It is true that people with Attention Deficit Disorder struggle in school or in everyday situations, but they can adapt and learn ways to use this disability to their advantage. There are many people that are and can become very successful despite having Attention Deficit Disorder. Explaining attention deficit disorder is not easy, there is a lot of myths and controversy about this disorder. I know first-hand the struggles and the controversy surrounded by Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) because it was hard for me being diagnosed at an adult age. Some people might not believe that it is a true disorder or that it only affects children, it is real and does actually exist. It is not only just a childhood disorder; it does not discriminate against age, race or gender. In order to have a better understanding of this complex disorder, it is important to become aware of its characteristics, causes, and treatments. A detailed analysis will include information and the struggles of living, coping, and managing A.D.D. It can be difficult and very frustrating not being able to comprehend or understand things that seem so simple to most other people. Following simple directions, trouble understanding a story, hard time staying organized, constantly late, forgetting things, can’t sit still through a lecture, daydreaming, unable to focus completely on a certain subject or task, not able to finish tasks in school or everyday situations pretty much sums up a person that may be struggling with ADD. Family, friends, teachers and most of society often label this behavior as being stupid, disruptive, and/or lazy. ADD can have a major effect on relationships, school, finances, and careers, but with support, knowledge and possible medications it c... ... middle of paper ... ...nter for Children and Youth with Disabilities, 1996. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. . CH. A. D. D. "Controversial Treatments for Children with Attention Deficit Disorder." Online. Internet. 1995 "Attention Deficit Disorder." 123HelpMe.com. 14 Apr 2014 https://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=54273 "A Focus On Adults: Living With Chronic ADHD." Talk of the Nation 2 Apr. 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Document URL http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/AudioDetailsPage/AudioDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Audio&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA325711413&source=Bookmark&u=pemb33391&jsid=49fd4de20e93ad502ac77eeae7885e20
Weyandt, Lisa L., and DuPaul, George J. "ADHD In College Students: Developmental Findings." Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 14.4 (2008): 311-319. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
National Institute of Mental Health (1999). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Retrieved April 2, 2003 from www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm#adhd3
Most parents realize that their children have the disorder once the child starts attending school. Most of the time teachers are the ones who point out the child’s symptoms. The parent then takes the child to a social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist for answers. “The American Psychiatric Association lists fourteen signs, of which at least eight must be present for a child to be officially classified as ADD.”(Passwater 1) Out of these fourteen signs are normal actions of children. Some of these signs include fidgeting with hands or feet, easily distracted by extraneous stimuli, having difficulty following instructions and blurting out answers before questions are completed. (Passwater 2) It would seem by these signs that when a child doesn’t seem to be adapting to our system, we label them as having ADD and prescribe them Ritalin. With the new increase in prescriptions being filled around country, more and more children are on Ritalin, so much that the nega...
Yulish, Noah. “Think Seriously About ADHD.” Healthy Living, Huffington Post. 17 Jun 2013. Web. 21 April 2014.
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADHD, is the most common psychiatric condition effecting 9.5% of school-aged children in the United States (intuniv, 2013). If the disorder goes untreated, it will cause more long-term side effects and difficulties for the individual as an adult. Adults who have this condition face several adversities in every day life, such as impulsive behavior, low self-esteem and poor work performance. People are not aware of the complications that come with ADHD in adults. Not knowing the symptoms of the disease can cause people to not be sympathetic when they are interacting with someone with disorder.
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]
Barkley, Russel A. Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents. New York: The Gilford Press, 2000.
Now after explaining what is ADD/ADHD we are ready to cover the controversy surrounding it. As this topic is vast and you may find a lot of different reasons to discredit this disorder and psychiatry in generally I would try to focus on the main and most prevalent discussions. Covering the criticism around the way of diagnosis, history, policies in the US and UK, the media and finally as a conclusion end this essay with my final humble opinion on the matter and hopefully have helped you to reach a decision.
"Robert daydreamed so much that he was pulled out of school. Frank went into such trancelike dreams that one had to shout at him to bring him back. Equally problematic were Sam's restlessness and verbal diatribes. Virginia, too, demonstrated a tendency to talk on and on. Thomas experienced school problems, in part because of his high energy. Nick's tendency to act without thinking caused him to have several scrapes with death and near-tragedies, such as plunging to the earth from the roof of a barn, clutching an umbrella” (Cramond). These are examples of situations that are common to many children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD tend to have creative and unique was of thinking, and many problems focusing on one task, especially in school situations. Today children with this disorder are frequently prescribed medications to control their attention and/or hyperactivity. But are we doing what is in the best interest for children, or making it easier on the adults who have to deal with these children daily?
With five percent of the children in the world affected by ADHD to some degree, there is much variance in the severity and occurrence of symptoms and behaviors (Zeigler Dendy, 2000, “Teachin...
“Some say that this explosion of childhood ADHD is indicative of what’s wrong with our society and education system. They blame parents and an educator for choosing quick fixes for what they say is a behavioral problem, not a brain-based disorder.”
As this paper has shown, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a traumatizing disorder to live with. It requires a great deal of support from all family members, school professionals, and medical professionals to help a child learn to live with ADHD. A child will rarely grow out of this disorder but will often find they deal with ADHD very well. It takes a lot of work for a child to learn to cope with ADHD. Most children, however, will grow up normal and live a very happy and healthy life.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is very commonly known. Today, ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders among children. The NIMH (The national institute of mental health) predicts that it affecting 3 to 5 percent of all children(AACAP), with an approximate amount of 30% to 65% of these children experiencing persistence of symptoms into adolescence and adulthood (AACAP).There are three types of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, Predominantly Inattentive Type, and Combination Type(ehow.com). The symptoms of ADHD can be classified into three main categories; hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. These behaviors can interfere with ADHD sufferers’ ability to focus deliberately on organizing and completing a specific task that they may not enjoy. A case of this kind of behavior is recognized in a 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 behavior (clinicaltrials.gov) These kinds of behaviors can damage the person's relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem, depending on severity of their symptoms (adhd.com). In this paper, the multiple factors of how ADHD affects, and is handled, of those who undergo this disorder, are shown.
Attention Deficit Disorder is a long and some what mysterious sounding name that tries to describe something you probably already call Hyperactivity. But, attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is much more that Hyperactivity.
After reading the articles Driven to Distraction and Lost in Translation, both from Today’s Parent magazine, I have learned many new things. I learned that it is sometimes not very easy to pick out a child with ADHD, even if it is your own child. It could take years to discover that a child has ADHD. It can be easily detected once the child has entered elementary school. One of the signs of ADHD is falling behind in school, or acting up and not being able to pay attention for long periods of time. This causes frustration for the child, the parents, teachers and the other students in the classroom. It is difficult for parents because they do not want to believe that their child has a disability. It is even harder for the child because they are the ones that have to deal with the name calling, being held back a grade or two and just knowing that they are different. The issue of being different for a child living with ADHD is very stressful and could make the child not want to learn new things or pay attention in school. They just give up on trying to learn.