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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Attention Deficit Disorders became a topic no what many debates have been carried out during the last 20 years. Attention Deficit Disorder is a mostly used term for the various types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders. The Diagnostic and Statistical manual of the American Psychiatric Association provides the readers with the definition: ADHD is a disorder that can include a list of nine specific symptoms of inattention and nine symptoms of hyperactivity / impulsivity . (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) Adding to this, the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia gives us the interpretation of this meaning: (a) chronic, neurologically based syndrome, characterized by any or all of three types of behavior: hyperactivity, destructibility, and impulsivity. Unlike similar behaviors caused by emotional problems or anxiety, ADHD does not fluctuate with emotional states. (Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 1999) Talking about the United States I have to say that there are at least two million children and adolescents with this type of disorder. All around us, ADHD causes clever children and adults to under function at school or work.
ADHD needs to be taken seriously. People need to be aware of what ADHD is, what some of the characteristics and symptoms are, what some of the probable causes are, and some ways it can be treated ADHD is one of the most spread and common behaviors that are noticed in children. ADHD must be recognized as soon as possible and treated in a right way. If parents dont pay attention and dont take it seriously, this disorder might continue and become a sever illness for children and adults. The earlier the diagnose is established the easier it will be to help a person. Poorly managed ADHD can lead to serious long-term problems such as low self-esteem, academic failure, feeling dumb and more. (Farley, 1999) Let me say a few words about the history of this disorder.
This disorder is a rather new diagnosis. Like many disabilities, it took time to evolve into an issue serious enough to study. Up until the 1940 s, if children had difficulty learning, they were either mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, socially or culturally disadvantaged, or had a nervous system Disorder. Children with these symptoms were thought to have the same learning problems as children with brain damage.
The distinction between the two was that children with the listed symptoms looked normal. Researchers than deemed children within those guidelines had minimal brain damage as the official term. Around this time, another group of researchers speculated that children that fit within the guidelines did not have brain damage. The explanation of this was due to Faulty wiring inside the brain. This was the cause of nerve pathways not functioning correctly. This concept was accepted and became the mainstream view.
Minimal brain damage was now called minimal brain dysfunction (MBD). In 1968, minimal brain dysfunction was changed to attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (AD (H) D). There were two categories to attention deficit disorder: attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADHD), and attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD). The distinction is that of unimportance within this paper, hyperactivity is an addition to the main focus attention deficit disorder. (Wendy, 1996) If looking at the statistics nearly 3 % of the school aged children possess the full ADHD syndrome, not having any other symptoms of other disorders. Nearly 10 % of adolescents have partial ADHD syndrome with one or more other problems, such as depression or anxiety. (Nordby, 1999) Various symptoms displayed by the patients are affected by their gender and age. It is known that girls are less affected by the disorder than boys are.
Adhd's symptoms usually decrease with age, but those symptoms related with other similar disorders are said to increase with age. 30 - 50 % of children with ADHD may display symptoms, although often times less severe, into adulthood. ADHD may be observed in children before the age of four, but its signs are often missed until a child begins school. ADHD is often accompanied by learning difficulties, excessive physical activity, impulsive actions, inattention and social inappropriateness. Many of the children affected by ADHD exhibit a low threshold for frustration, which predisposes them to uncontrollable tantrums, and inability to concentrate in a controlled setting, such as a classroom. The behavioral symptoms associated with ADHD must last more than six months to be diagnosed as an attention disorder, although, it is not uncommon for medical doctors promote the idea of office diagnosis. (Green, and Dr.
Kit Chee, 1999) Diagnosis of ADHD syndrome in a doctors office however, presents an evaluation in a controlled environment, which are subject to error. Office diagnosis entails a child being put in an observation room, usually alone, which enables the doctor to observe their behavior. This observation does not produce accurate results due to the fact that the environment is not one of which the child frequently has problems in. Frequently the behaviors of children affected by ADHD will parallel those of a normal child, other times, the child can be uncontrollable.
Most children with ADHD have problems with interacting with other children or when asked to complete a task, especially if additional distractions are present. More frequently, children suspected of having ADHD are evaluated by their intellectual, academic, social and emotional functioning. The evaluation often includes input from the childs teacher (s), parent (s), and others adults that frequently interact with the child. There are questionnaires that will rate the child behavior that are often used by the parents and teacher of the child. (Barkley, 1998) Being that the behavior must last for at least six months; a log of behavior is also encouraged to be kept. According to Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders, four subtypes of ADHD have been defined as follows: (ADHD -- Inattentive type is defined by an individual experiencing at least six of the following characteristics: fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes difficulty sustaining attention does not appear to listen struggles to follow through on instructions difficulty with organization avoids or dislikes requiring sustained mental effort often loses things necessary for tasks easily distracted forgetful in daily activities ADHD -- Hyperactive/Impulsive type is defined by an individual experiencing six of the following characteristics: fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat difficulty remaining seated runs about or climbs excessively (in adults may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness) difficulty engaging in activities quietly talks excessively blurts out answers before question have been completed difficulty waiting in turn taking situations 8. interrupts or intrudes upon others ADHD -- Combined type is defined by an individual meeting both sets of attention and hyperactive / impulsive criteria.
ADHD -- Not otherwise specified is defined by an individual who demonstrates some characteristics but an insufficient number of symptoms to reach a full diagnosis. These symptoms, however, disrupt everyday life. Although we mostly hear of children having the disorder, many adults are also affected by ADHD. (Green, Christopher Dr. , and Dr. Kit Chee. ) Other psychiatric disorders, known as comorbidity, are also found in ADHD patients. Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and Learning Disorders can confuse the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. These disorders display similar characteristics and can be negatively influenced if the patient is treated for disorders they do not have.
Talking about the treatment of children with ADHD I can say that there is no single treatment that can be he answer for every child. A child may sometimes have undesirable side effects to a medication that would make that particular treatment unacceptable. And if a child with ADHD also has anxiety or depression, a treatment combining medication and behavioral therapy might be best. Each child's needs and personal history must be carefully considered. Well, the most common treatment of ADHD is often done through behavior management, parent training, psychiatric treatment, educational intervention and psycho stimulant medications. The combination of medication and psychosocial intervention is called multi modality treatment. 70 - 80 % of children treated with ADHD respond positively to psycho stimulants. (CHADD) Medications primarily used in treatment include Ritalin (methylphenidate), which is the most commonly prescribed, Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine), and Clerk (pe moline). (CHADD) The most common side effects of these are loss of appetite, loss of weight, and problems with falling asleep.
The loss of appetite typically lasts while the drug is working, and after it has worn off, the patients hunger returns, often stronger. Weight loss occurs rarely, and after research, growth is not revealed to be affected. Insomnia and sleeping problems are mainly credited to doses taken too late in the day. It is common practice to give the last dose no later than 4: 00 p.
m. (Diller, 1998) Ritalin, which is a stimulant, confuses many people on why it is used to treat ADHD patients. The reasoning is that ADHD patients have a chemical imbalance within their brains, which causes Amphetamines, such as Ritalin, to have a reverse, typically calming affect. These effects allow the patient to concentrate more and interact better with others. Schools are developing better programs to aid children with attention deficit disorders.
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) ensure that students with all types of disabilities, including ADHD, receive a free and appropriate education. ADHD students have an IEP (Individualized Educational Program) which can result in placement in resource or SDC (Special Day) classes. IEPs involve the childs parent (s), teacher (s), school psychologist, and even a school administrator. The IEPs provide the students current level of performance, a plan of educational goals, both long and short term, and how these goals will be implemented. The prognosis with children affected by ADHD is encouraging, especially for those whose symptoms are identified early and treated accordingly. Many children can cope with their disorder and become productive members of society.
Untreated cases of ADHD can lead to failure in school and emotional and social difficulties, which puts them at a disadvantage compared to their peers. Numerous studies are underway and will hopefully produce more answers and a better understanding of the disorder. No doubt that every family wants to find the best treatment and the most effective one for their child. And this question needs to be answered by each family in consultation with their health care professional. To help families make this important decision, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has funded many studies of treatments for ADHD and has conducted the most intensive study ever undertaken for evaluating the treatment of this disorder. This study is known as the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (MTA).
In 1999 the NIMH has conducted a clinical trial for younger children ages 3 to 5. 5 years with lasted for 14 months and dealt with the ways of treatment of ADHD in Preschool-Age Children. This study included 579 elementary school boys and girls who had ADHD. They were randomly assigned to one of four treatment programs which included: medication management alone, behavioral treatment alone, a combination of both and routine community care. In each of the study sites, three groups were treated for the first 14 months in a specified protocol and the fourth group was referred for community treatment of the parents' choosing.
All of the children were reassessed regularly throughout the study period. The task of the study was to identify the best way of treating children with ADHD. School, parents, teachers as well as medical staff, doctors, psychologist were cooperating to find the best answer. The results of the study indicated that long-term combination treatments and the medication-management alone were superior to intensive behavioral treatment and routine community treatment. Of course it is impossible to make the same treatment for every child, but this study had proved that these ways of treatment give higher results. (The MTA Cooperative Group, 1999) Concluding from this study, my strong belief is that medical treatment and medication are the best way of helping kids to deal with such problems. On the whole I want to say that taking into account all the above, medications for ADHD is the best way to help children with ADHD.
They help many children to focus and be more successful at school, home, and play. Bibliography: American Psychiatric Association. The Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Psychiatric Diagnoses. (4 th ed. ) Washington, 1994 Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, (3 rd. Ed), 20 Nov. 1999 Barkley, Russell.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Guilford, 1998 Farley, Dixie. Helping Children with Attention Disorder, FDA Consumer, February 1999 The MTA Cooperative Group. A 14 -month randomized clinical trial of treatment strategies for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Archives of General Psychiatry, 1999; 56: 1073 - 1086.
Green, Christopher Dr. , and Dr. Kit Chee. Understanding ADHD. New York: Ballentine, 1998 Fontanelle, D. H. Understanding and Managing Overactive Children.
New York: Villard 1983 Wales TC, Faraone, SV, Biederman J, Gunawardene S. 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. Moragne, Wendy. Attention Deficit Disorder.
Connecticut: Millbrook, 1996 Nordby, Stephen M. , Problems in Identification and Assessment of ADHD, October, 1994. 26 Nov. 1999 11. Diller, Lawrence. Running on Ritalin. New York: Bantam, 1998
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Research essay sample on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
