Introduction
In this essay, the key characteristics of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are discussed in relation to behavioural difficulties, social communication, emotional expression, and learning difficulties. In addition, suitable strategies for engaging these students in both learning and social skills will also be identified and discussed. Following this a personal critical reflection is provided.
Students with ADHD can experience a range of difficulties in the classroom environment (Ryan & Patrick, 2001). These can range from problem behaviours such as hyperactivity, difficulty socialising with peers, expressing their emotions, and also have learning difficulties such as writing and reading difficulties
…show more content…
Barkley (1990) stated that, students with ADHD usually are unable to pay attention for long periods of time, or to stay seated to complete their work or conversation with others. In support of this view, Silver (2008) who interviewed the teacher of a student with ADHD situated in a mainstream classroom with other students without ADHD found that the results indicated that the student with ADHD had problems sustaining attention on a task and therefore leaving the group discussion. As reflected in this study, a student with ADHD experiences further difficulties in building good relationships with peers and teachers and their ability to maintain interest and gain satisfaction in …show more content…
It is estimated that approximately 95% of children with ADHD experience academic under-achievement (Barkley, 1990), as well as 10% to 40% have Learning Disabilities (LD), especially in writing and reading language (Batshaw, 2002). Each individual student differs according to their diagnosis. This means some students with ADHD might struggle with writing skills but they may excel at other skills, depending on the topics which they are interested in. In addition, students with ADHD may have ‘‘what may be called a producing disability impeding their academic careers” (Denckla, 1994, p. 117). This is supported by a range of researchers who found that students with ADHD usually have limitations in activities like reading and writing disabilities and impairment of body functions such as poor memory (Lougy, DeRuvo, & Rosenthal, 2009; Loe and Feldman, 2007; Bekle, 2004). Despite this, students with ADHD can learn in regular classrooms alongside other students who do not have ADHD, yet they may still be underachieving in comparison to their peers (Bekle,
Willcutt, E. G., Betjemann, R. S., Pennington, B. F., Olson, R. K., Defries, J. C., & Wadsworth, S. J. (2009). Longitudinal Study of Reading Disability and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Implications for Education. Mind, Brain, and Education, 181-192.
As much as ADHD is a medical impediment for the patient, it can almost be considered a privilege for a certain group of people, because they are allowed to assert that a certain set of behaviors belong to their “nature". To cope with the disorder, schools often offer students suffering from ADHD a host of accommodations, including special classes and teaching assistants to help them absorb the material at the level of their peers. Legal provisions exist that allow students with ADHD to be excused from standardized testing [1] and to be given additional leniency and resources in the classroom. The individual students themselves start to pick up that they are naturally distinguished or special in some way, because they have been stigmatized from a very formative age. This kind of thinking, while warranted in some scope, does not allow the children themselves to reflect and think critically about how outcomes in their school and life can be changed. Furthermore, the idea that their behavior is an immutable characteristic of nature can have devastating effects on their self-esteem and ability to succeed later in
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, generally known as ADHD can be described as having a nonstop conversation with yourself. Constant racing thoughts, changing from one thing to another, not needing coffee because you already have a buzzed. Instead of walking, you are running. Standing in line for one minute feels like five hours. Always on the go and never looking back because, it would cause you to slow down. Imagine that always happening and not being able to control any of it. Unfortunately, this effects two to eight percent of college students dealing with ADHD and it is the most common learning disability that receives accommodations at higher levels of education (Musso and Grouvier 186). The stigma about ADHD is that it can only affect the individual at school. It actually is incorporated into every aspect of their life, making everything just a little bit harder. Each student enrolled in college with ADHD is taking on a huge responsibility and society needs to recognize the battles endured by these students everyday. One alternative that tends to help for decreasing the symptoms is medication, but that has its flaws like any other treatment option. Typical life characteristics for these students are to have minimal friendships, engage in risky behavior, make impulsive choices, and battle with another psychological disorder. The most common diagnosis paired with ADHD is depression, but more research needs to be done to confirm the correlation. As a society, it is important to keep an open mind and acknowledge that this is a disorder. These individuals cannot control the glitch in their brain, but they can only learn to live with it.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, is one of the most common mental disorders among children. (Elia, Ambrosini, Rapoport, 1999) It affects 3 to 5 percent of all children, with approximately 60% to 80% of these children experiencing persistence of symptoms into adolescence and adulthood, causing a lifetime of frustrated dreams and emotional pain. There are two types of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an inattentive type and a combined type. The symptoms of ADHD can be classified into three categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This behaviour stops ADHD sufferers from focussing deliberately on organising and completing a specific task that they may not enjoy, learning new skills or information is proved to be impossible. An example of such behaviour is recognised by the report written by the National Institute of Mental Health where one of the subjects under study was unable to pass schooling examinations due to her inattentive behaviour. Such behaviour can damage the person's relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem. (National Institute of Mental Health 1999) There are also secondary symptoms which are associated with ADHD, such as learning disorders, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, tic disorders, and conduct disorders. (Spencer, Biederman, and Wilens 1999 in Monastra V, Monastra D, George, 2002)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the main type used to treat ADHD in psychotherapy treatment for children. Moreover, it integrates the following two components: behavioural interventions; and parent training. The main goal is improving the daily functioning of the child by improving their behaviour, family, and peer relationships. Interventions for parents are designed to help parents develop optimal strategies to cope with the difficult behaviour to or coexist with ADHD rather than addressing the core symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. By doing so, answering the research question, could help us to modify their behaviour and raising their grades. Teachers can create an enhanced learning environment for all children
...dren with ADHD, with and without comorbid disruptive behavior disorders, were non significant, although increased symptomology was associated with reduced warmth and engagement during problem solving. Compared to the control group the ADHD group included more single-parent families, had a lower socioeconomic status, and higher levels of parenting stress. Students without ADHD were regarded as more engaged, warmer, and displaying better communication than those of children with ADHD. The research for the child generated problem suggests families of children with ADHD and a comorbid disorder behavior disorder may reach poorer solutions than those with ADHD only.
ADHD is a disorder that has been on the rise for several years now. The disorder is one that can cause many impairments to a child’s attention span, making it difficult to concentrate and to keep on task, especially on schoolwork. (Graham, 2007) The statistics have been growing ...
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADHD, is the most common psychiatric condition effecting 9.5% of school-aged children in the United States (intuniv, 2013). If the disorder goes untreated, it will cause more long-term side effects and difficulties for the individual as an adult. Adults who have this condition face several adversities in every day life, such as impulsive behavior, low self-esteem and poor work performance. People are not aware of the complications that come with ADHD in adults. Not knowing the symptoms of the disease can cause people to not be sympathetic when they are interacting with someone with disorder.
You know that person; the one that can’t stay on subject, the one who will be talking then all of a sudden the conversation goes off in a totally different direction, like a squirrel searching for nuts that keeps dropping the one it is carrying because something else caught its eye. Chaotic, frazzled, impulsive, unorganized, daydreamer, procrastinator, inattentive, goof off and lazy are just a few descriptions of an adult that has Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD). At one time ADD/ADHD was thought of as just childhood complications that did not affect adults, but since there is no cure for ADD/ADHD, adults are affected also. Most adults that have ADD/ADHD were not diagnosed with it as children, because ADD/ADHD wasn’t recognized except by a very few people that were aware of it at the time (Smith and Segal, 2012). Instead as children they were labeled as lazy, trouble makers, day dreamers and other labels and they grew into adults with those same labels and tendencies. They may have learned to adjust during the teen years but as they became adults and responsibilities and demands on their time grew, the challenges of dealing with ADD/ADHD also grew. ADD/ADHD affects 4-5 percent of all adults, more than 11 million in the United States (Barkley). When not diagnosed and treated it can impact all areas of life including work, home and social relationships. With treatment adults, and children, with ADD/ADHD can learn to compensate and overcome the symptoms and challenges they face with ADD/ADHD on a daily basis to lead productive lives.
The health care setting plays an integral role in the diagnosis and care of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The diversity of services available and the pathways that child and family inevitably find themselves taking can be long and arduous, therefore finding a service that will meet the needs of both is crucial.
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.
In 1998, the National Institutes of Mental Health agreed that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is indeed a legitimate psychologic condition even though its definition has not been fully pinned down. ADHD is a syndrome generally characterized by the following symptoms that first occur before the age of seven:
What is ADHD? Attention Deficit Disorder (AD/HD) is mostly an organic problem, which tends to run in families. ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder in childhood. An estimated 3 to 5 percent of the general population suffers from the disorder, which is characterized by agitated behavior and an inability to focus on tasks.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is very commonly known. Today, ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders among children. The NIMH (The national institute of mental health) predicts that it affecting 3 to 5 percent of all children(AACAP), with an approximate amount of 30% to 65% of these children experiencing persistence of symptoms into adolescence and adulthood (AACAP).There are three types of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, Predominantly Inattentive Type, and Combination Type(ehow.com). The symptoms of ADHD can be classified into three main categories; hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. These behaviors can interfere with ADHD sufferers’ ability to focus deliberately on organizing and completing a specific task that they may not enjoy. A case of this kind of behavior is recognized in a report written by the National Institute of Mental Health where one of the subjects under study was unable to pass schooling examinations due to her inattentive behavior (clinicaltrials.gov) These kinds of behaviors can damage the person's relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem, depending on severity of their symptoms (adhd.com). In this paper, the multiple factors of how ADHD affects, and is handled, of those who undergo this disorder, are shown.
One of the ultimate trials that educators face currently is giving students with behavioral disorders and inappropriate behaviors, tools that will help them function self-sufficiently in a suitable manner. Teachers are facing classrooms where students parade various academic and behavioral characteristics; therefore, teacher are constantly looking for effective instructional strategies and classroom management skills. Classroom teachers tend to be more appealed to flexible, tranquil to implement and inexpensive teaching strategies and techniques that keep students energetically involved.