Children With Adhd At The Age Of Eight

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder has a complicated and interesting history and because of that it is important to understands this disorders implications and comorbidity to better treat and diagnose it. Research done by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 11% of the US population between the ages of 4-17 are affected with ADHD; that’s 6.4 million children and the prevalence of diagnosis is only increasing (2016). It was generally assumed that ADHD was something children would grow out of but new studies show that approximately 4% of the adult population in the US are still suffering from ADHD or have developed ADHD (Breyer, J. L., Lee, S., Winters, K. C., August, G. J., & Realmuto, G. M. 2014). ADHD is

Living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is an incredibly difficult thing to live with, it is almost as difficult as trying to describe a lifelong battle with said disorder in 500 words or less. Living with ADHD has altered my entire life, and it was not until February 2013 that I understood why I acted a certain way.

I'm not only an educator working directly with these children but a mother living with a child with this challenge and a learning disability. My viewpoint comes from my direct experience on a raw and personal level. In the end we made the decision not to medicate our daughter for the ADHD, although we were highly encouraged to do so. If the same information was given to me five years earlier, I would have gone right out and gotten the prescription from our doctor. But, my experiences and research told me it wasn't the right path for us at that time. I wanted to try and help our daughter with a natural approach, using medication as a last resort. Of course, I'm in no way saying that medication is bad. I've actually seen it work incredibly well with many children over the years. On the other hand, I've seen the terrible side effects children have to endure when the medication is wrong or the dosage is not right. Treating attention issues is a personal decision every family has to make based on the individual needs of the child and family. There is no one size fits all cause or treatment for attention disorders. Every person is different and comes with individualized needs. In my next blog post I will outline the things I have tried as both an educator and mother to help children

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.

Some of my favorite theories on ADHD include "The Explorer Gene", "The nervous system of an ADHD 'ers is different" and "People with ADHD don 't have a shortage of attention." The Explorer Gene helped our prehistoric ancestors out, by constantly thinking about food, shelter, and fire. Cavemen with this gene were thought to have a better chance of survival. An ADHD 'ers central nervous system is somehow wired differently than a neurotypical person, a nerotypical nervous system means that the person has a normal nervous system. In order for a neurotypical person to get something done they have to have at least one of three things, the task has to be important/signifigant, has to have a sense of emergency or urgency, or the task has to have a punishment/reward system. Most people with an ADHD nervous system have a higher IQ than neurotypical people, so people with ADHD use their higher IQs in different ways than normal people, ADHD 'ers sometimes find simple solutions to problems that stumped other neurotypical people. People with ADHD do not have a shortage of attention they pay to much attention to everything causing the hyperfocuses, more commonly showing as hypersensitivity to light, sounds, smells, and touch.

ADHD is a medical condition that occurs in the brain, that affects how well someone can sit still, focus and pay attention. ADHD was first mentioned in 1902 by Sir George Still. He described it as “an abnormal defect of moral control in children”. He found that some affected children couldn’t control their behavior like a typical child could, but they were still intelligent. It was then named hyperkinetic impulse disorder. In the late 1960’s, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) formally recognize ADHD as a mental disorder.

Children and adolescents are suffering from side effects due to prescription antipsychotic drugs. Antipsychotic Drugs are being prescribed because of insurance companies like Medicare and Medicaid. Children should not be prescribed antipsychotic drugs because of the side effects, health providers benefitting from the prescription drugs, and the amount of children taking antipsychotic drugs. Doctors should refrain from prescribing these drugs until more long term effectiveness has been conducted on children. Doctors have yet to discover and cure all side effects.

ADHD is stressful both for the sufferer and his/her parents, who often struggle with the restless behavior of kids. They might misjudge the child to be naughty or stubborn and rely on medications for help. However, medications and other treatment

One thing I do not quite understand is, why is it our job to explain terminology to parents? If the child is to attend school they need to have vaccinations and sometimes a checkup by a physician. So wouldn’t it be the Dr. or physician’s job to diagnose a disability and explain it to the caregivers. Now I understand that ADHD sometimes goes undiagnosed or unobserved, but if the disability is so bad they have to be put in special education classes shouldn’t it have been noticed before this?

Imagine having your mind run at a million miles a minute, hands fidgeting, feet tapping and your whole body being filled with anxiety. It is hard to put into words what your body is feeling and kids with ADHD have this exact problem. When I was a child I had a very hard time focusing on school work and paying attention. The everyday noises were constant distractions and I would lose myself in daydreams. My teachers were frustrated because they did not understand why I was the way that I was, although to me I felt perfectly normal. Now 27 years later and I find that it is easier to focus and concentrate it can still be difficult at times but I am able to manage.

ADHD is a well known learning disability, around the world. Some people think that because you're lazy and procrastinate, you have ADHD, well that is a false statement. ADHD is where you can’t help but fidget around and can’t really focus after a period of time. This learning disability is over diagnosed

Staff, teachers, and school personnel lack the ability to determine a diagnosis of a child having ADHD or giftedness. Staff have less training on this subject which causes work in the classroom to become more difficult. Increased activity, lack of attention span, difficulty completing certain tasks, and response to questions decrease are just a few forms teacher may signal from students in their classroom. Teachers are to watch their students closely to see if the students attention fade where they may need to refer the student. ADHD is not uncommon of a misdiagnosis that may be cause by other conditions from the classroom to the home environment. Attention spans are where teachers can see there is a potential issue with the particular

Do you think medications are the only solution for children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder)? ADHD effects a child's mind and activity by making the child experience hyperactive behavior and attention problems mostly effected in a school environment. In my opinion, children should not take medication on a daily schedule and seek alternative methods. Over the years, parents have increasingly chosen alternative method over traditional medications such as, Ritalin, Adderall, and etc. Alternative methods such as dietary interventions and therapies are better for children with ADHD than traditional medications.

Children with ADHD may be hyperactive and unable control their impulses. Or they may have trouble paying attention. These behaviors interfere with school and home life.

Other forms of treatment include therapy and education. There is no cure for ADHD but the medications such as Ritalin seem to keep the symptoms at bay as long as it is being taken. It is imperative that the patient be evaluated regularly by a doctor so that the medication can be adjusted accordingly. Children with ADHD can learn to deal with the symptoms of attention-deficit around puberty, the symptoms may not necessarily disappear, but a child can learn to function without being medicated. The same applies for Attention Deficient Disorder. It is treated in the same manner as ADHD. A child that has ADD has all the same symptoms of ADHD minus the hyperactivity. The criteria for ADHD in accordance with the DSM-V are very strict. Three subtypes have to be taken into consideration. “Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and is more severe than is typically observed in individuals at comparable level of development.….with at least six of the symptoms associated with inattention and they have to have persisted for at least six months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level:….along with at least six of the symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have persisted for at least six months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level: or games)….along with some hyperactive-impulsive or inattentive symptoms must have been present before age 7