Normal young boys between the ages of six and nine are in danger of being misdiagnosed as having ADD/ADHD. This is because the symptoms of ADHD are found in almost every child especially boys but at a lesser degree. The symptoms are hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsivity that have been observed over a period of many months. Hyperactivity and impulsivity precede inattentiveness which may appear a year or more after their appearance (http://www. nimh. nih. gov).
These symptoms are common in all children but in those with ADHD, they tend to affect their performance in schoolwork and also their relationships with others around them. Boys are generally more active than girls starting from their uterine life up to the time they are born and when growing up. This therefore leads to their being misdiagnosed as having learning disorders when they are just exploring their surroundings. They are unable to sit still when they want to go out and see or follow something and are hence said to be hyperactive.
In their hurry to go out and play, they may not complete their chores or schoolwork which is supposed to be one of the symptoms of inattention. Girls on the other hand will pride themselves on leaving their things neat and in order for them to avoid punishment, they will complete their chores thus less likelihood of being misdiagnosed as having ADHD. When a child has trouble concentrating, it may be difficult for him or her to be at par with the other students in an average classroom. This is because they will be written off as being undisciplined daydreamers.
It therefore becomes impossible for the child to get the help needed because they are all bundled together with the truants in the class. To help the child cope with the problem, one should insist on the use of homework and notebook organizers, keep a daily schedule of activities and organize for them the things that they require on a daily basis. They should also be praised for their ability to follow the schedules which will enhance the good behavior (http://www. nimh. nih. gov). Question 2 Mark is child who suffers from Predominantly Inattentive Type of ADHD.
He is unable to make friends and although he likes class work especially English and Mathematics, he performs poorly in both. He has had problems since he was a child whereby he was a fussy child with problems adapting to new changes even those as minor as changing the sitting position. He does well in school at the beginning of the class work but as it becomes more demanding, he looses interest and starts doing poorly. He does not get along with his father although he would like to but this happens because his father does not understand him (Spitzer R. L. , Skodol A. E. , Gibbon M.
, Williams J. B. W. & First M. B. , 2000). He is diagnosed as having an attention deficit because he says that he has trouble focusing on what the teacher is saying in class. The medical treatment used is methylphenidate while combining it with therapy sessions and parental support. He is able to become a better student and also improve his social skills because he is able to listen and participate in conversations with other people. His social problems are as a result of his inability to concentrate on what others are saying and once this problem is dealt with this stops becoming a problem.
References 1. National Institute of Mental Health, last updated on April 3 2008, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Retrieved on 11th November 2008 from http://www. nihm. nih. gov/health/publications/adhd/complete-publication. shtml 2. Spitzer R. L. , Skodol A. E. , Gibbon M. , Williams J. B. W. & First M. B. , 2000, DSM-IV-TR Casebook: A Learning Companion to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition Text Revision published by American Psychiatric Pub.