Teaching and Caring for Children with ADHD - Research Paper Example

Teaching and Caring for Children with ADHD al Affiliation Teaching and Caring for Children with ADHD Introduction Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a behavioral disorder characterized by hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsivity. It is important that everybody gets equipped with knowledge on handling those with the condition especially now that it is very common among young children. There are a lot of controversies when it comes to the debate on ADHD. Some people who do not understand the condition feel that it is just an excuse for ill behavior (O’Regan 2014). Today, unlike several years back, more people are aware of the condition. Parents are taking early steps in diagnosing and treating their children who suffer from the condition. By the help of technology, information on this condition is disseminated and acted upon. There is still much to be done in giving more insight into this field, but there have been significant efforts in the research on ADHD. The research carried out by psychologists has shed light into the issue of genetics and their influence on children. Generally, children are playful and this makes it hard to notice the symptoms of this condition early enough. This condition can progress to adulthood. Caring for children with ADHD can be quite hard but with proper care the condition can be managed successfully. ADHD has an influence on the development of the child, and this condition thus affects the self-esteem of the child (Oh, Suk, et al 2012). The challenge here is that a child could be suffering due to other external factors but not ADHD. It is only with proper diagnosis that one can know the way forward in dealing with the condition. There are factors that hinder research in this area. For example, most parents do not take their children for diagnosis. It is better when a condition is handled early enough to ensure that it does not get out of hand in the future. A parent should not give up on his or her child if the child suffers from this condition. There are people who have grown into adulthood with the condition, and are more successful than people who have grown without the condition. The children can get treatment through drugs, psychological testing or through educational programs. There is hope for every child to be what he or she wants to be despite the fact that the child suffers from ADHD. Symptoms of ADHD It is not unusual to find a child who is overly playful, but there are those cases that should raise an alarm for every parent and teacher. Children with ADHD often are depressed, anxious, impulsive, hyperactive and inattentive. These children exhibit certain behavior like: being in constant motion, talking excessively, constant fidgeting, not finishing tasks, interrupting others, and also they do not seem to listen. Before making a conclusion that a child has ADHD disorder it is important that one gets the proper diagnosis from a physician. The reason for this is that the child could still experience similar symptoms that could be caused by other external factors like a stressful home or school environment. It is important to note that there is no standard test for ADHD, and hence the diagnosis is a process that involves several tests and gathering information from different sources. The people who come into contact with a child suspected to have ADHD are useful in this diagnosis as they can give very critical information about the child’s behavior. A parent should know how long the symptoms have persisted and how the condition has affected the rest of the family. Types of ADHD Previously, ADHD was known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) but it was later renamed ADHD and divided into three types. The first type is the inattentive type. This type is hard to notice as the children are not overly active. It is characterized by difficulties in following instructions, forgetfulness, careless in doing daily chores or school activities, difficulties in keeping focus, disorganization, apparent listening problems and dislike for tasks involving mental work. The second type is the impulsive or hyperactive type. For this type, children are mostly hyperactive and impulsive, but they can pay attention. Children with this type tend to talk a lot, respond fast without getting all the information, are always on the move, are impatient and interrupt others while doing their work. The third type is the combined ADHD. Children suffering from this condition exhibit all the three symptoms, and it is the most common. Going for a diagnosis is important for the parents to understand the type of ADHD that their child suffers from. Managing ADHD Behavior Most people do not understand ADHD and find it difficult to deal with the condition. Usually, the children with this condition perform poorly compared to those without it. The good thing to note is that this condition is manageable, and children can still perform like the rest. The reason for this is that due to their inattentiveness, they cannot grasp things fast. Due to the difficulties that children with this condition experience in the academic and social fields, they tend to have low self-esteem and social incompetence. Most people treat children with this condition indifferently because they do not understand why they behave the way they do. The children affected by ADHD then end up feeling that no one likes them. If not properly checked, it can lead to the development of other problems or even result in depression. In the general classrooms, 5%- 8% of the children have this condition (Mikami, Reuland, et al. 2013). The teacher handling such students needs to put substantial effort to cater for both sets of students. These students do not work well in groups as they tend to disrupt continuously which angers the rest of the members. The peer relationship between the students is thus affected leading to diminished social interaction and isolation from their peers (Mikami, Reuland, et al. 2013). Whatever method of integration that the parents or teachers use, it should not demean the child. There is a way that a child can get preferential treatment that makes the child to feel like they are weak. The teachers should encourage such children to do tasks on their own, and also allow them the freedom to integrate with the rest of the children. They should not feel like they are getting too much attention unlike the rest. When teachers employ effective instructional strategies and proper management skills, these children can excel. These children do quite well if they are involved in engaging and motivating activities (Rief 2013). It is important to encourage the children to handle the tasks they are interested in, but it cannot be so every time because the curriculum is not one sided. When this is the case, the teachers can use incentives for the tasks completed successfully. There can also be sanctions for failure to perform a task. The way to do this is what matters in ensuring that these children do not lose focus from achieving their goals in school. Setting rules in class on the acceptable behavior is important. It will communicate to all students that there is no excuse for irresponsible behavior and being untidy. Their teachers should insist that there should be no physical or verbal aggression in the classroom. Setting boundaries for children is not as difficult as setting boundaries for adults and thus, a teacher can be sure that all the children will follow the rules. The children with this condition know what is expected of them and they will thus follow rules to avoid punishment. In setting class rules, the rules should not to appear as coercive. A teacher can encourage good behavior by issuing rules on positive terms. For example, the teacher should highlight the need for staying tidy. Instead of telling the children not to eat snacks during class time, he or she can tell the students to keep the snacks away until break time. This type of rules will encourage good behavior without creating any form of repulsion. There should be no compromise whatsoever for any bad behavior especially verbal and physical abuse (Regan 2014). To a child with ADHD, all things are important and prioritizing is hard (Regan 2014). It is for this reason that these children respond to distractions fast. Children without ADHD can manage to handle tasks despite the distractions around them. Any noise in the environment where a child with ADHD is studying will draw their attention. The teacher should thus teach these children the way to prioritize. Teaching them how to focus will take time, but the teacher should be patient because eventually the efforts will bear fruit. The teacher through interaction with the child will know the areas that cause the most distractions for the child. These areas will be the first to attend to when teaching on how to prioritize. Children are responsive and work hard to please those adults they like. It is thus important for the teacher to establish a rapport and effective class management system with the children. The children will respond to the positive relationship by taking care not to disappoint the teacher. The teachers need to be patient, flexible and understanding when it comes to dealing with ADHD (Rief 2013). Children appreciate any act of care shown to them. The teacher should cultivate a warm relationship between him and the children, and establish a relationship with each student. As much as academics are important for all children, it is also important to focus on the social aspect of the lives of children with ADHD (Johnsen & Kendrick 2005). As discussed, due to their behavior, other children tend to isolate them. A teacher should encourage interaction among the students through group interactions and extracurricular activities. This strategy will prevent the children from having low self-esteem. When this problem is dealt with early, it can prevent future problems when it comes to social interactions when they are adults. Conclusion The main reason that children with ADHD find it difficult to cope is because their teachers as well as other children fail to understand them. It is thus important that every teacher has the skills to deal with ADHD. Teachers without these skills tend to think that the children do whatever they do on purpose. The teachers need to acquire the necessary skills to identify children with this condition, and also know how to handle such children successfully. Teachers with this knowledge can even predict the possible distractions that can affect children with ADHD. In the diagnosis of this condition, the parents should only consult therapists who are knowledgeable, and have the experience in dealing with children with ADHD. The therapist will know how to handle the school and family of the child with this condition. After diagnosis, the parents and physician should agree on the best method of treatment so that the condition does not interfere with the child’s emotional development (Johnsen 2005). The parents should also get insight on the rights of children with disabilities to prevent them from being mistreated. They should also assist the school in coming up with strategies to help their children in dealing with the condition. These strategies aim at reducing impairments in the school setting. References Anderson, D. L., Watt, S. E., Noble, W., & Shanley, D. C. (2012). Knowledge of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attitudes toward teaching children with ADHD: THE role of teaching experience. Psychology In The Schools, 49(6), 511-525. Johnsen, S. (2005). Teaching gifted students with disabilities. Waco, Tex.: Prufrock Press. Mikami, A. Y., Reuland, M. M., Griggs, M. S., Jia, M., & Suldo, S. (2013). Collateral Effects of a Peer Relationship Intervention for Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Typically Developing Classmates. School Psychology Review, 42(4), 458- 476. Oh, W., Park, E. S., Suk, M. H., Song, D. H., & Im, Y. (2012). Parenting of children with ADHD in South Korea: the role of socio-emotional development of children with ADHD. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 21(13/14), 1932-1942. doi:10.1111/j.1365- 2702.2011.03968.x Regan, F. (2014). Successfully Managing ADHD a handbook for SENCOs and teachers. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Top of Form Bottom of Form Rief, S. (2013). How to reach and teach children with ADD/ADHD practical techniques, strategies, and interventions (2nd ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Read More