Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and Its Effect on Learning Ability - Term Paper Example

WHAT IS ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY AND ITS EFFECTS ON LEARNING ABILITY? By Student’s Full Name Class Research Project Submitted to the Extended Campus In Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirements In a Master’s Degree Course Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Extended Campus Indianapolis Resident Center (Month Year) ABSTRACT Researcher: Graduate Student’s Full Name Title: What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and its effects the learning ability? Institution: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Degree: Master of (Degree Program) Year: 200X Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is and attention disorder that has become a rampant problem of parents and teachers who deal with children who have difficulty in focusing, particularly on schoolwork due to inattention and other characteristics. This paper aims to inform readers about ADHD and its adverse effects on learning ability in particular by elaborating more on the subject, discussion of related research and statistical presentation. Upon reading, one would be able to have a background on the subject, its symptoms and effects on learning ability. For early detection of ADHD and familiarity with its effects, it is recommended that parents and teachers read this paper in order to determine how they should deal with the problem at hand. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ii LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF FIGURES v Chapter I INTRODUCTION 1 Background of the Problem 2 II RESULTS 2 III CONCLUSIONS 6 REFERENCES 10 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Prevalence of Various Types of ADHD 9 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Percentage of Children with ADHD in 2004 8 2 Impact of ADHD on Family Life 8 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION "Everyone knows what attention is. It is the taking possession by the mind in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought...It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others." (James 403-404) Attention is defined as the act or state of attending especially through applying the mind to an object of sense or thought. It is also known as a condition of “readiness for such attention involving especially a selective narrowing or focusing of consciousness and receptivity”. ("Attention Definition") One example of giving attention is the act of carefully listening to something in particular or to what a person is saying, and to that alone. Along with Cognitive Neuroscience, attention is one mainly the deepest studied topics because it is considered the most solid cognitive process associated with the human mind. ("Attention") On the other hand, disorder is defined as an abnormal physical or mental condition. ("Disorder Definition") One of the most sensitive topics in the field of Psychology is Attention Disorder, popularly known as Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. An approximate of 2 million children in the United States has been perceived to have ADHD. Specifically, in a class of 30 children, at least one of them could have it. During the early years of a child, particularly during preschool, it becomes difficult for them to pay attention or behave, thus might have the symptoms of ADHD. (“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”) Background of the Problem According to the presentation entitled The Effects of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Mathematics Achievement, ADHD is considered as a complex, neurobiochemical, behavioral and mental health disorder which involves differences in structure and brain activity in the prefrontal cortex, the cerebellum and basal ganglia, which help behavior reduction, attention maintenance and mood control. (Haralson) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also known as ADD when only inattentiveness is a neurological disorder, which primarily shows symptoms such as hyperactivity, forgetfulness and poor impulse control during childhood. Currently, it is said to be a constant and chronic condition without any known medical cure, although there is evidence to support that it is the contrary. There is a wide range of effective treatments available such as stimulant medication and therapy. These may involve psychotherapy and other techniques as well. ("Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder") CHAPTER II RESULTS Children, about 3%-7% prevalence, are the most common people to be diagnosed with ADHD. (see Figure 1) Approximately three times of these children are boys and that almost half of them suffer from other mental disorders. Over the past decade, it has been known to prevail in adults as well. Most children diagnosed with ADHD, around 60% of them, in most cases retain the disorder until they reach adulthood. (Haralson) Among others, decreased blood flow in the area of the brain that slows down impulsivity could be a cause of ADHD. Brain scans done to children with ADHD show decrease in the flow of blood in the part of the brain that slows down impulsive behavior. The insufficiency of dopamine and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters in the central nervous system needed for paying attention and controlling behavior, are seen in children with ADHD. It is being studied that these insufficiencies could be hereditary. (Haralson) Probable causes of ADHD have been classified into categories such as Environmental Agents, Brain Injury, Food Additives and Sugar and finally, Genetics. (“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”) Environmental agents such as the use of cigarettes and alcohol intake during pregnancy could be one factor that causes a mother to bear a child with ADHD as well as high levels of lead in the body of a young child. Though at present, lead is no longer used as a component in paint, lead could still be prevalent in old existing buildings, which could put children living there at risk. Some say that attention disorders were results of brain injuries and trauma encountered during accidents such as falling, although only a small percentage of children with the disorder were found to have encountered such. There were also implications that refined sugar or food additives cause and aggravate symptoms of ADHD. During a scientific consensus conference in 1982, the National Institutes of Health learned that restrictions in the diet of children with ADHD have helped about 5 percent of them. In Genetics, research suggests that attention disorders are often carried by parent/s to offspring. It has been said that 25 percent of children with ADHD came from families with history of having the disorder. (“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”) An encyclopedia entry entitled Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder enumerated the following symptoms and classified them into two categories, Inattention and Hyperactivity with Impulsive Behavior. (see Table 1) Inattention is the first category stated which include; one’s difficulty to pay attention to details which causes them to make careless mistakes, having trouble focusing on certain tasks, seems unable to listen attentively, could not follow simple instructions, tending to avoid activities that would need a lot of mental effort like school work, often misplaces items needed to accomplish a certain tasks, often gets distracted, forgetful, postpones doing things for a later time, has a hard time doing household chores, keeping oneself awake because of excessive thinking at night, often gets emotional outbursts and gets easily frustrated. ("Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder") These children rarely have episodes of impulsiveness or hyperactivity, but have lots of trouble in paying attention. Most of the time, they move slow, daydream, and gets easily ditracted. Difficulty in processing information gives them a har time understanding oral and written instructions given by teachers and would not know what to do. These children may seem to be listening or working as shown by their behavior, but their minds might be wondering around. (“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”) Hyperactivity-Impulsive Behavior, the second category, is composed of the following symptoms; often fidgets with hands or feet, could not stay seated, inappropriate running and climbing, inability to keep quiet, often feels restless, very talkative, often interrupts activities and tends to spend impulsively. If someone experiences six of the above symptoms for at least three months, he or she could be diagnosed to be positive with ADHD. ("Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder") These children are unable contain themselves. They have trouble thinking about consequences of their actions before they act. Such impulsivity may lead them to take hold of someone else’s toy whenever they get upset. Even until they reach adulthood, they tend to engage in activities that have immediate but small pay over things that require more effort and provide much greater rewards over a long period of time. (“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”) Students with ADHD, in contrast to those without, have been seen to have more academic difficulties. These said difficulties result to lower and sometimes failed grades, increased dropout rates and expulsions. According to a study done by Barkley and colleagues on a student study group with ADHD, 46 percent had been suspended, while 11 percent had been expelled from school. (“Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:”) Several studies suggest that IQ range for children with ADHD is actually at par with the general population, so it is not an issue of intelligence. Most children with ADHD take so much effort to succeed in school, not because they are less intelligent, but because they are having difficulty in some aspects of learning. Among these difficulties are keeping track of requirements such as projects, assignments and tests that are caused by their disorganization and forgetfulness. In most cases, they often forget the things they learned from the day before. Most of the time, children with ADHD pay more attention to other things that is happening around them rather than what is being discussed by their teacher in class, hence causes them to miss out on important lectures. (Bailey) In K. Haralson’s presentation, she focused on the effects of ADHD on Math achievement. Mathematics, being one of the most critical subjects in school, could be a good representation of learning as a whole, thus help readers associate with the question being answered. Doing Math assignments would need increased mental effort, would require a longer duration to complete. This is the reason why students with ADHD teach themselves to avoid doing them. Students with ADHD find it hard to gather things such as paper, pencil, book, and assignment because of poor organization skills. When they get distracted in the process of completing math problems, they tend to skip problems or steps in problems. Most of the time, they tend to delay in doing assignments because of the great amount of time needed for completion of such, which frustrates them. In most cases, these students forget lessons they have learned form the previous day and find it hard to work under pressure. Worse, they get angry at themselves and their teachers when they don not succeed in school. (Haralson) School can be one of the most demanding tasks for students with ADHD. Everyone tends to day dream during a boring lesson once in a while, but students with ADHD have difficulty behaving and focusing in class more often than not. They can’t seem to get their things in proper order, and because they constantly move, their minds just get side tracked into different things. Though ADHD is not classified as a learning disability, researches show there is a big possibility that ADHD students have learning disorders most specially in reading and math. (Bailey) CHAPTER III CONCLUSIONS Attention is one of the most important aspects in a person’s life. It is how people get things done and it is needed in order for each individual to focus and complete a certain task. One needs attention to listen, to read, to write, to watch television, to follow simple rules and do housework. When a person has an attention disorder, it affects every part of his daily living. These include work, studies, doing household chores, socialization and even family life. (see Figure 2) When a person has an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, he or she lacks attentiveness and in most cases, highly impulsive and hyperactive. Among children, school work would be most affected. ADHD lessens their ability to learn, not because they are not intelligent, but because they find it hard to pay attention to their lessons. Their difficulty to follow simple rules, to listen, to focus and even stay seated hinder them from completing their tasks and obtain passing marks. Some students even get expelled or drop out from school. ADHD could be a result of many different factors such as genetics or family history of having the disorder, environmental factors, food additives and the likes, brain trauma and other genetic components in the brain. Although most ADHD cases last until adulthood, Medical Science findings have been known to have treatments and therapies to keep them from getting worse or even reverse its effects. Most people believe that parents and teachers play an important role in the life and learning process that an ADHD child would go through. It is their responsibility to give them good education just like every other child as well as appropriate treatment. It is also important for parents and teachers to practice patience and guide children with ADHD not only in school, but with their everyday living. TABLES and FIGURES Percentage of Children with ADHD in 2004 Figure 1. Percentage of children ages three to 17 who have been diagnosed with ADHD in 2004. ("from Child Trends Databank, 2004, Figure 1") Impact of ADHD on Family Life Figure 2. Most parents of children with ADHD indicate that ADHD can have a significant impact on family life. (“from Perceptions of Girls and ADHD: Results From a National Survey, 2004, Figure 3) Prevalence of Various Types of ADHD Table 1. Percentage in prevalence of various types of ADHD ("from Comings and others, 2005, Table 2") Works Cited "ADHD." Child Trends Databank. 2004. Child Trends Databank. 30 Jan 2007 . "Attention." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 28 Jan 2007 . "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." NIMH. 26 October 2006. National Institute of Mental Health. 28 Jan 2007 . "Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2007. 28 Jan 2007 . "Attention Definition." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2006. Merriam-Webster, Inc.. 28 Jan 2007 . Bailey, Eileen. "The Impact of ADHD on Academic Performance." About. 2007. About, Inc.. 28 Jan 2007 . Comings, David, et al.. "Theoretical Biology and Medical." Pub Med Central. 23 December 2005. BioMed Central Ltd.. 30 Jan 2007 "Disorder Definition." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2007. Merriam-Webster, Inc.. 28 Jan 2007 . Gavin, Mary. "ADHD." Teens Health. February 2006. Nemours Foundation. 28 Jan 2007 . Haralson, Kay. "The Effects of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on Mathematics Achievement." National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2005 Annual Meeting and Exposition 2005. , Anaheim, CA. April 7, 2005. James, William. The Principles of Psychology. Vol.1. Dover Publications, 1890. "Perceptions of Girls and ADHD: Results From a National Survey." Medscape. 2004. 30 Jan 2007 . Read More