Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a neurological condition that causes a person to be easily distracted and impulsive. If identified and treated at an early age, children with ADD can lead normal, productive lives, and can actually develop advantages from some of the condition’s traits. If not dealt with at an early age, ADD can be difficult to manage, and can result in more serious problems, such as substance abuse or depression. The most common symptoms of ADD are selective attention, distractibility, impulsivity, and sometimes hyperactivity. People with ADD are mistakenly referred to as having an “attention deficit”. In fact, what they have is “selective attention”, where they display brief attention, until they become distracted and are no longer able to provide their undivided attention (Sears and Thompson 6). Sometimes in the midst of a conversation, a person with ADD may suddenly “zone out” of the conversation and appear to be in another world. They are also easily distracted, finding it difficult to complete tasks. People with ADD are impulsive, acting without thinking of what the outcome of their actions may be (Sear and Thompson 6). Lastly, some people with ADD are hyperactive, in almost constant physical movement. Hyperactivity “refers to excessive, inappropriate motion, as if a person were driven by a motor running inside that does not shut off ” (Williams 19). There are several key ingredients to a successful treatment plan for ADD: behavioral techniques, positive reinforcement, and medicine, if necessary. Behavioral techniques focus on developing good habits at an early age. Parental involvement is crucial, requiring commitment and investment of time to constantly reinforce positive behaviors, such as ... ... middle of paper ... ...Book. California: Little, Brown and Co., 1998. Print. Williams, Julie. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Berkley Heights, NJ 07922: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2001. Print “Organizing Your Work Space.” Hallowell. The Hallowell Center. 2013. Web. 1 April. 2014. “Exercising Your Brain.” Hallowell. The Hallowell Center. 2013. Web. 1 April. 2014. “ADHD Diets.” WebMD. WebMD, LLC. 2014. Web. 3 April. 2014. “Feeding Your Brain…Literally.” Hallowell. The Hallowell Center. 2013. Web. 1 April. 2014. Taylor, John. ADHD Parenting Tips: Better Discipline: New Hope Media. Feb/Mar 2007. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. “Parenting An ADD/ADHD Child.” Hallowell. The Hallowell Center. 2013. Web. 1 April. 2014. Smith, Melinda, MA, and Segal, Robert, MA. Adult ADD/ADHD. Dec. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. “What it feels Like to Have ADD/ADHD.” Hallowell. The Hallowell Center. 2013 Web. 3 April. 2014.
In the early eighties, children were being diagnosed with a mental illness that consistently brings them out of focus. The mental illness was later named, ADD or ADHD, and not known as an illness but as a disorder. Soon enough ADD was no longer used for diagnoses and became considered an outdated term among doctors. Therefore, instead of ADD and ADHD being two different types of disorders they are now both claimed as attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Although these two types of deficits have inattention difficulties as the primary symptom, they both can not be combined due to ADD having its own preferences on what makes the child or adult inattentive in day to day situations.
Kelland, Kate. "Children with ADHD say stimulant drugs help them: study." Huffington Post. 10 14 2012: n. page. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
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)
National Institute of Mental Health (1999). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Retrieved April 2, 2003 from www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm#adhd3
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Everyone has heard of it. A few years ago every newspaper and weekly magazine had a feature about the disorder. The disorder was mostly associated with school-aged children because that was the time when most of the symptoms surfaced. Today ADHD is the most common behavior disorder diagnosed in children and teens. ADHD refers to a group of symptoms that begin in early childhood and can continue into adulthood, causing difficulties at home, at school, at work, and within the community if not recognized and treated (1). But what most people never hear was that ADHD also affects adults and if left untreated can have serious effects.
This book makes parents and guardians aware of the other treatment options available to them and their children for ADD and ADHD. It gives natural and holistic ways to treat it also it tells about different physicians you could make an appointment with for treatment without drugs.
Chandler, C. (2011). The Science of ADHD: A Guide for Parents and Professionals. New York:
Smith, M., Segel, J., & Ramsey, D. (2013, 9). Add / adhd medications. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_medications.htm
While the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association) put forth a list of behaviors which predominantly fall in the category of ADD and/or ADHD, many researchers still maintain that there is no set way to diagnosis or develop a treatment program to these disorders which will be guaranteed to work. At the same time there is another set of researchers who maintain that these disorders actually do not exist at all. However, in the real world, parents and educators still continue to struggle with the task of coping with children who are hyperactive and who have very low attention span and whose behavior often interferes with schooling and family life. [Armstrong, 1997]
In reviewing the website, “ADDitude, Living Well With Attention Deficit” Larry, S. M.D. (2013) allows the reader to assess and understand ADHD symptoms, treatment resources and improving parenting skills needed for living with ADHD children. It attempts to reach its readers through the use of outlining ADHD resources, free downloads regarding wide range ADHD information, available social networks including ADHD Blogs. The site also includes webcasts produced by various staff for readers to easily access current and up-to-date information in order learn more and parent more efficiently.
Quinn, P. (2012). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What Is ADHD?. WebMD. Retrieved on December 3, 2013, from
Wender, Paul. ADHD: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity In Children And Adults. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
With five percent of the children in the world affected by ADHD to some degree, there is much variance in the severity and occurrence of symptoms and behaviors (Zeigler Dendy, 2000, “Teachin...
We have all heard of the schoolboy who doesn't know how to stay in his seat at school; instead he climbs furniture and makes noise during work time. We have also all known a schoolgirl who looks out the window quietly daydreaming instead of paying attention to the teacher. We now know that the hyperactive boy has a neurological disorder called attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) (Hallowell & Ratey, 1994; Latham, 2000). Experts recently have agreed that the daydreaming girl also has ADHD - sometimes called ADD because it occurs without hyperactivity (Hallowell & Ratey, 1994). But what happens when the child with AD(H)D grows up? How can tutors work with college students who have AD(H)D?
Smith, M. S., & Segal, J. (2014 ). Add/adhd parenting tips: Helping children with ADD. Help