disorder (Weis, 2008). Since children may show symptoms of ADHD, but some symptoms may not be as significant as others, the DSM-IV classifies three subtypes of ADHD that are used for diagnosing patients (Mattox, 2007). The first type is ADHD Combined Type (ADHD/C). Children diagnosed with this type show definite hyperactivity and impulsivity, as well as inattentiveness. The other two subtypes are ADHD Predominately Hyperactive-Impulsive (ADHD/HI) and ADHD Predominately Inattentive Type (ADHD/I). When children are diagnosed with one of these, they show a greater amount of symptoms regarding either hyperactivity or inattention but not both. Therefore, it is possible for children to be diagnosed with ADHD and show very minimal signs of hyperactivity. Weis (2008) suggests that children like this are described as having a sluggish cognitive tempo. In ot...
It is normal for children to have trouble focusing and behaving at one time or another. But for children with the disorder these symptoms are constantly occurring in their young lives. The symptoms continue and can cause difficulty in several settings. This behavioral disorder is characterized by inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. These symptoms usually occur together but one can occur without the other. When present, the symptoms of hyperactivity are almost always visible at the age of seven years and may be also visible at a younger age. The lack of attention is not completely obvious until the child faces certain situations, such as school work. A child with ADHD might have hard time paying attention, be easily distracted, have difficulty listening to others, daydream a lot, inter...
Over the past couple of years there has been a vast increase in the number of Americans suffering from ADHD. ADHD has become a hot topic of discussion for the public resulting in rising attention and concern. The way health professionals go about treating and making sure they properly treat patients suffering from ADHD is by thoroughly assessing the patient. As this disorder became more known, it resulted in more parents becoming more aware and realizing that their student’s poor performance in school or behavioral problems might not be intentional.
The history of children with hyperactivity and intention is very dense. The diagnosis of ADHD has grown and changed a lot over the years, but the story of ADHD begins in 1798 (Lange et al., 2010). Sir Alexander Crichton was a medical doctor from Edinburgh who became an expert on mental illness. In the second of his books about mental illness, he wrote about attention disorders. He described people who are unable to focus or pay attention with the necessary amount of consistency (Lange et al., 2010). The distractibility of these individuals and the fact that the disorder is “born with a person” are two other similarities that his description have with the modern understanding of ADHD (Lange et al., 2010). Sir Alexander Crichton started the conversation that turned into the diagnosis of ADHD, but he the definition of the disordered changed a lot through history.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is real. In this response paper, I will discuss the associated impairments and potential etiology of ADHD, and underlying reason of the sharply increased diagnosing cases in the United States.
There are two crucial variables, the psychological state of readiness to take specific action, and the extent to which a particular course of action is believed to be beneficial in reducing the threat (Rosenstock 1966: 98). In addition to the variables described above, another factor is a cue to provoke action, such as having an accident oneself or recent media attention to the issue. This was named the ‘cue to action. Nisbet and Gick (2008: 297) made a summary the model basically saying
Children who have inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity could lead to a diagnosis of ADHD. Although it is normal for all children to exhibit these behaviors children with ADHD are more severe and occur more often. To receive a diagnosis of ADHD a child must have symptoms for 6 or more months and at a greater degree than other children the same age.