I have a twelve-year-old son who over the past few years has exhibited signs of what one might diagnose as ADHD if he were examined at a particular point, in a particular classroom, with a particular teacher. In other situations, he is completely able to focus on his tasks and has no problem whatsoever with comprehension and understanding the material he is supposed to learn and in in fact mastering that material. He had an assessment known as an APP done in the second grade and it was determined that he was not a child with ADHD. It has been five years since the second grade and his evaluation and I have had certain teachers mention subsequently that he shows signs of ADHD. My son is now in middle school and has friends that have been diagnosed with ADHD at a “drop of a hat”. Seeing this, he now thinks that he has ADHD because he shares some of the same characteristics as some children who have been diagnosed with ADHD. I on the other hand believe there are other factors involved and firmly believe that ADHD is over-diagnosed and in fact believe that diet, mental state, and relationships can be a major influence on those children who present symptoms of ADHD. Throughout this paper I will try to answer the question “Do factors such as diet, psychological well being, and social environment affect children who present as having ADHD?” I will use the biopsychosocial approach to view the following: The biological ways to help cope with ADHD, the psychological ways to help
ADHD is a very common neurodevelopment disorder of childhood. It is usually diagnosed in late childhood, around the age of seven by the teachers. The symptoms are typical during ages 3-6 and if not treated properly becomes chronic and persists even after entering adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, staying organized and controlling impulsive behaviors. It is very difficult to diagnose and when undiagnosed the children can grow to be mislabeled as trouble makers in their adulthood.
According to Dr. Rosemary Hutchinson, ADHD is one of the most difficult conditions to diagnose and at least three evaluations with the family should be done before making a diagnosis. It is important for a doctor to have knowledge of the child’s illnesses, developmental milestones, and family life. ADD/ADHD have the symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity are common to a number of other conditions that can be mistaken for ADD/ADHD. Children may show signs of these behaviors due to family and social problems. (Hutchinson)
The population of people with ADHD has increased by a significant amount.ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.An ongoing question about ADHD is how do you manage it and can it ever be outgrown.Adhd can’t be outgrown but if it’s treated the right way then kids grow to go on and live well constructive lives .ADHD is hard to control and manage for some kids ,ADHD is a chronic disorder that tough on a lot of people.
Inattention is one of the distinguishable traits of ADHD (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). A child suffering from the symptoms of inattention in ADHD would probably lag behind schoolwork, have problems with communicating, and would struggle with cognitive activities like reading and comprehension. APA listed a total of 9 symptoms that are crucial to identifying ADHD in children (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Following is the list of these symptoms and their brief explanation:
In addition to symptoms of ADHD being present by the age of seven the symptoms must affect the person’s life in a number of settings. In addition the symptoms have to not be explained by another mental disorder. If it only occurs alongside a psychotic mood disorder it is not considered ADHD. Inattention in ADHD is classified as making easily avoidable mistakes and ignoring details, usually do to not paying attention. It can happen in any number of settings( Surman, 2013). For example an accountant suffering from some of the innatention aspects of ADHD may not notice they forget to put a decimal point in a number resulting in a much higher number then shoud have been expected. The average adult may catch the mistake but someone someone with at least part of the innatetion aspect will likely move on without a thought in the world. Hyperactivity is demonstrated by inabiltiy to sit still and the need to get up from one's seat to move around. Impulsivity shows itself in a person's inabilty to resist acting on their urges. Usually the person will jump in front of others in a conversation. the person may at random pick up things and start messing with them. For a person to be diagnosised with ADHD a number of the DSM-IV-TR's critera must be met.
In this mixed method approach, there were various types of data used such as questionnaires and surveys regarding if children took any prescription medication related to ADD, ADHD, or hyperactivity. There was an analysis investigating whether and to what extent minority children diagnosed with ADHD were taking medication for the disorder. I one particular study participants were asked to answer the questions with a “yes” or “no” response. According to the data parents answered that 650 of 780 children with an ADHD diagnosis use prescription medication for ADHD (Morgan, Staff, Hillemeier, Farkas, & Maczuga, 2013).
| Markers: record grade for each question answered. Each of the 3 Section B answers is marked out of 10
ADHD affects eight to ten percent of school aged children and - even though specialists cannot figure out why - boys are three times more likely than girls to be diagnosed (Kingsley, MD). Teachers are normally the first to see a difference since they can compare that child to other children in the class. Michigan State University states that sixty percent of children that are diagnosed with ADHD are one of the youngest in their class. They stand out more considering that they’re not as mature as their classmates. “Many ADHD diagnoses may be driven by teachers' perceptions of poor behavior among the youngest children in a kindergarten classroom," Paddock states. "But these 'symptoms' may merely reflect emotional or intellectual immaturity among the youngest students." (Paddock)
Families who have children with ADHD often experience much higher anxiety and stress levels. A large number of children, almost half, will exhibit signs of ADHD by the age of four. However, most children are not diagnosed until he or she reaches elementary school. The behaviors that are associated with ADHD in children put them at risk for a host of other problems and complications such as completing their education, alcohol and other drug abuse, and an increased risk for delinquency. There has been much research on ADHD in recent years and many different types of medications and interventions have proven to be quite helpful. With the proper diagnosis and treatment, children with ADHD can learn to cope with the daily demands of the classroom, social situations, family interactions, and life in general.
Children with ADHD are being medicated unnecessarily. The problem is there are no biological tests for the disorder, and it cannot be revealed through a blood test. ADHD should be the last resort for a diagnosis, but it is often the first choice. In many cases a child who is disruptive in class or
When you suspect your child of showing symptoms of ADHD the next step would be to get your child examined by his or her health care provider. Your child’s health care provider can diagnose ADHD using standard guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Diagnosing children involves gathering information from the parents, teachers, or anyone else
In an age where a college degree is becoming more of a necessity, the high stress levels and competitiveness experienced by students at colleges and universities can become to much to bare. In turn, certain individuals seek the help of study drugs, also known as nootropics, “refer to the out-of-accordance use of prescription stimulants like Ritalin, Vyvanse, and Adderall to increase mental focus when studying. These drugs are commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD) patients. When used without a prescription, however, they can be dangerous. But despite the risks, 1 in 5 college students use study drugs to get a short-term energy boost to plow through the dreaded all-nighters” (“Study Drugs”).
The child who is showing some symptoms of ADHD should get the proper diagnoses and the parents should bring their child to a specialist. First of all, the child would be seen by a pediatrician or a child psychologist. The specialist would gather information from everyone, the school, caregivers or parents. The health care provider will look over the information and compare it to the regular children of the same age group.
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is the most common behavioral disorder that starts during childhood. However, it does not only affect children - people of all ages can suffer from ADHD. ADHD is understood as a neurobehavioral developmental disorder.
When diagnosing ADHD, there is no single test itself that can determine it. Deciding if a child has the disorder is a several step process, which requires the attention of different professionals as well as those surrounding the child on a daily basis. A pediatrician,