Adhd In Children
...Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder that interferes with an individual's ability to attend to tasks (inattention), inhibits one's behavior (impulsivity), and may interfere with a person's ability to regulate one's activity level (hyper-activity) in developmentally appropriate ways (Barkley 19)". The most important job for teachers and parents is to separate fact from fiction, to clarify what we know and don't know.
Properly diagnosing ADHD, medication choices, and behavioral interventions are the key focal point. Is medication truly worth the side effects?
Diagnosing ADHD
As the name implies, ADHD is typically characterized by two distinct sets of symptoms: inattention and hyperactivity / impulsivity. Although these problems usually occur together, one may be present without the other and still qualify for an ADHD diagnosis. Children are diagnosed with ADHD when they have met specific guidelines within these two categories.
A number of parents observe signs of inattentiveness, restlessness, and impulsivity in their child even before their child starts school. The child might lose attention while playing a game or watching TV, or the child might dash about totally unrestrained. Since children mature at different levels and vary in character, nature, and energy levels, it is critical to obtain a specialist's diagnosis of whether the behavior is suitable for the child's age, the child has ADHD or the child is simply immature or uncommonly high-spirited.
To qualify as having ADHD, the symptoms must significantly affect a child's ability to function at home and at school. A diagnosis is based on the guidelines provided in the "American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) published in 1994 (Barkley 133)". In general, children are diagnosed with ADHD...
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