Attention Deficit Disorder (A. D. D) has had immense media coverage over recent decades, making it one of the most known disorders among children. Although the media coverage may have broadened public awareness about the disorder; it is also responsible for a proliferation of false assumptions, myths and misconceptions about A. D. D, and the methods used to treat it. (Wender, 2000, p. 5) As awareness spreads, so does the tendency of uninformed people to claim that any child with a short attention span A. D. D. (Wender, 2000, p.7)
Because the symptoms of this disorder are so common among children, it is difficult to decide which child actually has the disorder. (Rief, 1998, p. 7). There are three types of A. D. D: inactive, hyperactive, and impulsivity. (Sheen, 2001, p. 12) The aim of this report is to accurately summarize the symptoms of inactive A. D. D, and educate the public of the realities behind the myths. Furthermore, it will outline the possible causes and challenges a student with inactive A. D. D faces, as well as practical solutions used to deal with these challenges.
This report will refer to inactive A. D. D, simple as A. D. D. There are many limitations to studying children with A. D. D, one major one being that many children with the disorder are not reported. (Ingersoll and Goldstein, 1993, p. 22) Unlike hyperactivity or impulsivity, the inactive type does not cause bursts of high amounts of energy or cause the impulse to act before thinking. These children do not exhibit disruptive behaviours that draw attention, so they can be overlooked or misinterpreted/misdiagnosed. (Ingersoll and Goldstein, 1993, p.24)
Another problem is that the children studied may possess other disorders which coexist with A. D. D. There are a number of other learning, medical, and psychiatric disabilities and social problems which exhibit the same symptoms. For example, a child who has a sleeping disorder may also have a short attention span and appear to be daydreaming. Hence, there are a large number of cases where A. D. D is only part of the diagnostic picture.
(Sheen, 2001, 11) Also, because the children studied have unique circumstances, the data may be skewed or does not accurately represent all children who have A.D. D. Although the existence of A. D. D has been known for over a century, there are still many questions that remain unanswered, and because of this, the prevention or “cure” to the disorder is unknown (Conners,1999, 3) The unknowns of the disorder limit the report to assumptions and research findings. DEFINITION: Hundreds of studies conducted on children with A. D. D discovered that approximately 2 to 5 percent of children aged 5 to 12 have this disorder. (Wender, 2000, p. 8)
Evidence also suggests that boys are 3 to 10 times more affected by this disorder than girls. (Wender, 2000, p. 9) A. D.D is usually confused with a learning disorder, because children with A. D. D fail to acquire skills in reading, spelling and math as they grow and mature.
A common misconception is that children with A. D. D are unintelligent. However, it is largely emphasized that A. D. D does not affect intelligence or is related to mental retardation. (Ingersoll and Goldstein, 1999, p. 10) Children with A. D. D develop unevenly, meaning they may be advanced in one subject, but behind in others. Until a program is arranged to take the child’s abilities into account, he or she will have great difficulty adjusting in a normal classroom.
Almost all children with A. D. D have difficulty with academic performance. (Conners, 1999, p. 4) Despite normal or high intelligence, children with A. D. D are often chronic underachievers (Ingersoll and Goldstein, 1993, p. 64). Statistics reveal that by adolescence, one third of A. D. D children have failed at least one grade in school and almost 80 percent are more than one year behind in at least one basic subject. Most children with A. D. D will be placed in a special education class, where an arranged program will tend to their unique development.
However if special attention is not provided, statistics reveal that children with A. D. D will most likely continue to have problems in adolescence and throughout adulthood. (Fowler, 2000) CAUSES: The exact causes of A. D. D are undetermined, however, based on extensive research, it appears to be heredity or a neurological dysfunction in the brain. The brain is a very complex organ, where one malfunction can have devastating results. Many cases show that A. D. D children are four times more likely to have a relative with similar behaviours and school histories.
Although heredity may be the most common cause based on evidence, it cannot explain all cases. Family history alone cannot explain the severity or likelihood of any disorder. (Sheen, 2001, p. 24) Most studies believed that there was a deficiency or inefficiency of neurotransmitters in the frontal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for attention and other tasks. Neurotransmitters are chemicals which are transmitted between neurons to perform a specific task. However, if these chemicals are deficient, this would result in a lack of activity in that portion of the brain.
Thus, it is believed that due to a gene, A. D. D is inherited and abnormal chemical functioning in the brain, is the results. In the controversy of nature vs. nurture, A. D. D is caused by nature and how the child is treated affects the severity of the problem. A common misconception is that A. D. D children gain the disorder through poor child rearing tactics. According to studies, “Child rearing tactics which are excessively harsh and punitive – or, conversely, too lax – only make a situation worse. ” (Ingersoll and Goldstein, 1993, p.30)
Other factors which disrupt a family, such as violence and alcohol, also make it harder for an A. D. D child to develop. Child rearing practicsa re not the main cause of A. D. D. (Ingersoll and Goldstein, 1993, p. 25) Ingersoll and Goldstein add, “On the other hand, parents who set clear, consistent limits and who despense appropriate consequences for behaviour provide a firm foundation for good development. ” (Ingersoll and Goldstein, 1993, p. 30). Thus, children born with A. D. D cannot be prevented, so they must be nurtured to grow and develop into effective members of society. (Rief, 2003, p. 56)