Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorderAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention Deficit Disorders have become a very highly controversial
topic during the last decade. Attention Deficit Disorder, also known as ADD,
is a broad, almost generic term for the different types of Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorders. The Diagnostic and Statistical manual of the
American Psychiatric Association offers us this definition: �ADHD is a disorder
that can include a list of nine specific symptoms of inattention and nine
symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity.� In addition, the Concise Columbia
Electronic Encyclopedia provides this interpretation: � (a) chronic,
neurologically based syndrome, characterized by any or all of three types of
behavior: hyperactivity, distractibility, and impulsivity. Unlike similar
behaviors caused by emotional problems or anxiety, ADHD does not
fluctuate with emotional states.�
About 1-3% of the school aged population has the full ADHD
syndrome, without symptoms of other disorders. Another 5-10% have
partial ADHD syndrome with one or more other problems, such as anxiety or
depression.(CHADD) Gender and age affect the way the patients display
their symptoms. Boys are more likely to have the disorder than girls. The
symptoms of ADHD usually decrease with age, but those symptoms related
with other similar disorders are said to increase with age. 30-50% of
children with ADHD may display symptoms, although often times less
severe, into adulthood.
ADHD may be observed in children before the age of four, but it�s signs
are often missed until the child begins school. ADHD is often accompanied
by learning difficulties, excessive physical activity, impulsive actions,
inattention and social inappropriateness. Many of the children affected by
ADHD exhibit a low threshold for frustration, which predisposes them to
uncontrollable tantrums, and inability to concentrate in a controlled setting,
such as a classroom. The behavioral symptoms associated with ADHD must
last more than six months to be diagnosed as an attention disorder,
although, it is not uncommon for medical doctors promote the idea of office
diagnosis. Diagnosis of ADHD syndrome in a doctor�s office however,
presents an evaluation in a controlled environment, which are subject to
error. Office diagnosis entails a child being put in a observation room,
usually alone, which enable the doctor to observe their behavior. This
observation does not produce accurate results due to the fact that the
environment is not one of which the child frequently has problems in.
Frequently the behaviors of children affected by ADHD will parallel those of a
normal child, other times, the child can be uncontrollable. Most children with
ADHD have problems with interacting with other children or when asked to
complete a task, especially if additional distractions are present. More
frequently, children suspected of having ADHD are evaluated by their
intellectual, academic, social and emotional functioning. The evaluation
often includes input from the child�s teacher(s), parent(s), and others adults
that frequently interact with the child. There are questionnaires that will
rate the child behavior...
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