Brain-Based Learning Theory Strategies for Attention-Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder - Thesis Example

A study of data collected from US national health household surveys from 2004-2006, demonstrated that 14% of children between the ages of 6 and 17 suffered from Attention Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Pastor & Reuben, 2008). Globally, ADHD ranges from between 4% and 12% among children between the ages of 6 and 12 (Brown, Freeman, Perrin, et al., 2001). ADHD has been associated with learning disabilities and emotional disorders suggesting that children suffering from ADHD have difficulties adjusting to social and academic environments (Brown, et al., 2001). It has therefore been suggested that ADHD can best be understood when looked at as a “neurobehavioral disability” (Brook & Boaz, 2005, p. 187). Thus, researchers have increasingly looked to neuroscience as a means of understanding and predicting the cognitive and emotional functions of children with ADHD (Nigg & Casey, 2005).

Brain-based learning theorists suggest that understanding how the brain functions can produce effective strategies for teaching children with a number of learning disabilities (Geake, 2009). These theories are carried over to children and adults with ADHD where neuroscientists argue that ADHD is characterized by a deficit in completing tasks that primarily “relied on anterior brain regions (alerting and executive control)” (Swanson, Reschly, Fine, Kotkin, Wigal, & Simpson, p. 72).

Since ADHD has been described as a brain-based disorder, a number of brain-based learning theories have been suggested and prescribed to educational interventions for learners with ADHD (Curatolo, Paloscia, D’Agati, Moavero, Pasini, 2009). Given the prevalence of ADHD and its link to learning disabilities and developments in neuroscience in relation to brain-based learning theories, research on its effectiveness as an educational intervention tool is necessary for guiding further research and teaching strategies.

This research study conducts a critical analysis of brain-based theory strategies for ADHD by collecting and analyzing both secondary and primary data.