Meeting the Needs of Students With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that causes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity. ADHD has three main subtypes. The first subtype is predominantly hyperactive-impulsive which means the child must fidget or squirm have trouble being quite, always moving and cannot sit still. The second subtype is predominantly inattentive, children who have this subtype have a small probability of acting out. They may sit quietly but are not paying attention. The last subtype is combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive. Attention deficit hyperactivity is one of the most common childhood disorders that can continue into adulthood. Each subtype has 9 symptoms

ADHD Research Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disability in which children consistently show one or more of the following characteristics over a period of time. (1) Inattention, (2) hyperactivity, and (3) impulsivity (Kirst-Ashman, Zastrow 2004). Children who are inattentive have difficulty focusing on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. Children who are hyperactive show high levels of physical activity, almost always seeming to be in motion. Children who are impulsive have difficulty curbing their reactions and don’t do a good job of thinking before they act.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is classified as a syndrome that is comprised of a variety of behaviors that often arises in early childhood and is characterized by extremely high levels of motor activity, difficulties with attention span and concentrating, and/or impulsive behaviors (Cook & Cash, 2011). It has been estimated in the United States that approximately 20% of children and adolescents display signs of a psychological or behavioral disorder according to Luthy, David, Macintosh, Eden, and Beckstrand (2015). ADHD is considered one of the more prevalent psychological disorders in children, with approximately 3-7% of school-age children with an ADHD diagnosis as mentioned by Luthy et al. (2015).

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

First, people who suffer from ADHD are often “hyperactive, restless, impulsive, disorganized, distractible, and trouble concentrating” (Armen 77). Hence, ADHD patients have difficulty focusing on most tasks in school or works, and have trouble completing projects. Specifically, “35 percent never finishes high school, 52 percent of untreated teens and adults abuse drugs or alcohol” (Armen). The disorder was originally considered as a behavioral problem in children; however, today, it is also a serious problem in adults. The main cause of ADHD is still unclear, yet doctors believe that a child can inherit this disorder from their parents making genetics the most likely cause of ADHD. Daniel G. Amen, M.D., an award winning child and adult psychiatrist,and brain disorder specialist, claims

One of the many different types of developmental disabilities that a student can be diagnosed is ADHD. In Jun (2009, p.2003) “attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a genuine neurobiological disorder that results in functional impairment of daily activities due to hyperactivity and inattention.” It is exceptionally important for concise communication between the teacher and

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (“ADHD”) is a common childhood disorder that represents developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsivity and overactivity. It occurs in 3% to 5% of the school age population as stated by (Craighead, Craighead, Kazdin & Mahoney, 1994). Another author (Barkley, 1981) stated that ADHD occurs in at least one child in every classroom. As a result of these statistics, ADHD has become one of the most commonly referred and heavily studied psychological disorders of childhood. Studies show that about 50-60% of children with ADHD in the age range of five to seven years are hostile and defiant. By the

ADHD affects attention, impulse control, and other characteristics that when networked together, are referred to as "executive functions."

Today in the educational system, I think one of the most looked down upon inequalities are students with an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. Especially in high school, living with ADHD is extremely challenging because students have a harder time concentrating during class, understanding the material given to them, or even taking tests and doing homework unlike other students. It seems the school system, and even society judges students based on what level they are on. For example if a student has straight A’s in honors classes, that student would get all the praise, while a student who has average or lower grades in regular classes, that student would be ignored, get ridiculed or sometimes considered irrelevant. I myself am not officially diagnosed with ADHD, but I consider myself have a larger amount of inattention, so I have witnessed these types of inequalities in high school before. In Jonathan Kozol’s essay, The Savage Inequalities of Public Education In New York, Kozal explains how a school principal views the students reality, explaining “Sometimes a school principal...looks into the faces of the children in his school and offers a disarming statement that cuts through official ambiguity.” (261). It hurts to know that there are students who cannot focus properly in school, and no one can see it physically happen.

The definition given by the DSM-IV encompasses three behaviors to be symptoms of ADHD: inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. This definition offers minimal understanding of this prevalent but yet misunderstood condition. Professionals from various fields and educational backgrounds have researched this disorder since its introduction in 1980, though they have discovered treatments to counter act some of the behaviors the causes and cure are yet to be found.

Barkly describes the relationship between self-regulation and executive function and states that self-regulation requires a person to have an intact executive function. Furthermore than Barkley outlines how these impact management of ADHD. Barkely answers the main points of his article in an detailed manner. The definitions of self-regulations and executive function were educational and easy for the reader to understand. The examples provided for each category provided and well comprehensive image of defining self-regulation and executive. Barkley uses real life scenarios that someone with ADHD would face and this helped to gain a better understanding. Overall the article was very thorough and easy to read. The only suggestion would to have headings or some bullet points to make the article more

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects school aged children with a high degree of inattention, excessive hyperactivity, impulsivity or a combination of any of these. In order for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, there must be two different environments in which the child has displayed his or her symptoms and it must occur before the child is twelve years of age (Halter, 2014). Children have a high comorbidity level with developmental, learning and psychiatric problems. There are three types of ADHD; inattentive type, hyperactive-impulsive type and combination type. With inattentive type the child displays disorganization, is unable to complete tasks, becomes easily bored, and

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a common mental disorder whose definition continues to change. Most clinicians make a diagnosis off of a list of symptoms in three categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. There are three different subtypes of ADHD: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type if both the inattentive criteria and the hyperactive/impulsive criteria have been present for the past six months; Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type if the inattention criteria are met but the hyperactive/impulsive criteria has not been present for the past six months; and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive

ADHD is an abbreviation for attention deficit/hyper activity disorder. It is commonly referred to as a psychiatric disorder in need of therapy. The origination of the disease is in the neuro-physiological brain construct, and the main cause of the disorder is considered to be genetic (Wilson, 2012). Many children with ADHD struggle with impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention (Unnever, Cullen, & Pratt, 2003). According to McNamara, Vervaeke, and Willoughby (2008), “attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder among children and adolescents. It affects between 3% and 5% of school age children” (p. 38). In a

“Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition affecting children and adults that is characterized by problems with attention, impulsivity, and overactivity” (CHADD). “It is a neurobiological disorder that affect 3-7 percent of school age children and may be seen as before the age of 7. The current diagnostic label is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, however, in the past several other names have been used, such as brain-damaged, minimal brain dysfunction, hyperkinetic impulsive disorder, and attention deficit disorder (CHADD). ADHD is a controversial disorder. Some understand it to be a true disability, while others believe “good teaching and discipline at home resolve the problems” (Kauffman 2005).