Essay about ADHD and Adolescence

The symptoms can often start during the early ages of a child’s life and continue on into adulthood, but symptoms do not always show at a young age(“Treatment”). Some symptoms for inattention include not being able to keep focus during conversations, lectures, or lengthy reading, not listening when one is directly spoken to, not following through with tasks such as school work, getting easily sidetracked, forgetting things throughout the day, and having problems organizing things(“NIMH”). Some signs of hyperactivity could include fidgeting in their seats, talking non stop, blurting out randomly, interrupting in conversations, and constantly being on the go(“NIMH”). Some people could show more symptoms of inattention, and some could show more of hyperactivity, it just depends. ADHD can be mistaken for emotional or disciplinary problems, and also for other disorders that have similar

According to the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) there are three main types of ADHD. These types are Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with predominance in inattentiveness, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with predominance in hyperactivity and impulsiveness, and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with a combination of both hyperactivity and inattentiveness. There are certain criteria that must be met before a diagnosis can be made to attribute ADHD to the behavior of anyone.

In the psychiatric medical field, there is a book called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) that provides very specific guidelines on how to recognize, diagnose, and treat mental disorders. ADHD was first introduced to the DSM in 1980 when the DSM-II was published. Since then, three more DSM’s were published, making DSM-V the most up-to-date published manual. In the DSM-V, it describes “people with ADHD [must] show a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development” and a detailed list of criteria for either inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity follows (“Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)”). Also, everyone potential patient must present four specific conditions: they had to present the inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms prior to age twelve, the symptoms must be present in at least two different settings, the symptoms must impair the individual or evidently interfere with life, and the symptoms must not better fit any other mental disorder (“Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)”). Also, only professionals trained to diagnose ADHD are able to diagnose patients, therefore, eliminating any diagnostic errors attributed to a lack of

. They have hard time organising tasks and activities. They are reluctant to complete tasks that requires sustained mental effort.

From the day I entered kindergarten class at the age of five my accomplishments in school have been tainted by behavioral problems. Every week my mother would inevitably receive calls from teachers and principals complaining about my inattentiveness and hyperactivity in the classroom. I never had a problem with the work and I was always one of the smartest students in my class so my parents just assumed that I was a rambunctious child. My parents completely subscribed to the belief that “boys will be boys” and although I certainly was reprimanded for my behavior, the last thing to have crossed my parents’ mind was that this type of behavior was a symptom of a disorder. The disorder I am referring to is called Attention Deficit

The symptoms of ADHD usually improved with age. First, inattention. A child with inattention does not appear to be listening. The child also does not pay attention and makes careless mistakes, he or she easily distracted, always miss details and forget things. The child will miss details and forget things, is because the child have difficulty focusing on one thing. The child will easily feel bored with a task after doing only for a few minutes, unless the child doing something enjoyable. For example, if the child does not likes to do homework after a few minutes, he or she will give up easily, but if the child likes to play toys, he or she can play for a long period. The child also will have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task. Next, the child will also have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as other children. The child will struggle to follow instructions. Inattention children are often quiet and less likely to act out. They may sit quietly, seeming to work but they are not paying attention to what they are doing. This can be the fact that adults will miss out that the child actually is

Distractibility, irritability, poor concentration, hyper activity, and impulsivity are many of the symptoms in a teenager with ADHD. Boys are easy to spot and are more likely to have an evaluation done, Girls on the other hand, are harder to spot. Girls fall into three different groups of ADHD, “tomboys” are physically active, drawn to more risk taking, and less attracted to “girly” activities. The “day dreamers” forget things and are very disorganized, appear easily overwhelmed, operate at a slower pace, and are perceived to be less bright then they actually are. The last group is a combination of hyperactivity and inattentive, they are hyper talkative, silly, excitable, and over emotional. Symptoms may become worse leading to trouble in school, academic underachievement, substance abuse, and

ADHD can be categorized in one of three groups that being; Inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, or both of them combined. In order to be diagnosed with inattention disorder you must have six or more symptoms out of the nine to be present for at least six months and present by the age of seven. It also has to be to the point where the symptoms are so bad and consistent that it becomes disruptive or inappropriate for the development as specified in the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) manual’s criteria. (Brown & Rickel 2.) The nine symptoms include; Not paying close attention to details and careless mistakes, trouble keeping attention, not listening when spoken to, not following instructions, failing to finish tasks even simples ones such as homework or chores, being unorganized, avoiding complicated or tedious tasks, misplacing things often, being easily distracted and forgetful.

Just like with inattention some hyperactivity and impulsivity, especially in children, would be considered normal. However, someone with ADHD, would consistently has at least 5 (if 17 or older) or 6 (if under the age of 16) symptoms that describe hyperactivity and inattention. Some of these symptoms include, leaving a seat when remaining seated is expected, talks excessively, has trouble waiting for a turn, blurts out answers even before the question is completed and often interrupts or intrudes on others ("Symptoms and Diagnosis | ADHD | NCBDDD | CDC", 2017).

“ADHD is a neurological difference that affects learning and language, and every aspect of life” (Hardman). It has been argued that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) is not a real disease, but it has been confirmed by neurological testing that ADHD is a real disease. It has been found that ADHD symptoms are caused by a child having less brain activity in their frontal lobes; this part of the brain controls the impulse control which will make it harder for the child to sit still. There are three symptoms of ADHD: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Not every case has all three symptoms; some can have just one of the three. The most common type of ADHD is a combination of all three symptoms. Children with the first symptom, inattention, may have the following behaviors: have a hard time paying attention, be easily distracted from work or play, not follow through on instructions or finish tasks, and forget things. Children with the second symptom, hyperactivity, may exhibit the following behaviors: cannot stay seated, squirms and fidgets, talks too much, and cannot play quietly. Children with the third symptom, impulsivity, may show the following behaviors: acts and speaks without thinking, has trouble taking turns, cannot wait for things, and interrupts others. “It has been found that there is a difference in the brain of someone with ADHD and the brain of someone without ADHD” (Pagan). ADHD can look different in every child. For one child it can look like

Per the Center for disease control (CDC) ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors as in acting without thinking about

First sign of course is lack of focus. People with ADHD have issues with lack of focus, easily distracted, finding it hard to listen, overlooking details, and not completing tasks or projects. I tend to do this in my personal life a lot, not so much at work because I know other people’s life are in my hands. Which brings us to sign number 2 Hyperfocus. Is when a person can become so engrossed in something that they can ignore anything and everything around them. This type of focus, and I just had to shut the blinds to keep me from looking outside, where by the way nothing is going on, but caught my attention. Anyways this type of focus, makes it easier to lose track of

EEG- Based Assessment Aid (NEBA) system, a noninvasive scan that measures theta and beta brain

Upon shadowing a fourth grade teacher at Deer Ridge Elementary School, I decided to talk with her about the students in her classroom. Mrs. Riley first set the scene of the school for me by stating that it was in the southwest suburban area of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and this particular school was not hurting for money. She then began to explain the different children in her classroom. There were twenty-eight students from a variety of different backgrounds. There were also two students with ADHD. My first thought was, "What exactly is ADHD?" and, "Would these two children stick out from the rest of the students in the classroom?".

ADHD is currently recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) as a neural biological disorder that affects behavioral, emotional, educational, and cognitive aspects of a person’s life and can impair functioning and quality of life. The 5th edition of the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines ADHD as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity that interferes with functioning or development, and has symptoms presenting in two or more settings (home, work, school, etc.) negatively impacting social, academic, or occupational functioning (2013). The diagnosis of ADHD is divided into three subcategories: 1) predominantly inattentive, 2) predominately hyperactive-impulsive, and 3) ADHD combined.