Characteristic of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Essay Example

? Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that usually becomes apparent during childhood and may persist into adulthood. It is identified by three observable behavioral symptoms. One, difficulty paying attention, the child finds it hard to focus on an activity and is easily distracted. Two, hyperactivity; such as constantly fidgeting while sitting at their desk and three, acting out without considering the consequences. Children diagnosed with ADHD can often be heard speaking loudly, seen overreacting in a given situation and not wanting to share or wait their turn. The symptoms of ADHD is sometimes mistaken for other conditions such as depression or epilepsy and without proper treatment can cause troubles at school, home and with peer relationships. The causes are commonly considered to be genetic but environmental and chemical causes are has been suggested as contributors too. Medications, psychotherapy and parental involvement are used in combination to treat ADHD symptoms but no cure exists. ADHD is one of the more common disorders affecting children. Though teens and adults may also be afflicted, most public and medical attention is directed to elementary school-aged kids. Hyperactivity, impulsive actions and inattention are the main behavioral signs associated with ADHD. Though all kids display these symptoms to some degree, those with ADHD exhibit them much more often than what would generally be considered normal and to a greater extent over an extended period of time. Symptoms of a child with an inattention problem include being easily distracted, forgetful and repeatedly changing interests and activities. Concentrating is hard; the child daydreams and becomes bored quickly with a task, loses things, does not listen well and has difficulty learning. Hyperactivity, as the name implies, refers to kids who cannot sit still for very long, talk incessantly and fidget in their desks. They are perpetual motion machines. ADHD kids are also impulsive, they tend to speak-out and act-out without thinking and generally are very impatient. Though there are a variety of treatments that allow sufferers to have productive lives, no cure exists for ADHD. Medical science is making constant progress in treating the disorder. “Researchers are developing more effective treatments and interventions and using new tools such as brain imaging to better understand ADHD and to find more effective ways to treat and prevent it.” (ADHD, 2008). ADHD can be misdiagnosed because several other conditions exhibit closely related symptoms. In addition, it is common for kids to have more than one of these similar behavioral problems. Several types of learning disabilities are confused with ADHD because they share traits such as being restless and inattentive in class. Kids with learning disabilities such as dyslexia make poor grades, have stopped paying attention and are usually misbehaving following years of frustration. These actions are similar to ADHD and may lead to a misdiagnosis. To discern the difference, a child will be removed from the classroom to better access the situation. The child with a learning disability will not generally display poor conduct outside the classroom environment but the ADHD child will exhibit their symptoms no matter the situation or location. Additionally, kids with learning disabilities usually have language difficulties. “They may have been late talkers or had speech problems and they tend to confuse their prepositions or reverse numbers and letters, like seeing a six instead of a nine.” (Karras, 2012). To complicate matters further, approximately one-third of kids with ADHD are also learning disabled. Children with ADHD often show symptoms of depression, irritability, mood swings, problems sleeping and lack of concentration. Depression is often overlooked in children because the symptoms can be easily misinterpreted a typical developmental stage and is especially the case for girls. Depression is very difficult diagnosis for children because they have difficulty expressing how they are feeling. Some signs of depression are unexplained outbursts of yelling or crying, frequent complaints about ambiguous physical pains such as stomachaches and headaches, showing little interest in playing with other children and behaving in a reckless manner. Children afflicted with petit mal epilepsy, a mild form, sometimes display actions similar to ADHD. Seizures in these cases do not resemble the shaking and muscle spasms that are normally associated with epileptic seizures. Instead, these episodes appear more like bouts of random staring or daydreaming. Children with petit mal experience staring episodes in all circumstances, while watching television or eating dinner for example. Kids with ADHD tend to daydream when doing an assigned task such as homework or schoolwork but not while watching one of their favorite shows or eating. Petit mal epilepsy is not nearly as prevalent as ADHD and can be confirmed by a pediatric neurologist. Children who have central auditory processing disorder find it difficult to interpret language due to an inability to filter out background sounds. Much as kids with ADHD they have problems learning in settings where many voices can be heard at the same time, such as in classrooms. They tend to stop paying attention in these conditions, are forgetful, have disorganized thoughts and have a hard time following directions, all symptoms similar to ADHD. A hearing specialist can confirm this disorder. Anxiety and stress affect us all and children are no exception. Becoming moody or clingy at times such as bedtime or when in a rush to catch the bus is normal. Deeper and longer lasting bouts with stress occur following the arrival of a new brother or sister and when parents divorce. During these episodes of stress and anxiety, children often become hyperactive and/or withdrawn, symptoms not unlike ADHD. “Too much outer chaos will breed an inner chaos,” according to Patricia Quinn, M.D., a pediatrician on the board of the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association. “If there isn’t a lot of structure and routine in your child’s life, he’s likely to feel and act out of control.” (Karras, 2012). About one-third of children with ADHD also have an associated anxiety disorder. They experience a higher level of stress and anxiety than normal such as being very shy, are easily preoccupied and experience separation anxiety often as well in addition to episodes of dizziness, sweating, heart pounding, difficulty breathing and insomnia. Being stressed and anxious is normal but being overly so could be clear signs of ADHD. There causes of ADHD are largely genetic and possibly environmental in nature but the disorder has been erroneously linked to foods and even daily activities. Because the symptoms of ADHD, hyperactivity, impulsivity and/or inattention affect the child’s ability to study and socialize with their peers some people believe the behavior of an ADHD child is due mainly to a lack of discipline at home, watching too much television or as a result of a hectic family life. However, the scientific evidence overwhelmingly concludes that ADHD is a product of parental genetics, not parenting techniques. “There is a very strong heritability to ADHD. It may be one of the most heritable psychiatric disorders. In fact, a child with ADHD is four times as likely to have had a relative who was also diagnosed with ADHD and results from studies of multiple twins indicate that ADHD often runs in families” (Khan, 2006). In this new era of genetic technologies, studies attempting to isolate the specific gene responsible for ADHD are ongoing. Research by scientists in Wales discovered that children with a duplicated or missing segments of DNA are more likely to suffer from ADHD. Genes are inherited from parents, they are the “blueprints” that determine everything about us including physical features and the tendency to contract illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. Several studies of twins conducted independently and in many different parts of the world indicate that ADHD runs in families. “Children with ADHD who carry a particular version of a certain gene have thinner brain tissue in the areas of the brain associated with attention. The National Institute of Mental Health research showed that the difference was not permanent, however, and as children with this gene grew up, the brain developed to a normal level of thickness. Their ADHD symptoms also improved.” (Khan, 2006). By understanding the particular genetic make-up of people with ADHD this will likely lead to more sophisticated methods of preventing symptoms of the disorder as well as providing more effective treatments. Studies suggest environmental factors play a role in ADHD. Using alcohol and smoking cigarettes while pregnant is linked to higher instances of the condition. Young children who have come in contact with high levels of lead may have an elevated risk of ADHD. Lead is found in the paint of older buildings, and plumbing fixtures. A study in 2009 discovered that children with ADHD are more inclined to have higher blood-lead levels than kids who do not. “Lead can be toxic to developing brain tissue and may have sustained effects on the behavior of children exposed to these substances at early ages.” (Koch, 2012). Pesticides are a known cause as well. A recent study published in Pediatrics discovered that kids with higher levels of the pesticide organophosphate in their urine had higher rates of ADHD. Another study showed that women who tested with higher levels of organophosphate in their urine were more likely to bear children with ADHD. While alcohol, smoking and pesticides present an elevated risk, scientists are examining other toxins too. Researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health discovered a connection between the use of chemicals and ADHD such as those used in industrial compounds like stain-resistance coatings and food packaging along with other types of chemicals found in products such as children’s toys, food packaging and cosmetics. All these products and others treated with various types of chemicals have been linked to ADHD. However the evidence only suggests a correlation and does not conclusively prove that chemicals cause or contribute to ADHD. Food additives like preservatives and artificial colors are unnatural and have long thought to be detrimental to health. Researchers in England found a possible link between preservative consumption and hyperactivity. This study is currently being reviewed to confirm its findings. Sugar is often associated with hyperactivity in children. The phrase “sugar high” is often used to describe the effects of sugar. Parents know that you don’t give sweets to children right before bedtime or they will have a hard time getting to sleep. Though common wisdom would suggest that sugar causes ADHD or at least worsens the symptoms, this is not likely the case. A study showed how deeply ingrained in the minds of mothers this erroneous connection between sugar and ADHD has become. A group of children whose mothers thought sugar contributed to their hyperactivity, were given aspartame, a sugar substitute. All of the children received aspartame but half the mothers were told real sugar was given to their children. The other half were told the truth, that their children were given aspartame. “The mothers who thought their children had gotten sugar rated them as more hyperactive than the other children and were more critical of their behavior, compared to mothers who thought their children received aspartame.” This myth is likely to live on which is not all bad. Cutting back on sugar intake is a good idea whatever the motivation. (Koch,2012). In another study, children were given foods containing either a sugar substitute or real sugar on an every other day basis. The children who were given sugar showed no difference in learning capabilities or behavior than the children who were given the sugar substitute. Yet another study where children were given elevated amounts of either sugar or sugar substitutes showed no difference in behavior. Following an injury to the brain, children have been known to display some behaviors that could be interpreted as similar to ADHD but no direct link has been conclusively determined. (Koch,2012). Treatments for ADHD focus on controlling the symptoms thereby improving behavior allowing the child to function more normally. Treatments typically include a combination of psychotherapy, medication and education. Various types of psychotherapy are utilized to treat ADHD. The aim of behavioral therapy, as the name implies, is to help correct or alter a child’s behavior. It may entail practical assistance such as helping the child completing schoolwork, organizational skills or getting past emotionally demanding events. Additionally, behavioral therapy teaches the ADHD child how to examine their own behavior. Learning to congratulate themselves for acting in a preferred way. Teaching children how to consider their actions beforehand and controlling their emotions is an important goal of behavioral therapy. Parents and teachers are encouraged to supply continuous feedback, both positive and negative, for particular behaviors. “Therapists may teach children social skills, such as how to wait their turn, share toys, ask for help, or respond to teasing. Learning to read facial expressions and the tone of voice in others, and how to respond appropriately can also be part of social skills training.” (ADHD, 2008). Medications used to treat ADHD are commonly called “stimulants.” These include but are not limited to Ritalin, Adderall and Dexedrine. Ritalin is one of a group of methylphenidate drugs. This type of stimulant can successfully control all of the principal ADHD symptoms; inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Studies have determined methylphenidates significantly and rapidly reduce the symptoms of ADHD. Possible side effects include depression, nausea dizziness, insomnia, appetite loss and headaches. Studies have also revealed that Ritalin may have a harmful effect on the proper development of the child’s brain. The drug Concerta is an extended-release type of methylphenidate. Daytrana is in the same family but is in patch form. Adderall is a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. This stimulant can also successfully control all of the main symptoms of ADHD. It also carries all the possible side effects of Ritalin in addition to heart attacks, a rare side effect that can be fatal, especially if taken while using alcohol. Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) is a stimulant, the same as the other types of medications, can successfully control all of the main symptoms of ADHD. It too comes with all the possible side effects of other drugs. It may also increase bodily tics after long periods of use or if given at higher-than-prescribed doses. (Rodriguez, 2012) Medications assist in controlling behavior but the ADHD child requires more than just pills for their condition. They need the understanding and guidance from teachers and parents to help them grow socially and succeed academically. Understanding the condition may be difficult but is necessary. “Before a child is diagnosed, frustration, blame, and anger may have built up within a family. Parents and children may need special help to overcome bad feelings. Mental health professionals can educate parents about ADHD and how it impacts a family.” (ADHD, 2008). Therapists and health care professionals can assist the ADHD child and their parents develop new attitudes, skills and methods of relating to one another. Occasionally, the entire family might require therapy. ADHD is a genetic disorder that can be worsened by environmental causes. It mainly affects children and is sometimes misdiagnosed because many of its symptoms are similar to other disorders. It is also a misunderstood condition, thought to be a behavioral issue due to poor parenting. Medications subdue the symptoms allowing the child to cope but come with side-effects. Understanding the problem and acting accordingly along with giving medication allow the child to function and grow into a productive adult. By adulthood the hyperactivity and lack of focus associated with ADHD has usually subsided. References Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (2008). National Institute of Mental Health Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index.shtml Karras, Tula. (March, 2012). Conditions that may be mistaken for ADHD Babycenter Retrieved from http://www.babycenter.com/0_conditions-that-may-be-mistaken-for-adhd_67376.bc Khan SA, Faraone SV. (October 8, 2006). The Genetics Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder:. Current Psychiatry Reports. Koch, Kristin. (2012). What Causes ADHD? 12 Myths and Facts Health Magazine Retrieved from http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20441463,00.html Rodriguez, Diana (2012). Medications to Treat ADHD Everyday Life Retrieved from http://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd/medications-to-treat-adhd.aspx Read More