Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that becomes apparent in some children in the preschool and early school years. It is hard for these children to control their behavior and/or pay attention. It is estimated that between 3 and 5 percent of children have ADHD, or approximately 2 million children in the United States. This means that in a classroom of 25 to 30 children, it is likely that at least one will have ADHD.
ADHD was first described by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman in 1845. A physician who wrote books on medicine and psychiatry, Dr. Hoffman was also a poet who became interested in writing for children when he couldn’t find suitable materials to read to his 3-year-old son. The result was a book of poems, complete with illustrations, about children and their characteristics. “The Story of Fidgety Philip” was an accurate description of a little boy who had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet it was not until 1902 that Sir George F. Still published a series of lectures to the Royal College of Physicians in England in which he described a group of impulsive children with significant behavioral problems, caused by a genetic dysfunction and not by poor child rearing—children who today would be easily recognized as having ADHD.1 Since then, several thousand scientific papers on the disorder have been published, providing information on its nature, course, causes, impairments, and treatments.
A child with ADHD faces a difficult but not insurmountable task ahead. In order to achieve his or her full potential, he or she should receive help, guidance, and understanding from parents, guidance counselors, and the public education system. This document offers information on ADHD and its management, including research on medications and behavioral interventions, as well as helpful resources on educational options.
What are the symptoms of ADHD?Symptoms of ADHD are divided into two main categories: Inattention and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity. A diagnosis of ADHD is based on the number, persistence, and history of ADHD behaviors, and the degree to which they impede a child’s performance in more than one setting.
Inattention
A child may be exhibiting symptoms of Inattention if he or she often:
– ignores details; makes careless mistakes
– has trouble sustaining attention in work or play
– does not seem to listen when directly addressed
– does not follow through on instructions; fails to finish
– has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
– avoids activities that require a sustained mental effort
– loses things he or she needs
– gets distracted by extraneous noise and activities
– is forgetful in daily activities
Because all children behave in these ways at times, only a professional can diagnose a child with ADHD.
Hyperactivity/Impulsivity
Hyperactivity
A child may be exhibiting symptoms of Hyperactivity if he or she often:
– fidgets or squirms
– has to get up from seat
– runs or climbs when he or she shouldn’t
– has difficulty with quiet leisure activities
– is on the go, as if driven by a motor
– talks excessively
A child may be exhibiting symptoms of Impulsivity if he or she often:
– blurts out answers before questions have been completed
– has difficulty waiting his or her turn
– interrupts or intrudes on others
Because all children behave in these ways at times, only a professional can diagnose a child with ADHD.
A diagnosis of ADHD is based on the number, persistence, and history of ADHD behaviors, and the degree to which they impede a child’s performance in more than one setting.
Is It Really ADHD?Not everyone who is overly hyperactive, inattentive, or impulsive has ADHD. Since most people sometimes blurt out things they didn’t mean to say, or jump from one task to another, or become disorganized and forgetful, how can specialists tell if the problem is ADHD?
Because everyone shows some of these behaviors at times, the diagnosis requires that such behavior be demonstrated to a degree that is inappropriate for the person’s age. The diagnostic guidelines also contain specific requirements for determining when the symptoms indicate ADHD. The behaviors must appear early in life, before age 7, and continue for at least 6 months. Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person’s life such as in the schoolroom, on the playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings. So someone who shows some symptoms but whose schoolwork or friendships are not impaired by these behaviors would not be diagnosed with ADHD. Nor would a child who seems overly active on the playground but functions well elsewhere receive an ADHD diagnosis.
To assess whether a child has ADHD, specialists consider several critical questions: Are these behaviors excessive, long-term, and pervasive? That is, do they occur more often than in other children the same age? Are they a continuous problem, not just a response to a temporary situation? Do the behaviors occur in several settings or only in one specific place like the playground or in the schoolroom? The person’s pattern of behavior is compared against a set of criteria and characteristics of the disorder as listed in the DSM-IV-TR. |
|
