ADHD Essay Research Paper ADHD ADHD a

ADHD Essay, Research Paper

ADHD

. ADHD, a disorder beginning in childhood, characterized by a persistent inability to sit

still, focus attention on specific tasks, and control impulses,. contributed by Michael Woods to

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most

common mental disorders of childhood. Many children grow out of ADHD by adolescent or

adult years, but many do not. Studies show ADHD in adulthood is more severe and may cause

long term effects.

Diagnosing ADHD is very difficult, because most children are inattentive, hyperactive, and

impulsive at least some of the time. When diagnosing there is no blood test, or written test to

determine if ADHD is present. All there is are guidelines and an educated guess. The guidelines

include, . A disturbance of at least six months during which at least eight of the following are

present:

1. often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat

2. has difficulty remaining seated when required to do so

3. is easily distracted by extraneous stimuli

4. has difficulty awaiting turn in games or group situations

5. often blurts out answers to questions before they have been completed

6. has difficulty following through on instructions from others

7. has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities

8. often shifts from one uncompleted activity to another

9. has difficulty playing quietly

10. often talks excessively

11. often does not seem to listen to what is being said to him or her

13. often loses things necessary for tasks or activities at school or at home ( e.g.. pencils )

14. often engages in physically dangerous activities without considering possible

consequences ( not for thrill seeking purposes ) e.g.. runs into the street without looking

The above items are listed in descending order of discriminating power based on data from

national field trial of the DSM-III-R criteria for Disruptive Behavior Disorders,. contributed Sam

& Michael Goldstein to Managing Attention Disorders in Children page11. In order to diagnose

ADHD, these symptoms must occur more frequent than children of the same age and must occur

in more than one sitting.

90% of ADHD patients take Ritalin, a mild central nervous system stimulant believed to

calm hyperactivity by helping the brain disregard distracting stimuli, . ADHD has been estimated

to affect 3% to 5% of school-age children nation wide, with less than 3% actually receiving

medication,. said Gretchen LeFever, a pediatric psychologist, on an Internet column. Gretchen

LeFever.s research found that 8% to 10% of children in second through fifth grades routinely

took ADHD medication in school during 1995-1996 school year. LeFever also conducted

another study which she examined records of student enrolled in the second through fifth grade

once again, but she chose two specific cities this time, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach. She chose

these two cities, because they are the most diverse cities in Virginia, Portsmouth is a small, urban,

poor, mostly black district, while Virginia Beach, Virginia is a larger, more wealthy, and mostly

white district. LeFever and her researchers found that ADHD medication was used three times as

many boys as with girls and twice as many whites as blacks. The researchers also found that the

use of medication increased as the children aged. By fifth grade, 19% to 20% of white boys

received ADHD medication.

Scientists do not know what causes ADHD, however, they have discredited many theories

that ADHD was a result from minor head injuries or undetectable brain damage due to infections

or complications during birth. Another theory blamed the consumption of refined sugar and food

additives, a study was done and it showed that very few ADHD children benefited from a special

diet. Another theory junked was the theory of bad parenting or a dysfunctional home life.

. Controversy exists over the diagnosis of ADHD. Physicians in the United States

diagnose the disorder more often than doctors elsewhere in the world,. contributed Michael

Woods to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Researchers examined about 30,000 grade-school

children in two districts in southeastern Virginia and found that pupils took drugs for ADHD in

school at two to three times the expected rate, according to the study in the American Journal of

Public Health. .It.s hard to believe this many children have the specific brain-related problem

called ADHD,. said Dr. Louis H. McCormick, a faculty member in the family medicine

department at Louisiana State University medical school. He said that his study confirmed that

his suspicion that kids are being overdiagnosed.

.Although there is no cure for ADHD, a variety of treatments may help children with this

disorder. These include medication, counseling, social skills training, and other methods. Drugs

are the most common trea

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