Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder example essay topic

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Essay, Research Paper Working in a preschool, I often see children with "problems'. Children often run around the room, not listening to their teacher's pleas for them to sit still and listen to directions. A lot of times, these problems can be traced back to the parents. Poor parenting skills have been the blame of several "problem children' over the years. One child at the preschool, Madison, is one of these "problem children'. I often hear her teacher having to repeat her name over and over until she finally gains her attention.

Madison is four years old and is very obstinate when it comes to doing what she is supposed to. One evening a few weeks ago, her teacher came up to me and stated that she needed to be punished not just at the school, but when she got home as well. She automatically assumed that Madison's behavior was a reflection on her parents. Last week, Madison's mother came in and informed our director that she took Madison to the doctor and that she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and was to take Ritalin everyday. This intrigued me.

Was Madison's problem truly a medical defect? Or was it merely just bad parenting. I decided to look in on this subject further. The first aspect that I looked at was the history of it. Several years ago, as was mentioned above, these children were merely known as "bad' children. They seem to get into everything and are never happy.

Such medical terms as, "minimal brain dysfunction,' "brain-injured child syndrome,' "hyper kinetic reaction of childhood,' "hyperactive child syndrome' and, most recently, "attention-deficit disorder' have progressed and evolved throughout the years. It was once believed that an "iron fist' in the home, and stern punishment would fix the problem child, however, if it truly is a medical problem? How can that solve it? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service states that ADHD cannot be linked directly back to home-life. Not all dysfunctional and abusive homes produce children with ADHD, and not all children with ADHD come from dysfunctional and abusive homes. However, there is some proof that it is linked to genetics.

Children who have ADHD usually have at least one close relative who also has ADHD. And at least one-third of all fathers who had ADHD in their youth bear children who have ADHD. Even more proof that ADHD is linked to genetics is the fact that the majority of identical twins also bare the trait. Unlike many disorders, there is no clear physical characteristic that defines and shows ADHD. It is comprised of a several different symptoms. The three most common behavioral problems that define ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

These three symptoms are what attract doctors to assume that a child may have this problem. The first symptom, inattention, can be defined as simply not being able to pay attention at all. While children usually do have shorter attention spans than adults do, a child with ADHD practically has no attention span. Even when they are doing something, they are not paying attention to what it is that they are doing. They seem to fidget when given something to do and may give effortless, automatic attention to activities and things they enjoy. But focusing deliberate, conscious attention to organizing and completing a task or learning something new is difficult.

The second symptom is hyperactivity. It is defined as someone who is incapable of sitting still. They may dash around or talk incessantly. Sitting still through a lesson can be an impossible task. Hyperactive children squirm in their seat or roam around the room. Or they might wiggle their feet, touch everything, or noisily tap their pencil.

Hyperactive teens and adults may feel intensely restless. They may be fidgety or, they may try to do several things at once, bouncing around from one activity to the next. The third and final common symptom among people, who have ADHD, impulsivity is defined as people who are overly impulsive seem unable to curb their immediate reactions or think before they act. As a result, they may blurt out inappropriate comments, or they may run into the street without looking.

Their impulsivity may make it hard for them to wait for things they want or to take their turn in games. They may grab a toy from another child or hit when they " re upset. However, having these three symptoms does not necessarily mean that one has ADHD. In order for someone to be correctly diagnosed with these this disorder, specialists must consider several critical questions: Are these behaviors excessive, long-term, and pervasive? That is, do they occur more often than in other people the same age? Are they a continuous problem, not just a response to a temporary situation?

Do the behaviors occur in several settings or only in one specific place like the playground or the office? The person's pattern of behavior is then compared to a set of criteria and characteristics of the disorder as they appear in the diagnostic reference book, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM contains very specific guidelines for diagnosing these disorders. The DSM defines inattention as: ? Becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds? Failing to pay attention to details and making careless mistakes?

Rarely following instructions carefully and completely? Losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and tools needed for a task The DSM defines hyperactivity and impulsivity as: ? Feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming? Running, climbing, or leaving a seat, in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected?

Blurting out answers before hearing the whole question? Having difficulty waiting in line or for a turn The behaviors must appear early in life, before age 7, and continue for at least 6 months. In children, they must be more frequent or severe than in others the same age. Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person's life, such as school, home, work, or social settings. So someone whose work or friendships are not impaired by these behaviors would not be diagnosed with ADHD. Nor would a child who seems overly active at school but functions well elsewhere.

Stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, Cy lert, and Dexedrine can control ADHD. These medications do not make the child jittery or excited, nor do they sedate them. The stimulants merely help the child control their hyperactivity, inattention, and any other symptoms that they may experience due to their ADHD. Nine out of 10 children improve on one of the three stimulant drugs.

So if one doesn't help, the others should be tried. Usually a medication should be tried for a week to see if it helps. Although most people do not grow out of ADHD, it is possible that one can live a happy and successful life. They just need to learn how to control it live with it. As they grow up, with appropriate help from parents and clinicians, children with ADHD become better able to suppress their hyperactivity and to channel it into more socially acceptable behaviors, like physical exercise or fidgeting. And although about half of all children with ADHD will still show signs of the problem into adulthood, we also know that the medications and therapy that help children also work for adults.

Despite the seriousness of the disorder, many parents are starting to take advantage of it. The opposite of what happened in the beginning is occurring now. Parents are now blaming behavior problems solely on ADHD, where a lot of times, it is due to bad parenting. Another subject that I would be interested in learning about is how many parents use ADHD as a last ditch effort to find out what is "wrong' with their child.

How many parents abuse their children either physically, mentally / emotionally, or sexually and blame the reaction that their child has to this abuse on ADHD? What is the percent of children that are diagnosed with ADHD that actually do have it? This topic is one that I would be interested in writing another paper about. In the meantime though, at least I have some kind of idea of what ADHD actually is, and what some of the symptoms are.

When the disorder is actually what is wrong with a child, it is a serious matter, and should be dealt with accordingly.