Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has steadily become more prevalent in our society. Not only is it seen amoung children, but it is seen in adolescence and adults as well. It is described by the American Psychological Association as “a persistent pattern or inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and more severe than typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development.”(APA, 2000, pg. 85) ADHD is typically seen in preschool aged children or children in their early years of schooling; it is not something that will go away but rather it can be controlled and monitored through various methods. For children with ADHD it is difficult for them to control their behaviours and often it is difficult to pay attention. The precise cause of ADHD is not known although according to the National Institute of Mental Health factors such as environmental agents, brain injuries, food and sugar additives, and genetics have been linked to the cause of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 2007). Although these factors are known to contribute to the disorder one specific cause cannot be identified.

There are three general character traits found in individuals with ADHD, they include, inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Although not all traits appear in children with ADHD; different traits will be expressed depending on the environmental situation. Often symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity are seen before inattention. Each child reacts differently based upon the stimulus of the activity and/or the environment. Because of this there are three subtypes of ADHD which are recognized by the American Psychological Association (2000) including, ADHD predominantly inattentive type and ADHD predominantly hyperactivity/impulsivity type and ADHD combined type.

ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type (PIT)

The most common symptom seen in children who are diagnosed with ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type is selective attention. Inattention affects selective attention, concentration, narrow and broad focusing as well as time-on-task skills. (Sherrill, 2004, p. 556). Children with this type of ADHD often find it difficult to focus on any one particular task and get bored very easily. It is important with dealing with these children to keep a high level of stimulus in order for them to remain interested in the task. If the child enjoys the task, they are more likely to stay involved and pay attention. New tasks are often difficult for children with ADHD PIT as they require a great amount of concentration to complete it. New skills should be slowly introduced and broken down to make it easily to understand and succeed. If the task is too difficult the child is likely to get bored and give up because they only perceive failure in the task. It is important to maintain a level of accomplishment that will serve to teach and encourage the child to pursue the task.

As well as inattention, children with ADHD PIT become distracted very easily. It is essential to keep the child focused on what it is that they need to accomplish. Excess stimulus such as sounds and images are very distracting and will divert the attention onto something else. Because they are so easily distracted they often do not complete tasks and will go from one thing to another without completing anything. These children heavily rely on precise instructions in order to stay focused on something. They often do not follow instructions properly and make careless mistakes because they have trouble paying attention and processing all relevant information. In order for these children to succeed it is essential that instructions are repeated several times. It is important that instructions are broken down and expressed in many ways other than just verbally; expectations should be written down or demonstrated so that the child has a full understanding of what is expected. For children with ADHD PIT it is beneficial to break instructions down into smaller parts, once the first part is completed then instructions can be given for the next task. When instructions are broken down it is easier to process as well as they remain more focused because they are given many small tasks to complete.

It is also essential to keep the novelty and/or interest of the task high. If the child is interested and is having fun it is more likely that they will continue to be involved. According to Sherrill, task completion is related to internal and external control, motivation and incentive (2004, p. 557). Therefore if the child is motivated they will be more involved. Although motivation and incentive is essential it is also important to maintain control of the external environment and to eliminate as much outside stimulus as possible, although it is sometimes