Attention Shortage Hyperactivity Frustration: Development Domains the Malady Affects - Research Paper Example

Running head: DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILE ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, and Development Domains the Disorder Affects INTRODUCTION The way children grow up, with some excelling in mathematics while others master languages or do exceptionally well in sports leave their parents asking themselves why this happens. It is not easy to encounter an event that would be able to answer this question of why we will have one child develop a strength in particular area and another child has extreme difficulty in the same but one thing for sure is that there is the individual difference that makes the child differ enormously in whoever they grow into in the future. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) refers to a group of related neurobiological disorders that are believed to interfere with an individual's having a regulation of their activity levels thus the word "hyperactivity" and they thereby inhibit behavior (impulsivity), and attend to tasks (inattention) in a way that is found to be developmentally inappropriate. It is a condition that is known to affect the brain (Barkley, 2000). It is in most cases common with the school going children or the school-age children. In essence, this means that the people who have the disorder may have trouble in paying attention as well as being able to control impulsive behaviors or that they may act without thinking what the results of their actions may be. Although the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has no cure, it can be effectively managed to an extent that some of its symptoms improve as the child ages (Barkley, 2000). The search into the major cause of ADHD has placed a lion share of attention on neurological factors directed to etiological concerns. In particular, alterations in the neurologic structure for example, brain damage or head trauma as well as other types of neurologic injury and illness in children (Strauss & Lehtinen, 1947). Studies have proven a greater association of the disorder to genetics, environment, and exposure to toxins and complication at birth (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, 2009). Further, according to Pasamanick and Knobloch (1960), a brain damage that may result from bleeding during pregnancy or anoxia might contribute to behaviour as well as learning disorders. Other sources have suggested that damage to certain parts of the body such as the prefrontal cortex can also be a contributing factor leading to ADHD (Heilman & Valenstein, 1979; Mattes, 1980; Taylor, 1986). Yet, according to Rutter (1977), in most cases, children with well-documented brain damage do no exhibit the ADHD problems. The purpose of this paper is to explain the various causes of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as well as its symptoms, and the developmental areas, including the cognitive and psychosocial domains the disorder affects. This will be explained within the context of James, who was identified as having this disorder when he was 6 years of age. Among the things that raised the teacher's concern was James' difficulty to follow instructions and even not being able to participate with other children in various activities. James's teacher found him to be a hard to manage pupil, yet he was quick to mention that James was not a stupid, lazy, or a bad pupil. The parents were also concerned; they found that James’s behavior was disruptive. At the back of their mind they knew that this erratic behavior would be troublesome, and could mean that their son may not live a normal life if they did not see a specialist. James is 14 years of age today, and despite struggles, he has come a long way in the development process. Causes of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In the past, there were theories purporting that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is caused by family problems, poor parenting, poor schools or teachers, food, excess sugar, and too much TV there exists no literature that affirms this (Barkley, 2000).. Another theory was that attention disorders were a result of damage to the brain or a minor head injury; this was the reason that the disorder was for many years referred to as minimal brain damage (Faraone, Biederman, 1998). However, the majority of people who are diagnosed with ADHD have no history of having had a head injury or even traces of brain damage. Nevertheless, there is exists a great deal of evidence that ADHD runs in families and this is therefore suggestive of genetic factors. For instance, according to some studies (Lambert, Sandoval, & Sassone, 1973), if one member of a family is diagnosed with the disorder, there is 25-35% likelihood that another family member also has the same disorder. Problems Surrounding Pregnancy: There are many ADHD linkages with problems during pregnancy as well as delivery difficulties. A close association between the disorder and maternal smoking that a mother engages in during pregnancy is said to lead to a higher risk (Henderson, 2003), and one study indicated there was an increased risk to children of those women who happened to have been exposed to environmental toxins, including dioxins as well polychlorinated biphenyls during pregnancy (Durston, 2009). Genetic factors: There has been mounting evidence that genetic factors happen to increase susceptibility. A study of twins revealed that among the children with a full diagnosis of ADHD, 90% happen to share it with their twin; this can only mean that more than one gene is responsible for inherited case considering that there is no consensus that the ADHD is a single disorder (Durston, 2009). According to researchers, there are underlying genetic mechanisms known to regulate hyperactivity, particularly those that are known to affect the neurotransmitter dopamine (Faraone et al., 2000). For instance, the variation of a dopamine D4 receptor gene is common in people with ADHD, and also to those who have an addiction (Faraone, Biederman, & Friedman, 2000). Another research found that 70% of children who are known to have a genetic resistance to the thyroid hormone that is very important to the development of a normal brain, have ADHD (Durston, 2009). Symptoms According to experts, the most essential feature in ADHD is that of impaired working, which can also be referred to as having a short term memory. However, it is of importance to bear in mind that the severity of the symptoms of this disorder varies from one individual to the other, and that one third of individuals diagnosed with the ADHD disorder do not have the overactive or hyperactive behavior component (Halperin & Healey, 2011). Despite this, the most common symptoms of ADHD include the child often failing to pay close attention to details (Aron & Poldrack, 2005). This was one of few things that led to James’s teacher raising a concern: James, at the time, seemed not to listen when he was spoken to, even when he was directly addressed. According to the teacher, when instructions were given to all pupils in the class, James, in most cases, failed to follow them carefully and completely. He seemed to forget even the most basic and important things while at the same time was restless - something his parents affirmed but were quick to point out that they never were alarmed by this at the time. As Halperin, Mattier, Bedi, Sharma, and Newcorn (1992) identified, a child who has ADHD often fidgets with the feet and hands and is most often found running or even engaging in excessive climbing as well as too much talking (Barkley, 2000). Additionally, they are not patient; therefore have difficulty waiting for their turn. ADHD in children often has them have hypersensitive to sights, touch, sounds, and they will excessively complain about stimuli that do not ignite energy or that is bland to others (Barkley, 2000). This appears to relate to James in that in a classroom environment, James is notably distracted, and he reacts by pulling items off shelves, and worse hitting his colleagues. Sometimes he was said to spin out of control and become erratic, the teacher was quick to notice this as strange behaviour. James’s parents were also aware that their son had had problems sleeping well at night and there were nights when he appeared to be sleepless. Areas of development affected by the disorder Effects on Cognitive Development: Literature from recent experiments revealed children with ADHD have been found to have specific deficits in the attention resources monitoring (Gates, 2004). This has been established as negatively affecting their cognitive processes, including response inhibition, attention disengagement, and error monitoring (Logan 1985; Stinchar et al. 2004). Evidence shows that the reason why the ADHD patients are not able to perform a certain tasks is because of the core deficits that involve selective and sustained attention (Gupta, 2010). In addition, major depressive disorder is something that has been reported to occur in 12-50% of the ADHD diagnosed children; common mental health conditions including depression and anxiety are also typical among children with ADHD (Gupta, 2010). This has been given a high association with functional impairment and also with educational outcomes that are not appealing (Gupta, 2010). In James’s case, something that was notably present which the parents noted with great concern was James’s failure to be able to make decisive decisions. In addition, they mentioned that James did not appear to have an emotional regulation. In accordance to the developmental levels of individuals, ADHD patients exhibit deviations that are sufficient to create major impairments to their life activities (Gates, 2004). It is also important to note that patients show deficits in the subsystems of attention that involves spheres such as alerting, executive network, and orienting. The alerting mechanisms are critical aspects for normal cognitive functioning, and earlier work that was done using spatial orienting tasks posit that children with ADHD have great difficulty in maintaining an alert state (Gupta, 2010). According to Oberlin et al. (2005) study, there were evident abnormalities in executive control and in alerting in terms of slowed response times to abrupt visual cues; all of which results in the abnormal functioning of most high order cognitive operations, mostly those that involve the inhibition of a pro-potent response, emotional regulation, and interference (Gupta, Kar, & Thapa, 2006). Effects on Social and emotional development: The aggressive behaviour that is associated with James is surely the beginning of his social development difficulties. Children with ADHD experience an inability to be still and also an inability in paying attention in the class setting, and the negative consequences of such behavior is far reaching (Classi, Milton, Ward, Sarsour, & Johnston, 2012). At the age that James is now, he is bound to feel the effects of peer rejection, and this will lead to him engaging in a broad array of behaviours that are disruptive. As mentioned previously, the social and academic difficulties come with far reaching as well as long-term consequences, mostly if the intervention is not quick and efficient (Classi, Milton, Ward, Sarsour, & Johnston, 2012). With their aggressiveness, ADHD children have higher injury rates, and as they grow older and their disorder is not treated, the disorder in combination with conduct disorders may result in the abusing of drugs, as well as engage in antisocial behavior (Classi, Milton, Ward, Sarsour, & Johnston, 2012). For others, the impacts of ADHD may continue into adulthood. For instance, emotional problems range from having poor emotional regulation, reduced empathy, to aggression and all these challenges exist in a continuum. For families like that of James, parents experience an increased level of frustration as well as increasing marital discord (Classi, Milton, Ward, Sarsour, & Johnston, 2012). The costs for the ADHD child’s medical care is burdensome too since they are mostly not covered by health insurance (Henderson, 2003). Additionally, the presence of social and emotional problems is known to result in disrupted education such as missed school days (Oberlin, Alford, & Marrocco, 2005). . Concluding remarks ADHD is related to a group of neurological disorders which starts at childhood and may continue through to adulthood. The current available treatments and interventions mainly focus on reducing the ADHD symptoms thereby improving the individual's functioning. Despite there being treatments such as psychotherapy; medication, training, and or education, it is important to have at certain levels a combination of treatments such as bringing together the medical practitioner, the parent, the teacher, as well as the psychotherapist as a way of assessing the progress (Faraone, 2009). The working strategies for James are designed in such a way that they should occur between and across home, the health care, and the school. It is important to note that many students with ADHD do not require any special education instead they require specific adaptations carried out in a way that it accommodates the general education programs (Lambert et al. 1973). James and his family have the right drive, and coupled with the support from the health specialists and the learning and behavioural support unit, teachers, and the school-based Education Support Plan (ESP) will provide James with positive learning outcomes to achieve his best in education as well as provide support outside the school environment. Word count 2147 References Aron, A.R., and Poldrack, R.A. (2005). The cognitive neuroscience of response inhibition: relevance for genetic research in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biol. Psychiatry 57, 1285–1292 Barkley, R. A. (1998). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (Second Edition Ed.). New York: Guildford Press Classi. P., Milton. D., Ward. S., Sarsour. K, & Johnston. J. (2012). Social and emotional difficulties in children with ADHD and the impact on school attendance and healthcare utilization. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health , 33. Durston, S. (2009). 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