The Existence of ADD and ADHD

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The Existence of ADD and ADHD Some of the most common words moving around in the psychiatric circle are attention Deficit; hyperactivity; Ritalin; ADD, ADHD. These words are being most commonly discussed by most educators, physicians, psychologists and young parents in the society today. In spite of extensive advancements in technology which has brought new insights into the brain and learning, there is still a lacuna in the field of problems faced by children who are unable to remain focused on the task given to them in the classroom owing to their inability to pay attention. 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] During the recent years, words like attention deficit, hyperactivity, ADD etc. have been quite frequently used among various psychiatric and educational institutes. These words have been making its rounds among most educators, physicians, psychologists and young parents in the society nowadays. A few decades ago people were oblivious of these terms or only a few people had heard these terminologies and had experienced children in a class or any other related place behaving in abnormal ways which included fidgeting, restlessness or having very low attention span. It needs to be analyzed what is the root cause of this problem and what in the last few years has caused Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit hyperactivity disorder to rapidly become one of the most frequently observed disorder among children. Children are being observed at homes, schools and various vantage points to check whether they are suffering from such a disorder. Awareness is also increasing about the disorder in order to assist the children and their fa... ... middle of paper ... ... U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, website visited on 15th July, 2004 http://add.org/content/research/causes.htm Divoky, Diane and Peter Schrag. The Myth of the Hyperactive Child. New York: Pantheon, 1975. Goodman, Gay, and Mary Jo Poillon. "ADD: Acronym for Any Dysfunction or Difficulty," Journal of Special Education, Vol. 26, No. 1, 1992. Griss, Susan. Minds in Motion: A Kinesthetic Approach to Teaching Elementary Curriculum. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1998. Kohn, Alfie. "Suffer the Restless Children," Atlantic Monthly, November, 1989, pp. 90-100. McGuinness, Diane. When Children Don't Learn. New York: Basic, 1985. Merrow, John. “Attention Deficit Disorder: A Dubious Diagnosis," The Merrow Report, New York, October, 1995. Patterson, Marilyn Nikimaa. Every Body Can Learn: Engaging the Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence in the Everyday Classroom. Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press, 1997. Reid, Robert, John W. Maag, and Stanley F. Vasa, "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as a Disability Category: A Critique," Exceptional Children, Vol. 60, No. 3, pp. 198-214.

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