Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Essays (731 words)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Imagine living in a fast-moving kaleidoscope, where sounds, images, and thoughts are constantly shifting. Feeling easily bored, yet helpless to keep your mind on tasks you need to complete. Distracted by unimportant sights and sounds, your mind drives you from one thought or activity to the next. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in a collage of thoughts and images that you don't notice when someone speaks to you. For many people, this is what it's like to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. They may be unable to sit still, plan ahead, finish tasks, or be fully aware of what's going on around them. If untreated, a child with ADHD is likely to cause disruptions and frustrations both at home and in school. He or she runs a high risk of having poor learning skills, low self-esteem and social problems that continue into adulthood. Today I would like to inform you about ADHD and the symptoms that identify this disability. Signs & Symptoms ADHD can only be identified by looking for certain characteristic behaviors inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Although hyperactivity and impulsiveness are the best-known symptoms, some ADHD children are more dreamy and tuned-out than excessively active. Central to the disorder is the habitual inability to pay attention for more than a few minutes despite repeated requests or even punishment. The symptoms are usually noticeable by age 4-6 Inattention. People who are inattentive have a hard time keeping their mind on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. They may give effortless, automatic attention to activities and things they enjoy. But focusing deliberate, conscious attention to organizing and completing a task or learning something new is difficult. Hyperactivity. People who are hyperactive always seem to be in motion. They can't sit still. They may dash around or talk incessantly. Sitting still through a lesson can be an impossible task. Hyperactive children squirm in their seat or roam around the room. Or they might wiggle their feet, touch everything, or noisily tap their pencil. Hyperactive teens and adults may feel intensely restless. They may be fidgety or, they may try to do several things at once, bouncing around from one activity to the next. Impulsivity. People who are overly impulsive seem unable to curb their immediate reactions or think before they act. As a result, they may blurt out inappropriate comments. Or, they may run into the street without looking. Their impulsivity may make it hard for them to wait for things they want or to take their turn in games. They may grab a toy from another child or hit when they're upset. Not everyone who is overly hyperactive, inattentive, or impulsive has an attention disorder Unfortunately, there is no single or reliable test to diagnose ADHD since not everyone who is overly hyperactive, inattentive, or impulsive has ADHD.. successful diagnosis and treatment of ADHD depends on both medical and social factors. The American Psychiatric Association has established criteria for diagnosing ADHD that require doctors to evaluate the child's overall behavior. This evaluation should be based in part on reports from the child's family members and other adults, especially teachers, who have routine contact with the child The doctor should check for physical conditions such as vision or hearing problems, which could explain a child's inattentiveness and rule out other learning disabilities or physical disabilities that may seem like ADHD. A diagnosis of ADHD often leads to therapy with psychostimulant medications LIKE Ritalin.. This seems like a paradox: Why give stimulants to hyperactive children? Although these children may appear very hyperaroused, Internally they are underaroused. And therefore, the use of psychostimulants in the central nervous system actually results in an increased arousal and increased ability to focus and persist. Many doctors agree that the effectiveness of psychostimulants adds to evidence that ADHD is a neurological disorder, not a problem caused by poor schooling or parenting. Antidepressants, prescribed less often, are typically used for ADHD children who do not respond to stimulants or have adverse reactions to them. Statistics : It affects 3 to 5 percent of all children, perhaps as many as 2 million American children. Two to three times more boys than girls are affected.