Essay title - Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disordered (ADHD) and Learning Disabilities (LD)
Introduction
The following article displays research on ADHD and the effects that it has on children in the classroom and what solutions are being assessed and addressed. Being classified as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disordered (ADHD) has an important impact on children’s subsequent educational and personal experiences. Children’s physical activity and attention levels are behavioral dimension that are important to adaption to society and to school. By physical activity it could mean the intensity level, frequency, and duration of small motor behavior, such as fidgeting, ticks, tapping of feet and hands, and locomotion. The incidence of ADHD- related behaviors are relatively low in preschool and kindergarten, occurring significantly in first grade and remaining thereafter. Childhood ADHD is also a significant educational and public health problem because it is common, representing about 4% of the primary school population. Of these children, over 80% are boys (Barkley, Dupaul, & McMurray, 1990; Nigg, 1993). Additionally, ADHD has a sustained effect on children’s societal and school functioning (Klien & Mannuza,1991; Lerner & Lowenthal, 1994). ADHD-classified children seem to have social and academicdifficulties very soon after they enter the primary grades. They are impulsive and have difficulty sitting still, attending to sedentary tasks, and working cooperatively with peers (Cunningham & Siegal, 1987). Thus, it is imperative for both individual and societal reasons to explicate the limitations and strengths. These issues are best resolved by involving a disciplinary approach: biology, psychology and education. Although, Sociology was not one of the disciplines that I chose, one can not overlook the involvement that this particular discipline shares with the disciplines that I integrated in my research. First, I chose Biology because it deals with the brain and how information is perceived as well as the chemistry and genetic makeup each one of these areas are essential in how a child will relate to ADHD or LD. It also correlates to setting the stage for their involvement with their community and how well they relate to their particular surroundings. Second, Psychology by the effect that status plays on ones self-esteem issues rather it is high or low there is a great impact that it plays on one character and well-being. Lastly, education ones surroundings and resources amalgamate with how one is looked upon and how one is motivated to learn and experience life. Education involves how children deal with problems in life. Being classified as ADHD has an important impact on children’s educational and personal experiences. ADHD children seem to have social and academic difficulties very soon after they enter the primary grades. They are impulsive and have difficulty sitting still, attending to sedentary tasks, and working cooperatively with peers. With little or no education ADHD children are at risk to the judicial system and falling into becoming involved with crime and violence. (Klien & Mannuza, 1991); (Lerner, Lowenthal 1994). On the one hand, ADHD children that grow up in a nurturing family, whose parents have the resources to accommodate their children’s weaknesses, normally outgrow or overcome their learning disabilities with coping skills and enable them to fulfill their goals; they can accomplish whatever they set out to do. On the Other hand, when dealing with children that live in a poverty stricken area, chances are high that they will end up in the judicial system either as youth offenders or adult offenders. Statistics show that the more teachers and parents participate, model and encourage positive influences in their children’s lives, the more children will react, with the right motivation.
We can’t eliminate the problem but we have a good chance of cutting down on the number of children being incarcerated as juveniles and adults.
Therefore, teachers play an important part, preventing our children from falling through the cracks. This effort requires patience, endurance and ensuring that these children do not feel as though they are not wanted or that they are stupid. If the parents are also doing their part, the possibilities are endless.
Children with ADHD, ADD and learning disabilities learn differently, they solve problems differently and they learn at a different pace, therefore it is necessary to experiment with several strategies as well as learning tools to obtain the appropriate procedure that will benefit the child. They are easily distracted, they may even move around the classroom and it may appear that they are not focused when in reality they are listening, also studies show that involving visual tools and hands on experience are a requirement to hold these children interest. http://(nimhinfo@nih.gov).
All of these disciplines interact with Sociology which involves how children react to their peers and how this affects their psychological and mental state, not only in the classroom but their socioeconomic status as well. A Child that already lives in a poverty stricken area will have more stress and more issues with trying to function and learn compared to a child that has every opportunities of advancement at his or her disposal. It has been suggested that learning disabilities involve a number of components, including cognitive, attention, and behavioral deficits disorder. However, research consistently demonstrates the presence of attention and behavioral problems in children with learning disabilities, including hyperactivity impulsivity. Literature on sustained and selective attention as well as distractibility in children with learning disabilities indicates that, at least descriptively, children with LD often show attention deficits. Impulsivity as a descriptive characteristic has also been demonstrated in children with LD.
Research exploring personality subtypes of children with LD using cluster analysis consistently identifies a subgroup who demonstrates attention and/or mild hyperactivity problems in five subtypes of behavior problems; which brings us to our second discipline psychology: conduct problems, withdrawal, and low frequency of positive behavior, attention deficits, and global behavior problems. Although, all the children had learning, disabilities based on a simple discrepancy formula, the group identified as having attention and global behavior problems. However, the nature of such a relationship has not been well defined. Three hypotheses are most frequently offered regarding the attention and behavioral problems of children with LD.
First, it has been suggested that their inattention, increased hyperactivity, and self-control problems may be related to, and presumably be the result of, difficulties with academic performance. In particular, it has been suggested that inattention may be a nonspecific behavior resulting from the child’s reaction to learning difficulty over time. However, a substantial number of children with learning disabilities do not demonstrate attention deficits or hyperactivity in response to academic frustration.
Second, it has been hypothesized that inattention and hyperactivity precede and impede academic performance. Although, intuitively, this seems likely, there is insufficient evidence to show that ADHD itself leads directly to learning problems. Besides, many children with ADHD do not have learning disabilities.
Third, it has been suggested that learning disabilities and ADHD are separate entities that may co-occur. Although, the evidence is inconclusive no one knows the depth that establishes whether this co-occurrence is the result. Some findings have uncovered such extensive overlaps that it has been suggested that the disorders may be indistinguishable, others have noted that the two disorders may be independent, but can overlap in some individual. Also, it has been reported that up to 20% of children with LD are co-diagnosed as having ADHD, while up to 65% of children with LD, depending on age and sex, may demonstrate difficulties with inattention. Other studies have demonstrated that among children with significant learning difficulty, 41% scored above criterion on measures of hyperactivity studied. It has also been suggested that both learning disabilities and ADHD, or at least some forms of them, may have a common origin in neurological dysfunction. A number of neuroanatomically based hypotheses have been advanced about the brain regions that may be involved be dysfunctional in children with ADHD and LD. On the other hand, these theories have implicated subcortical structures important in arousal, control of attention, and regulation of motor control. Further research is needed on both disorders, which follows children from early years through childhood and examines the continuing or discontinuing interrelationships between ADHD and learning disabilities, is needed to clarify the relationship. Only such study can effectively document the hypothesis that attention deficits and/or hyperactivity result from continued academic frustration or, conversely, that academic difficulty results from attention deficits, and determine the prevalence of each occurrence. Differential diagnosis is fundamental to exploring. (Barkley et al. 1990).
Education involves how children deal with problems in life. Being classified as ADHD has an important impact on children’s educational and personal experiences. ADHD children seem to have social and academic difficulties very soon after they enter the primary grades. They are impulsive and have difficulty sitting still, attending to sedentary tasks, and working cooperatively with peers. With little or no education ADHD children are at risk to the judicial system and falling into becoming involved with crime and violence. On the one hand, ADHD children that grow up in a nurturing family, whose parents have the resources to accommodate their children’s weaknesses, normally outgrow or overcome their learning disabilities with coping skills and enable them to fulfill their goals; they can accomplish whatever they set out to do. On the Other hand, when dealing with children that live in a poverty stricken area, chances are high that they will end up in the judicial system either as youth offenders or adult offenders. Statistics show that the more teachers and parents participate, model and encourage positive influences in their children’s lives, the more children will react, with the right motivation.
We can’t eliminate the problem but we have a good chance of cutting down on the number of children being incarcerated as juveniles and adults.
Therefore, teachers play an important part, preventing our children from falling through the cracks. This effort requires patience, endurance and ensuring that these children do not feel as though they are not wanted or that they are stupid. If the parents are also doing their part, the possibilities are endless.
Children with ADHD, ADD and learning disabilities learn differently, they solve problems differently and they learn at a different pace, therefore it is necessary to experiment with several strategies as well as learning tools to obtain the appropriate procedure that will benefit the child. They are easily distracted, they may even move around the classroom and it may appear that they are not focused when in reality they are listening, also studies show that involving visual tools and hands on experience are a requirement to hold these children interest. nimhinfo@nih.gov
Disorders that sometimes accompany ADHD:
Learning Disabilities
Many children with ADHD—approximately 20 to 30 percent—also have a specific learning disability (LD).10 In preschool years, these disabilities include difficulty in understanding certain sounds or and/or difficulty in expressing oneself in . In school age children, reading or spelling disabilities, writing disorders and arithmetic disorders may appear. A type of reading disorder, dyslexia, is quite widespread. Reading disabilities affect up to 8 percent of elementary school children.
Tourette syndrome
A very small proportion of people with ADHD have a neurological disorder called Tourette syndrome. People with Tourette syndrome have various nervous tics and repetitive mannerisms, such as eye blinks, facial twitches, or grimacing. Others may clear their throats frequently, snort, sniff, or bark out . These behaviors can be controlled with medication. While very few children have this syndrome, many of the cases of Tourette syndrome have associated ADHD. In such cases, both disorders often require treatment that may include medications.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
As many as one-third to one-half of all children with ADHD—mostly boys—have another condition, known as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). These children are often defiant, stubborn, and non-compliant, have outbursts of temper, or become belligerent. They argue with adults and refuse to obey.
Conduct Disorder
About 20 to 40 percent of ADHD children may eventually develop conduct disorder (CD), a more serious pattern of antisocial behavior. These children frequently lie or steal, fight with or bully others, and are at a real risk of getting into trouble at school or with the police. They violate the basic rights of other people, are aggressive toward people and/or animals, destroy property, break into people’s homes, commit thefts, carry or use weapons, or engage in vandalism. These children or teens are at greater risk for substance use experimentation, and later dependence and abuse. They need immediate help.
Anxiety and Depression
Some children with ADHD often have co-occurring anxiety or depression. If the anxiety or depression is recognized and treated, the child will be better able to handle the problems that accompany ADHD. Conversely, effective treatment of ADHD can have a positive impact on anxiety as the child is better able to master academic tasks.
Bipolar Disorder
There are no accurate statistics on how many children with ADHD also have bipolar disorder. Differentiating between ADHD and bipolar disorder in childhood can be difficult. In its classic form, bipolar disorder is characterized by mood cycling between periods of intense highs and lows. But in children, bipolar disorder often seems to be a rather chronic mood deregulation with a mixture of elation, depression, and irritability. Furthermore, there are some symptoms that can be present both in ADHD and bipolar disorder, such as a high level of energy and a reduced need for sleep. Of the symptoms differentiating children with ADHD from those with bipolar disorder, elated mood and grandiosity of the bipolar child are distinguishing characteristics.11
Hyperactivity-Impulsivity
Hyperactive children always seem to be “on the go” or constantly in motion. They dash around touching or playing with whatever is in sight, or talk incessantly. Sitting still at dinner or during a school lesson or story can be a difficult task. They squirm and fidget in their seats or roam around the room. Or they may wiggle their feet, touch everything, or noisily tap their pencil. Hyperactive teenagers or adults may feel internally restless. They often report needing to stay busy and may try to do several things at once.
Impulsive children seem unable to curb their immediate reactions or think before they act. They will often blurt out inappropriate comments, display their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for the later consequences of their conduct. 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. Even as teenagers or adults, they may impulsively choose to do things that have an immediate but small payoff rather than engage in activities that may take more effort yet provide much greater but delayed rewards?
Some signs of hyperactivity-impulsivity are:
- Feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming while seated
- 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 taking turns.
Inattention
Children who are inattentive have a hard time keeping their minds on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. If they are doing something they really enjoy, they have no trouble paying attention. But focusing deliberate, conscious attention to organizing and completing a task or learning something new is difficult.
Homework is particularly hard for these children. They will forget to write down an assignment, or leave it at school. They will forget to bring a book home, or bring the wrong one. The homework, if finally finished, is full of errors and erasures. Homework is often accompanied by frustration for both parent and child.
The DSM-IV-TR gives these signs of inattention:
- Often becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds
- Often 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
- Often skipping from one uncompleted activity to another.
Children diagnosed with the Predominantly Inattentive Type of ADHD are seldom impulsive or hyperactive, yet they have significant problems paying attention. They appear to be daydreaming, “spacey,” easily confused, slow moving, and lethargic. They may have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as other children. When the teacher gives oral or even written instructions, this child has a hard time understanding what he or she is supposed to do and makes frequent mistakes. Yet the child may sit quietly, unobtrusively, and even appear to be working but not fully attending to or understanding the task and the instructions.
These children don’t show significant problems with impulsivity and over activity in the classroom, on the school ground, or at home. They may get along better with other children than the more impulsive and hyperactive types of ADHD, and they may not have the same sorts of social problems so common with the combined type of ADHD. So often their problems with inattention are overlooked. But they need help just as much as children with other types of ADHD, who cause more obvious problems in the classroom Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that becomes apparent in some children in the preschool and early school years. It is hard for these children to control their behavior and/or pay attention. It is estimated that between 3 and 5 percent of children have ADHD, or approximately 2 million children in the United States. This means that in a classroom of 25 to 30 children, it is likely that at least one will have ADHD.
Background
ADHD was first described by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman in 1845. A physician who wrote books on medicine and psychiatry, Dr. Hoffman was also a poet who became interested in writing for children when he couldn't find suitable materials to read to his 3-year-old son. The result was a book of poems, complete with illustrations, about children and their characteristics. "The Story of Fidgety Philip" was an accurate description of a little boy who had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet it was not until 1902 that Sir George F. Still published a series of lectures to the Royal College of Physicians in England in which he described a group of impulsive children with significant behavioral problems, caused by a genetic dysfunction and not by poor child rearing—children who today would be easily recognized as having ADHD (Cunningham & Siegal, 1987).1 Since then, several thousand scientific papers on the disorder have been published, providing information on its nature, course, causes, impairments, and treatments.
A child with ADHD faces a difficult but not insurmountable task ahead. In order to achieve his or her full potential, he or she should receive help, guidance, and understanding from parents, guidance counselors, and the public education system. This document offers information on ADHD and its management, including research on medications and behavioral interventions, as well as helpful resources on educational options. (Klien & Mannuza,1991; Lerner & Lowenthal, 1994).
Disciplinary Perspectives, Evidence and Insights
Although results of many investigations indicate a relationship between LD and ADHD, the nature of such a relationship has not been well defined (Cantwell & Baker , 1991; Epstein et al., 1991; Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 1991). Three hypotheses are most frequently offered regarding the attention and behavioral problems of children with LD. First, it has been suggested that their inattention, increased hyperactivity, and self control problems may be related to, and presumably be the result of, difficulties with academic performance (Merrell, 1990; Togerson, 1988). In particular, it has been suggested that inattention may be a nonspecific behavior resulting from the child’s reaction to learning difficulty over time (August & Garfunkel, 1990; Weinberg & Emslie, 1991). However, a substantial number of children with learning disabilities do not demonstrate attention deficits or hyperactivity in response to academic frustration (Epstein et al., 1991).
Second, it has been hypothesized that inattention and hyperactivity precede and impede academic performance (August & Garfunkel, 1990). Although, intuitively, this seems likely, there is insufficient evidence to show that ADHD itself leads directly to learning problems. Besides, many children with ADHD do not have learning disabilities (Epstein et al,. 1991).
Third, it has been suggested that learning disabilities and ADHD are separate entities that may co-occur (August & Garfunkel, 1990; Silver, 1990; Torgesen, 1988). It has not yet been established whether this concurrence is the result. 1991). some findings have uncovered such extensive overlaps that it has been suggested that the disorders may be indistinguishable (Prior & Sanson, 1986). Others have noted that the two disorders may be independent, but can overlap in some individuals (Silver, 1990; Torgesen, 1988). Silver (1990) suggested that the relationship between attention problems and hyperactivity a child or adolescent with a learning disability one of co morbidity with associated disorders (e.g., ADHD). Also, it has been reported that up to 20% of children with LD are co-diagnosed as having ADHD (Halperin et al., 1984; Silver, 1981), while up to 65% of children with LD , depending on age and sex, may demonstrate difficulties with inattention (Epstein, Cullinan, & Nieminen, 19984). Other studies have demonstrated that among children with significant learning difficulty, 41% scored above criterion on measures of hyperactivity (Holborow & Berry, 1986a, 1986b; Safer & Allen, 1976).
Baker and Cantwell (1987a, 1987b) studied. Spreen (1989) suggested that both learning disabilities and ADHD, or at least some forms of them, may have a common origin in neurological dysfunction. A number of neuroanatomically based hypotheses have been advanced about the brain regions that may be involved (e.g., be dysfunctional) in children with ADHD and LD. Generally, these theories have implicated subcortical structures important in arousal, control of attention, and regulation of motor control (Laufer, Denhoff, & Solomons, 1957; Satterfield & Dawson, 1971). Others have proposed involvement of both subcortical and corticofrontal systems (Dykman, Ackerman, Clements, & Peters, 1971; Hynd et al., 1990; Mattes, 1980; Voeller & Heilman, 1988a, 1988b). Findings Longitudinal prospective research of subtypes of both disorders, which follows children from early years through childhood and examines the continuing and differential diagnosis is fundamental to exploring.
The principal characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These symptoms appear early in a child’s life. Because many normal children may have these symptoms, but at a low level, or the symptoms may be caused by another disorder, it is important that the child receive a thorough examination and appropriate diagnosis by a well-qualified professional.
Symptoms of ADHD will appear over the course of many months, often with the symptoms of impulsiveness and hyperactivity preceding those of inattention, which may not emerge for a year or more. Different symptoms may appear in different settings, depending on the demands the situation may pose for the child’s self-control. A child who “can’t sit still” or is otherwise disruptive will be noticeable in school, but the inattentive daydreamer may be overlooked. The impulsive child who acts before thinking may be considered just a “discipline problem,” while the child who is passive or sluggish may be viewed as merely unmotivated. Yet both may have different types of ADHD. All children are sometimes restless, sometimes act without thinking, and sometimes daydream the time away. When the child’s hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration, or impulsivity begin to affect performance in school, social relationships with other children, or behavior at home, ADHD may be suspected. But because the symptoms vary so much across settings, ADHD is not easy to diagnose. This is especially true when inattentiveness is the primary symptom.
According to the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders2 (DSM-IV-TR), there are three patterns of behavior that indicate ADHD. People with ADHD may show several signs of being consistently inattentive. They may have a pattern of being hyperactive and impulsive far more than others of their age. Or they may show all three types of behavior. This means that there are three subtypes of ADHD recognized by professionals. These are the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (that does not show significant inattention); the predominantly inattentive type (that does not show significant hyperactive-impulsive behavior) sometimes called ADD—an outdated term for this entire disorder; and the combined type (that displays both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms).
Conclusion:
Is It Really ADHD?
Not everyone who is overly hyperactive, inattentive, or impulsive has ADHD. Since most people sometimes blurt out things they didn’t mean to say, or jump from one task to another, or become disorganized and forgetful, how can specialists tell if the problem is ADHD?
Because everyone shows some of these behaviors at times, the diagnosis requires that such behavior be demonstrated to a degree that is inappropriate for the person’s age. The diagnostic guidelines also contain specific requirements for determining when the symptoms indicate ADHD. The behaviors must appear early in life, before age 7, and continue for at least 6 months. Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person’s life such as in the schoolroom, on the playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings. So someone who shows some symptoms but whose schoolwork or friendships are not impaired by these behaviors would not be diagnosed with ADHD. Nor would a child who seems overly active on the playground but functions well elsewhere receive an ADHD diagnosis.
To assess whether a child has ADHD, specialists consider several critical questions: Are these behaviors excessive, long-term, and pervasive? That is, do they occur more often than in other children 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 in the schoolroom? The person’s pattern of behavior is compared against a set of criteria and characteristics of the disorder as listed in the DSM-IV-TR.
Some physicians feel that children with ADHD and learning disabilities have to be medicated ; so that they can sit still and focus that may be true in some circumstances but all children with ADHD and learning disabilities do not need medication some only require patience and strong motivated role models;
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