Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• What are the symptoms?
• What is it?
• How does it appear?
• Who does it affect?

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What are the symptoms?

• Children with this disorder typically
• demonstrate
• Inattention
• Impulsivity
• Over activity
• In addition to these symptoms other frequent
  findings include.

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• Insatiability
• Social clumsiness
• Poor coordination
• Disorganisation
• Variability
• Low levels of self-esteem
• Specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia,
  language problems and difficulties with maths.

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What is it?

• A condition caused by a chemical imbalance in the
  frontal lobe of the brain.
• The imbalance occurs in the neurotransmitter
  chemicals, dopamine and noradrenaline.
• It is strongly hereditary, with most children
  having close, usually male relatives with the
  disorder.

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ADHD appears in two ways.

• Attention Deficit Learning Problems
• In class this part of ADHD results in the child
• Finding organization difficult
• Having problems beginning work
• Having poor listening skills
• Not producing sustained work output
• Being distractible
• Having poor short term memory

• Hyperactive-impulsive behavior
• The poor self-monitoring behavior results in the
  child
• Rushing through work
• Settling slowly after a break
• Tapping and fidgeting
• Calling out in class
• Failing to check work when finished

Students may suffer from one form in isolation,
however most children usually exhibit a
combination of the two.
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Who does it affect?

• This disorder is predominately believed to be a
  boy problem, with boys being six times more
  likely to be referred for help than girls.
• However, many girls remain undiagnosed, due to
  their generally being less disruptive and
  suffering more silently than the male of the
  species. So they may not be referred for bad
  behavior but may still be failing at school,
  making it important to recognize the gender
  differences in this disorder.

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Extreme vs. mildest behavioral tendencies.

• Children in the extreme group are
• Inattentive
• Quiet
• Dreamy
• Slow moving
• Disorganized
• When referring to the attention deficit learning
  problems side of the
• disorder. If a child only exhibits this form of
  ADHD they usually cause no
• behavioral concerns, just spacing out and
  suffering academically in
• silence. However as most children exhibit both
  parts of the disorder there
• will also be the disruptive behavior to deal with.

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Extreme continued

• On the Hyperactive impulsive side of ADHD,
  extreme behavior is
• signified as
• Physical uncoordination
• Not thinking before speaking
• Overreaction to any schoolyard taunts
• Lack of emotional understanding in others
• Lack of common sense
• Lack of independence
• Nagging and demanding incessantly
• Hyperactivity is not troubling behavior but
  hyperactive-impulsivity is.
• The unpredictability comes from lack of impulse
  control and constant
• demands, not from activity.

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Mildest behavior

• A child suffering from this disorder in a mild
  case will exhibit the same characteristics only
  with more subtly and less frequent instances.

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Treatment

• Commonly used treatments include

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1. Pharmacological Drugs

• Most widely used treatment of ADHD
• Provides a short -term suppression of symptoms,
  allowing students to focus at home and in class.
• 3 most commonly used drugs are Ritalin,
  Dexedrine Cylert.

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2. Behavioral Therapies

• Rewards- such as being able to watch TV,
  Playtime, and Comp. Games.
• Punishments- Timeout or Chores at home.

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3. Family Therapy/ Individual Therapy

• Family Therapy may be required for reasons such
  as difficulty raising managing a child with
  ADHD and new roles for individuals within the
  family.
• Individual Therapy for children once diagnosed
  may need counseling for low self-esteem and also
  adapting to issues related to and created by
  ADHD.

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Classroom modifications to help cater for ADHD
students
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1. Development of an action/consequence table
that outlines the consequences of really
inappropriate behavior, this could be done in
conjunction with him/her. 2. Use of teacher aids
to work independently with these students for a
designated amount of time each week, so they
receive the attention they need. 3. Development
of some type of positive reinforcing system,
which will allow the student to be rewarded for
appropriate behavior.
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4. Make other students aware of what ADHD is,
discuss and illustrate appropriate ways they
could deal with this student. 5. Develop some
type of evacuation procedure for the class, so
that if the situation involving the ADHD student
becomes violent the rest of the class will not be
in immediate danger. 6. Have the students sit
near you when teaching so he/she can easily speak
to you, perhaps even give him/her another desk
near the teachers desk, so that when doing
individual work he/she will not disrupt the rest
of the class when approaching you for help.
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7. Illustrate and have the class demonstrate
appropriate methods of communication within the
classroom and playground environments. 8. Be
aware of what type of medication he/she is on,
the side effects that may result from this and
the times that the medication needs to be
taken. 10. Focus on appropriate social skill
development in the classroom. 11. Have a quiet
chair corner, set up in a theme that interests
him/her, so when things get difficult he/she can
go to this safe area for some time out and
reflection. 12. Discuss with the parents and
other related peoples what is being done for
him/her at an individual level.
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13. Have regular contact with his/her
parents/guardians about his/her behavior. 14.
Discuss his/her development openly with him/her
on a weekly basis. 15. Provide him/her with a
scrapbook where they can draw or write about
their frustrations/ difficulties rather than
always verbalizing or making them physical. Let
him/her explain these drawings, write-ups to you
(the teacher) on a regular basis.
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16. Allow other students the opportunity to
express their thoughts about this student to you
privately.
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Curriculum modifications

• 1. Try to cater to his/her interests maybe let
  them help you choose the theme of one out of
  three integrated units.
• 2. When doing group work give him/her the choice
  to work independently or as a member of a group.
• 3. Allow the student with ADHD the opportunity to
  participate in hands on activities to assist
  their learning where ever possible.
• 4. Provide the ADHD student with a vast array of
  fine and gross motor co-ordination activities.

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• 5. In conjunction with the student write up a
  list of realistic short, medium, and long term
  goals to achieve.

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Resources

• Books
• Dr Green, C., and D Chee, K., Understanding ADHD,
  Double Day Press, Sydney, 1994.
• Romm, A., and Romm, T., ADHD Alternatives- A
  Natural Approach to Treating Attention Deficit
  Hyperactivity Disorder, Storey Books, Vermont,
  2000.
• Selikowitz, M., All about ADD- Understanding
  Attention Deficit Disorder, Oxford University
  Press, Melbourne, 1995.
• Phelan, T. W., All About Attention Deficit
  Disorder- Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment In
  Children and Adults, Child Management Inc,
  Illinois, 1993.

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Resources continued

• Hallowell, E.M., and Ratey, J.J., Attention
  Deficit Disorder, Fourth Estate Limited, London,
  1994.
• Video
• Dr Green, C., Understanding ADD, Australian Video
  Publishers LTD, Sydney, 1996.
• The web
• NSW Health
• http//www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/psb/adh
  d/children/criteria_children.html
• National Health and Medical Research Council
• http//www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/adhd/app.htm
  
• Support groups
• http//www.adders.org/ausmap.htm

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Resources continued

• Behavioral Neurotherapy
• http//www.adhd.com.au/ADHDaeti.html
• Child and Youth health
• http//www.cyh.com/cyh/youthtopics/usr_hdsrch_a.st
  m?topic_id1370
• Treatment
• http//www.adhd.org.nz/treat1.html
• http//www.health.gov.au/nhmrc/publications/adhd/s
  um.html

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Thank you for your participation

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