Running Head: ADHD ON INTELLIGENCE
Social and Bio-genetic Influences of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Child Intelligence
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has undergone intense research in the past decade. Much of this is rooted in the fact that approximately 5% of children are affected with the disorder. Children with ADHD are identified as having increased behavioral difficulties because of excessive motor activities, poor self regulation and inattentiveness. It has been found that as many as 30% of children inflicted with ADHD have learning disabilities with academic underachievement becoming a failure or bother in the school system. Since these children do not meet the expectations of society and their learning environment they are usually met with anger, punishment, and rejection. In turn these children develop a low-self esteem and low levels of motivation.
The reason for ADHD is still a mystery to researchers. Within the field there are many things that point to biological (genetic) and social causes. The idea seeks to explore current research through investigating the social and bio-genetic influence of ADHD on child intelligence. Testing and treatments of those with ADHD will also be discussed.
Even though ADHD occurs in people of every intelligence, a majority of children affected experience academic problems. These children may have specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, or may have multiple learning problems. In a study comparing ADHD children with those unaffected, those with the disorder performed significantly worse than the others. Learning disabilities can be said to arise from attentional difficulties in the classroom setting. Many of these difficulties occur in tasks where listening and time is a factor. Reading disabilities have also been found as a result of ADHD. The attention span of someone with ADHD is usually shot in a controlled setting they can hardly function, without distractions wich makes them sociably unacceptable. Even though there is a higher prevalence of boys and those with low intelligence diagnosed, others with ADHD are impaired as well. Results have found that girls with this disorder face greater intellectual impairment, especially with picture vocabulary tas...
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...ind the level and intensity to their disorder. The current increase in
ADHD children seems somewhat suspicious. The possibilitys are endless for the analisys the problem enstated by most is the parents probably never got treated for ADHD and it keeps getting passed through genetics, and people are finding out more about it and finding they show the effects. The stimulant Ritalin is being overly diagnosed as a quick fix when they need to use programs too for a treatment. There must be much more behavioral and parental/school attention unity in order for this epidemic of hyper children to be stoped and treated. Intelligence and ADHD have been linked in twin and adoption studies to family so people are not sure but, these studies could still be testing completely different things. Other studies also have found links in hyperactivity and affect to genetic dispositions in the central nervous system. In testing it is hard to determine if it is genetic or environmental due to the fact that many with ADHD can also be without learning disorders. Therefore, if we are to label this as a disease a bio-social scientific approach is necessary in diagnosis, treatment and intelligence assessment.
Interestingly, the symptoms of ADHD are just as varied as the causes of ADHD. Even so,
sure what causes ADHD, although some suggest that genes play a dominant role. Most likely
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder that displays as distracted, hyperactive, and unable to focus on tasks and activities. Also known as Hyperkinetic Impulse Disorder, Hyperkinesis, Hyperactive Syndrome, Minimal Brain Damage, Minimal Brain Dysfunction, and Undifferentiated Deficit Disorder, ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed neurological disorder in children. Although many children with ADHD are quite intelligent, their lack of focus can frequently lead to poor grades and low self-esteem. The exact cause of ADHD is still unknown, but it is considered highly inheritable. Results from numerous international studies on twins have found that ADHD may have a genetic link.
ADHD, or Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. There are many symptoms associated with ADHD but the most common include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity. Scientists are not exactly sure of what causes ADHD but they are more comfortable with the idea that a lot of different factors play a role in its development, such as, genes, environment, brain injuries, sugar, and food additives. The most widely used treatment is the drugs but this is not the only way to treat ADHD.
There are also seven psychological perspectives, they are thought to conduce to abnormal behavior. First is sociocultural, the problems reflect the values and beliefs of the culture. Second is behavioral, there is faulty conditioning or modeling. Evolutionary is the third, this is an exaggerated form of an adaptive reaction. Fourth is humanistic, where the personal growth is blocked. Fifth is psychoanalytic and/or psychodynamic, the unresolved or unconscious conflict. Cognitive is sixth, this is faulty thinking. Seventh is biological, this is problems with the brain, genetics, and biochemistry.
All psychological and psychiatric organizations accept ADHD as a real disorder. It is known to be the most common disorder in adolescent children and teenagers. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD, is a real disease linked to changes in production of the brain chemical dopamine. 6.4 million kids ages four to seventeen have been diagnosed with ADHD since 2011. Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are signs and symptoms that the diagnosis is based off of. This disease has three subtypes. The subtypes include predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive impulsive, and lastly combined. There are three main causes of this disease that include genetics, environment, and development.
child abuse. Many kids are affected by this because some kids end up dead or others grow up
The case of children having trouble with focusing or behaving at particular stages in their childhood is considered as normal. However, those children with ADHD never grow to ...
While the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association) put forth a list of behaviors which predominantly fall in the category of ADD and/or ADHD, many researchers still maintain that there is no set way to diagnosis or develop a treatment program to these disorders which will be guaranteed to work. At the same time there is another set of researchers who maintain that these disorders actually do not exist at all. However, in the real world, parents and educators still continue to struggle with the task of coping with children who are hyperactive and who have very low attention span and whose behavior often interferes with schooling and family life. [Armstrong, 1997]
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 ...
Children who have symptoms of inattention may be easily distracted, have difficulties focusing, become bored easily, have no organizational skills, or just can't seem to complete or turn in their homework. Children who have symptoms of hyperactivity may have trouble sitting still and being quite, or they may seem like they are constantly "on the go." C...
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly referred to as simply ADHD, is the most commonly diagnosed disorder among American children today. According to the National Institute on Mental Health an estimated 3 to 5 percent of school age children are affected by this disorder. (1) There are more diagnosed cases of ADHD of in the United States than there are anywhere in the world. The main symptoms of ADHD include "developmentally inappropriate levels of attention, concentration, activity, distractibility, and impulsivity." (1) While the number of people diagnosed with ADHD increases dramatically every year, there is still much about the disorder that is not understood. While scientists have deduced that ADHD originates in the brain, they still have many questions about the nature of it. The classification of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become quite a controversial topic in American society today. There are some who believe that by recognizing the symptoms associated with the disorder as ADHD; science is simply putting a band-aid on a problem that could be otherwise corrected with behavior modification.
One of the most controversial parts of ADD/ADHD is how it is diagnosed, for one and as stated earlier there is no physical tests to confirm you have the disorder. Secondly, there is no established single cause and the existing method of assessment is not standardized meaning one psychiatrist may use a written test while others may depend on what parents and teachers say, and what one psychiatrist classify as ADHD another may not. Thirdly there are other problems, which can cause behavioral concerns such as dyslexia, hearing problems, family problems, depression and anxiety (Rutherfor...
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, is one of the most common mental disorders among children. (Elia, Ambrosini, Rapoport, 1999) It affects 3 to 5 percent of all children, with approximately 60% to 80% of these children experiencing persistence of symptoms into adolescence and adulthood, causing a lifetime of frustrated dreams and emotional pain. There are two types of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an inattentive type and a combined type. The symptoms of ADHD can be classified into three categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This behaviour stops ADHD sufferers from focussing deliberately on organising and completing a specific task that they may not enjoy, learning new skills or information is proved to be impossible. An example of such behaviour is recognised by the report written by the National Institute of Mental Health where one of the subjects under study was unable to pass schooling examinations due to her inattentive behaviour. Such behaviour can damage the person's relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem. (National Institute of Mental Health 1999) There are also secondary symptoms which are associated with ADHD, such as learning disorders, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, tic disorders, and conduct disorders. (Spencer, Biederman, and Wilens 1999 in Monastra V, Monastra D, George, 2002)
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.