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We are all created equal, albeit unique; and yet, some of us are different from "everybody else." Adults and children come in all shapes and sizes, with many different characteristics and traits, different abilities and inclinations. Some are smarter than others, some are quick, some are slow, some are left behind. At the age of 5 or 6 children begin their long journey in the world of education. They are taught how to read and write, how to AD/HD, subtract and multiply, some history, grammar, literature and geography and many other things. Children are required to sit still in class, be quiet and attentive, do all their homework, succeed. Most children go to first grade, not all of them graduate from high school.
Some find school a reasonably easy task to tackle, some struggle and sweat throughout school, failing or barely making it. The failure of some children in school is sometimes the outcome of a learning disorder: a 'dysfunction in one or more neuropsychological systems that affect school performance. ' (Pennington, 1991, p. xii). Pennington makes a distinction between "school problems" that are entirely due to emotional, motivational, or cultural factors and "learning disabilities"[ 1 ] that are a subset of learning disorders and include problems such as dyslexia, developmental language disorders and attention deficit disorder. Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (AD/HD) [ 2 ] is the centre of this discussion.
AD/HD is an inherited developmental disorder characterised by impulsivity, inattention and often motor restlessness or hyperactivity (Mould, 1993). People with AD/HD have difficulties in staying on a task, following through, paying attention, sitting still, controlling impulses, dealing with frustrating situations and remembering details. They tend to procrastinate, fidget, get side-tracked, be late and be forgetful. Like blindness, deafness, Down's syndrome and other impairments, AD/HD has a physiological source, yet, it is often perceived as a psychological problem or as a character deficiency rather than a neurological disability.
AD/HD cannot be "cured" but with the help of educational assistance, therapy, behaviour management and medication the individual can learn to cope with AD/HD and to overcome some of its disabling aspects. The limitations of people who have AD/HD are hard to perceive and understand. Their behaviour is often mistaken for stupidity, bad education or a character deficiency such as lack of motivation, laziness or malignancy. In recent years awareness of AD/HD has increased, but it is still not widely known or understood by professionals or by laymen. Although AD/HD is labelled as a disability, it also carries some advantageous aspects. AD/HD often appears in highly, even exceptionally intelligent individuals, it is positively correlated with creativity, ability to see the bigger picture, intense curiosity, flexibility of thought and sensitivity (Hallowell, 1994; Kelly & Ramundo, 1993; Weiss, 1992).
People with AD/HD often compensate for their difficulties by finding original alternatives for achieving their goals. Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Edgar Allan Poe, George Bernard Shaw, Salvador Dali and Abraham Lincoln are some of the best known examples of successful, highly intelligent and creative people who undoubtedly made a positive and significant mark on society. All were very likely AD/HD as well as dyslexic and their "AD/HD traits" play a central role in their unique life work (Hallowell, 1994). Nevertheless, AD/HD is best known for its negative effects and people with AD/HD are often treated with suspicion, hostility and recurring attempts of normalisation.
Usually, the child with AD/HD first meets these attitudes in school. The school problems of children with AD/HD, the attitude of educators towards them and possible explanations for these attitudes will be discussed. An attempt will be made to suggest strategies that might be helpful in eliminating some of the problematic aspects in the school experience of the child with AD/HD. Problems at school and the diagnosis of AD/HD The possibility of an existing learning problem is usually first considered when a child with average or above average intelligence experiences difficulties with what is academically and behaviour ally expected of children of his age group. The child with AD/HD might be unable to pay attention and sit still in class, have difficulties in getting organised, submitting work on time, keeping up with the curriculum or socialising with his peers.
If hyperactivity is present the child might be disruptive and aggressive, when hyperactivity is absent the child is often "dreamy" and mentally absent from the classroom. When a teacher notices a child that has difficulties in mastering basic reading and writing skills and lags behind his peers, or a child that exhibits an exceptionally restless or disruptive behaviour he would normally initiate an investigation into the nature and sources of the problems. The UK Department of Education devised specific guidelines for the investigation procedure. First, the teacher will talk to the parents about the child's school problems, will ask about his health, developmental history and behaviour patterns at home and will enquire about possible causes for the problems. Then, the teacher responsible for special education needs will talk to the child, the parents and the child's teachers and, if appropriate, will design an individual education plan. The third stage, if needed, is a referral to a specialist such as an educational psychologist outside the school.
The fourth stage is a statutory assessment by the Local Education Authority (Department of Education, 1994). At any time, the parent can decide to send the child to an educational and psychological evaluation by a specialist. An educational and psychological evaluation can result in a diagnosis of emotional problems, dyslexia, AD/HD or other difficulties. Sometimes no diagnosis is made or the child is not even referred to evaluation, sometimes an incorrect diagnosis is made.
When AD/HD is present, it is essential to have a correct diagnosis, but whether a diagnosis, correct or incorrect, is or is not made, things can still go wrong: 'In school, it was hard for me to stay on the subject or to finish anything. When I did not finish my school work, I'd get spankings at home. Teachers would be on my back. They said I was such a good child - they couldn't understand it' (Weiss, 1992, p. 13). 'In the fourth grade there was a girl named Karla.
She was so sweet. She could be quiet and she could sit still, and all her teachers loved her... My dream was to be like Karla. But I never even made it into the classroom.
I was always acting up, getting into a fight with someone, not paying attention, and doing things that would take me off the task... ' (Weiss, 1992, p. 17). 'You just can't know how much I hated going to school... It was all a blur. My main idea was just to get through the day without getting hurt... I actually loved to read and to make up stories, but all the teachers saw was the slow reader, the late papers, the messy handwriting, the bad spelling. One teacher actually said to me "Your handwriting looks like a moron's." She wasn't even a mean teacher. She just thought she was motivating me to try harder... ' (Hallowell, 1994, p. 168).
These are excerpts from case studies of individuals diagnosed with AD/HD. They all share a common pattern -- a child has difficulties with his studies or exhibits problematic behaviour, a conflict with the teachers, a diagnosis of AD/HD. The diagnosis provides an explanation for the difficulties and behaviours, yet, the relationship with the teachers does not change significantly. The child is left...
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Research essay sample on Attention Deficit Disorder Department Of Education
