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adhd effects on child development
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As of 2011, approximately 11% or 6.4 million children ages four through seventeen have been diagnosed with a condition called ADHD. These numbers have continuously increased from 7.8% in 2003, 9.5% in 2007, and now to 11% in 2011. The numbers of children receiving medication to treat their ADHD has also continued to increase. The percentage of children ages four through seventeen taking these ADHD medications such as Adderall and Ritalin have gone from 4.8% in 2007, to 6.1% in 2011. These rising numbers have resulted in an over diagnosed condition among many children throughout the United States. Many doctors, parents, and schools turn to medications to treat ADHD because they believe it the best way to treat the condition. In reality, these medications are being overprescribed and given to children because their parents and teachers do not want to deal with their immature behaviors that usually come with being young. There are many other alternative treatments that can be combined to safely treat ADHD that cost less, and have fewer effects on these children into adulthood. (“Data &…”).
Doctors argue that when diagnosing a child with ADHD, it requires a process that has several steps. First, they must focus on looking at the symptoms and decide if there is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that hinders normal functioning and development. In order to consider a child inattentive, they must show six or more symptoms of inattentiveness if they are up to age sixteen, or five or more symptoms if they are age seventeen or older. These symptoms must be present for at least six months and be considered inappropriate for their developmental level. Some symptoms for inattentiveness include the inability ...
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The controversy surrounding ADHD will most likely never be solved. With doctors handing out lifetime diagnosis’, which can result in effects all the way through adulthood, something needs to be done. The over prescription of mostly un-needed ADHD medication will only cause issues for children who are given these medications to moderate their behavior. Giving children who may not even have ADHD, medication as an easy treatment is not a solution to a behavioral condition that will last throughout their lifetime. The over prescription of medication is hindering the abilities and possibilities of children who do not truly need the medication. The number of individuals with ADHD continues to grow and while doctors continue to hand out prescriptions without a real evaluation, individuals on medication to control their behavior cannot be the only solution.
When dealing with adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD may become a challenge for many parents. Knowing the facts about this disorder and how to treat the problem is the key to a healthy lifestyle for adolescents as well as families. Many therapies and medications are available to families with children with ADHD but many questions that parents have with their children with ADHD is which therapy is best and what would work best with their children and their quality of life. The question of which therapy, alternative versus medication therapy would improve adolescent’s quality of life and behavior modification.
ADHD is an exceedingly real diagnosis for many children in the United States. Are we over diagnosing our little ones just to keep from dealing with unpleasant behavior? “ On average 1 of every 10 to 15 children in the United States has been diagnosed with the disorder, and 1 in every 20 to 25 uses a stimulant medication” (Mayes, Bagwell, & Erkulwater, 2008). Several believe that virtually all ADHD diagnoses are retractable with appropriate discipline of children instead of being so hasty in medicating them. The material found on the CDC website describes facts about ADHD, it clarifies the signs, symptoms, types, causes, diagnosis tools, and treatment forms of ADHD. What the article neglects to go into is the reality that there is a considerable amount of controversy surrounding ADHD. The CDCs usage of ethos, pathos, and logos and by what method the website manipulates them to affect the reader will be the basis of this paper.
ADHD is a disorder that has been on the rise for several years now. The disorder is one that can cause many impairments to a child’s attention span, making it difficult to concentrate and to keep on task, especially on schoolwork. (Graham, 2007) The statistics have been growing ...
Every day, doctors are diagnosing kids with ADHD. A diagnosis can come as early as four years old. Doctors evaluate the patient. They also read reports from teachers and or coaches, along with talking with the child’s parents. Typical symptoms of ADHD include: “being in constant motion, squirming and fidgeting, making careless mistakes, not wanting to listen, being easily distracted, losing things, and making careless mistakes” (WebMD, 2014). If a child is diagnosed with ADHD, they may be put on a typical ADHD drug. Medicines that are used to t...
The ADHD Rating Scale-IV is designed to be used with children ages 5 to 18 and consists of scales for the Home and School. The Home version is also available in Spanish. The scales are rated according to symptom frequency on a 4-point scale of 9 to 3 (never or rarely) to (very often) and each has 18 items. The checklists are designed to be completed by parents and teachers who have observed the child for six months. Divided across four age groups, the scores are reported as percentile ranks separately for boys and girls. The breakdown of age groups is from 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, and 14-18 for both the Home and School version. The rating scales produce three scores: Inattention (IA), Hyperactivity-Impulsivity (HI), and total. According to Lindskog (1998), “On both forms, the Inattention scale consists of the 9 odd-numbered items, and the Hyperactivity-Impulsivity scale consists of the 9 even-numbered items, which are alternated to reduce response bias.” It is notable that the reviewer states the ADHD Rating Scale-IV is not intended to be used alone in ADHD diagnosis, but rather should be used with other more comprehensive sources such as diagnostic interviews, behavioral observations, and behavior ratings (Lindskog, 1998).
Political correctness and the constant fear of impending litigation from any number of sources has forced society to find other means through which they can control their children. Though other avenues for treatment exist, recent developments in educational and familial systems have produced a situation where children are over prescribed stimulant medications to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for educational purposes. For that reason, we must consider the appropriate treatment for ADHD in education. Four main aspects to this issue need to be discussed in order to fully understand the situation: a description of ADHD, the symptoms of ADHD, the statistical information regarding the over prescription and a description/history of stimulant use, and some possible alternatives to drug therapy.
According to Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco’s chief medical officer, seventeen percent of total drug cost spending last year was for behavior medicines; compared with sixteen percent for both asthma and antibiotics, eleven percent for skin disorders and six percent for allergy medicines. There was also a 369% increase in spending on ADHD drugs for kids under the age of five. A lot of children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and many of their parents have opted to give them behavioral drugs. Some parents give the drugs because they are not aware of the long term effects or the psychological dependency, and lastly because they are not aware of the alternatives. As parents we have to be more cognizant of what these disorders are and how they affect the child. Drugs are not always the only solution.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder that causes children to have problems with paying attention, trouble with following instructions, have impulsive behaviors and become easily distracted. Medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin, are used to treat the symptoms of this disorder by helping the patient to focus and pay attention while also curbing their impulsive behavior and hyperactivity. Side effects of these medications are, but not limited to, anxiety, addiction and in some cases psychosis. Proponents of giving ADHD medication to children argue that ADHD is a real disorder in children and the medication does improve the symptoms of the disorder by a large margin as well as being cost effective. Also, not only are the parents happy with the outcome of their children taking the prescribed medication but so are the children themselves. Proponents also argue that by not letting parents of the children, young adults and adults choose to take these prescriptions when diagnosed with ADHD that the medical and psychiatric communities would be in violation of the principle of autonomy. Justice as well would be violated since most of the burden of dealing with all the symptoms caused by this disorder would fall onto those with ADHD and partly on their families. Opponents of giving ADHD medication to children point out that it is not only going to children with ADHD but also being prescribed to those not diagnosed with the disorder as well as the pills being given or sold to other children and young adults. They also claim that the full side effects of ADHD medication are still not known and could have harmful long- lasting side effects on the children taking the medications. In this case, the princip...
ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a psychological disorder prone to ethical issues within its treatments through the use of Methylphenidate otherwise known as Ritalin, Ritalin is the current leading form of pharmacological treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and there has seen a dramatic increase in prescription rate over the past ten years, which have raised some ethical issues with its prescription. There are no present biological basis for ADHD diagnosis results in physicians making their diagnoses based on behavioural symptoms such as hyperactivity and inability to focus. Considering that these symptoms are behaviours that anyone may express at one point in their life, the risk of over-diagnosis of the disease increases. This may subsequently lead to over-prescription of Ritalin. Diagnosing ADHD is particularly difficult in young children as its symptoms are based on judgements of behaviour relative to other children who portray ‘normal behaviour’, however the symptoms of ADHD can be seen as normal behaviour for children as it normal for some children to be hyperactive. A review of prescription data for 300,000 children ages 19 and younger showed that, for the first time in history, spending for medications for childhood behaviour problems was more than the expenditure on any other child drug category, including drug like antibiotics. This evidence raises concerns over the possibility of Ritalin and its over-prescription for ADHD, especially in children as the disorder is mainly seen in childhood. Defining ADHD is still subjected to debate, and it has been observed that diagnosis of the disease is increasing as the diagnostic criteria changes, thereby leading to an over-diagnosis ...
It has been known since the beginning of time that not all people have the same brain function, social graces or self control. Children have daydreamed, been distracted, wiggled and have been routinely disruptive in classrooms. The condition dubbed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a new name for old behaviors. It has only been the last 40 or so years that these behaviors have become known as a disorder. They were previously accepted, on the most part, as common childhood behavior that would be outgrown. The controversy over the treatment, Ritalin, during the 1960s is when ADHD became well known (Conrad 563). Before that children and their families managed to survive without the labeling and medicating of children who didn’t fit perfectly into the mold. The brain function of a child with ADHD may be different, but who’s to say that difference needs to be changed. The person with ADHD still gets the job done, just differently, with a lot more effort and creativity. There are many who benefit from an ADHD diagnosis, the child is not always one of them.
Abstract: This research paper describes ADHD and the treatments available. It discusses the different medications and their side effects and explains the opinions of some doctors for an alternative treatment. The main goal of the writing is to shed some light on the disorder and describe some theories about ADHD. This goal is stated in the thesis which talks about how ADHD cannot be identified exactly, the side effects to the medication are harsh, there are different alternative treatments, and research shows it may be caused from hormones and sleep deprivation.
Children today seem to be plagued with a chronic psychiatric condition called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADHD. Estimates suggest that this disorder is affecting 3% to 5% of the children in this country (Bussing 233). In the United States this means reference is being made to nearly 5 million ADHD children. ADHD isn¡¦t just some convenient or fancy term for what parents would call a child who misbehaves. This condition, recognized in previous years as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Minimal Brain Dysfunction, Minimal Brain Damage, Hyperkinesis and Hyperactivity, is a serious medical condition that is thought to cause inappr...
The purpose of this research was to describe and understand Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the most effective treatment options that are available today. ADHD is a mental health disorder that affects 3-9% of the population in ways that, if left untreated, can wreak havoc on the mind of the sufferer. It makes concentration difficult, large tasks seem insurmountable, and causes impulsive and hyperactive tendencies. Fortunately, research and experiments have led to new and effective treatments to help those who suffer from this disorder (Dupaul 8). This research examined journal articles and internet sources on the topic to help unlock the complexities of the disorder through scientific research. It also was a way to separate the myths of the disorder from the truths, while discovering the causes, diagnosis methods, and best treatment alternatives to battle this prevalent disorder.
ADHD is broken into three subtypes. The first is those who are impulsive and hyperactive. The second type is made up from those who are inattentive only. The third group is those who display all of these symptoms combined. In the United States, 3-5% of children show signs of this disorder. It has also been shown that the disorder is more dominant in boys. Many children with ADHD do not outgrow this disorder and carry it on into their adult lives. Various studies have shown that two-thirds of children with ADHD still have the disorder in their 20’s making it is a problem which affects children and adults alike.
There has been an ongoing debate about whether the mental disorder ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is over-diagnosed. ADHD is commonly diagnosed in people, more specifically children, who lack the ability to pay attention, are often disruptive, are hyperactive, and impulsive. A medical personnel or a psychologist diagnoses the children using a list of criteria. It is only in recent years that doctors have begun researching better and more effective ways to diagnosis patients using brain scans. It is because of this, that ADHD is over-diagnosed for several reasons: the different personalities that children can exhibit; parents not taking responsibility as parents; and the lack of proper ways to identify ADHD.