In out society we look at all the risks that a child may have when learning. When you become a parent, you start to worry does my child have symptoms of this?, does he have symptoms of this?, It is always in a parents mind. Most the time parents are in denial especially when it goes to a teacher coming up to them and saying that they might have signs of ADHD or another disability. ADHD is very common in young children, not necessarily when a psychologist comes in and diagnosis a child, but children themselves are active. Parents need to look at specific symptoms and if they have trouble doing that same task over and over again. A specific guide to what parents should be looking at is if the child looses focus easily. With this being said not just attention span, because all children loose attention real easily, but if they can’t even focus for about two minutes. They should also look at if they are hyper all the time, not just when they get excited, but all the time.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or better known as ADHD is very common in young children. Many studies have been done about ADHD and about “five to ten percent of children are diagnosed with this disability worldwide” (Quartier, 2010, p. 1). Looking into the studies that have been done with different researchers you can find out what ADHD is really about. There are plenty of studies going on about the symptoms and time to diagnosis a young child, as well as what is going on neurologically and environmental influences. Researchers are finding treatments and medications that are given to help children and adults with ADHD disability. With this disorder, “multiple treatments modalities are needed to treat patients with ADHD, which may include again nutritional, environmental, pharmacologic, and psychosocial interventions” (Curtis 2008,p.3). Today researchers are finding out more about this disability and how to treat children so they improve in society and schools.
It has been said that “ADHD is characterized by dysregulation of action and thought resulting from poor inhibitory control”, which means that children and adults with this disability don’t have control over their actions, without intervention. Barkley is a researcher that found that “sense of time impairment was the most important with children with ADHD” (Quartier, 2010, p. 1). This researcher goes more in depth about how sense of time is going to work in someone’s life with ADHD. Barkley is trying to figure out when is the right time to diagnosis a child with ADHD, either at a very young age or older. According to his theory he mentions that “a working memory deficit diminished capacity to prolong events that impedes the appropriate development of a sense of time in children with ADHD.”(Quartier, 2010, p. 2). Quartier also finds that the longer you take to diagnosis a child, the disability might get worse in time to help children. It is better to catch it earlier then later. Time for a child with ADHD is an important factor for their life. Barkley looks into the age, “which is found to be seven or eight year olds is when they acquire tough movement” (Quartier, 2010, p. 2). At an older age, most of the time it is harder for children to fit in, because they are different. As a parent you want your child to fit in and be well liked. I believe it is harder for the parent then it is for the child.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has a lot of symptoms, which are found mostly with early intervention. A study was done by a couple of people about the symptoms of these children and what to look for. When trying to figure out if your child has ADHD, or a child in your classroom has ADHD, you look for certain complications in a child. The symptoms are rather had, especially in young children. It is interesting to see that parents and teachers don’t know if the child is just being immature at that certain age, or if they really do have ADHD. In a study I found they took a large amount of preschoolers and found that “about two hundred and sixty eight of them had symptoms of ADHD” (Pupura, 2010, p. 1. The symptoms were that they had a hard time paying attention, such as focusing on one task in schools. It is also said they are not as motivated as other children and very hyperactive when it comes to something they enjoy (Pupura, 2010, p. 2). It was interesting to find in this study that “ fifty five percent were boys, and forty five percent were girls and ranged in age from thirty seven to seventy four months” have ADHD symptoms (Pupura, pg 1). I believe that this is to young to diagnosis a child with ADHD. Most of the time professionals test children to see if they have the same of different type of ADHD, which is “exhibits the threshold number of symptoms for both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity” (Pupura, 2010 p.1). Inattention means that the child does not pay attention very well when it comes to tasks. Hyperactivity/ impulsivity means that they are very active and can’t sit or focus for a long time on a task. With hyperactivity as I have seen in some child they might just be excited about a subject or activity they are doing or learning
ADHD is once again one of the most common disabilities in our society today. There are many ways to prevent and treat ADHD,. The most common is “medication and behavioral therapy, which are partially helpful to those people with this disability” (Curtis, 2008 p.1). Many parents are either ready to go get the medication for their children or not motivated to do so. Behavioral therapy is where a child learns to control distractions and focus more on school or activities. Other researchers have said that developmental of “ADHD is also seen how the nutritional and environmental factors play a role in the development of this disorder” (Curtis, 2008, p.1). In this study they found some toxic chemicals that effect a child’s abilities. Such as in the U.S study “ ninety seven children with ADHD and fifty three control children reported higher blood levels were associated with significantly higher levels of ADHD symptoms”(Curtis pg.2). People that research about ADHD, have a hard time what causes the symptoms, and how to properly diagnosis. They also found in this study, “the reason because of the high levels, simply due to tobacco smoking, as well as they were reported higher due to manganese levels in hair and drinking water” (Curtis, 2008, p.3). The researcher simply says that the more you are around such things you will get a higher reading or risk, to those that have never been around it.
The nutritional factors of children and adults with ADHD are that children with this disorder are often low with “blood levels of iron” (Curtis, 2008, p. 3). In some cases the effect of” sugar and food additives on ADHD patients is controversial, showing that sugar and food additives can trigger worse ADHD symptoms” (Curtis, 2008, p.3). Dr. Benjamin Feingold, said that” diets free of food coloring, food preservatives and natural salicyclates have been widely used to treat children with ADHD, since they were introduced in the 1970’s.”(Curtis, 2008, p. 4.) Though out his study he found a variety of information, such as out of the “fifteen children that he tested for if food coloring effected them or increased symptoms, five showed that it did in fact increases ADHD” (Curtis, 2008 p.4). This study was very interesting and it showed that not only objects can cause ADHD, but as simple as food coloring can as well increase the symptoms of ADHD.
Attention Deficit hyperactivity Disorder has a major genetic component, according to Ellison Wright. It is been said in her studies and how the brain is structured, that “Gene variants, controlling proteins in catecholamine pathways, cause neurodevelopment of frontal brain networks, supporting executive processes such as attention, memory and behavioral inhibition” (Wright, 2008, p. 1). One can see the frontal lobe is the most important factor to someone’s brain, especially with ADHD. Prescribing medications to help form memory and keep focus in children. Today there are two main kinds that are recommended by Ellison Wright, “such as dopaminergic or noradrenergic action modulating these circuits, establishing “cognitive control” (Wright, 2008, p.2). These two help with the working memory and thought process, which most of the time prescribing medication is a good thing to do with a child, but not in all cases.
Another part of this study was that “seventy six children, who suffered closed head injuries with no prior history of ADHD, identified fifteen who developed ADHD symptoms” (Wright, 2008, p.4). This being said the children that used to or are playing sports need to watch out for the symptoms. This is also a good reason why many parents don’t want their child to play violent sports at a young age, due to the fact that they will get hurt. Many children play football for instance and a lot of brain injuries come from that sport. With these brain injuries they found that it effected the right hemisphere, which then made them have a stroke, which then causing ADHD to occur (Wright, 2008, p.4). Though out this study, researchers found a lot of different information, which were then they found evidence for white matter abnormally in ADHD. The region of the right basal ganglia was effected (Wright, pg 4). The researchers found that with investigation the “white matter structure in familial ADHD found to be associated between measure of myelination in the right frontal fiber tracts and both functional activity in the frontal gyrus and caudate then effects performance” (Wright, 2008, p. 4). With all these studies the researchers come to find that with the MRI depend on “nature of the task and the performance” (Wright, 2008 p. 4). This study concluded that children with brain injuries “which have found a higher incidence of right putamen lesions associated with the development of ADHD symptoms” (Wright, 2008, p. 4). In these studies the researcher found that the more violent sports the one does, that potentially hurt your head, can cause more symptoms for ADHD later down the line.
Medication is one of the big issues that form when children get diagnosed with ADHD. In the article Title “ ADHD and medication related brain activation” , talks mostly about the brain and how it is effected by medication(Epstein, 2007 p. 1).The researches in this study examine mostly the “functional brain abnormalities among youths and adults with ADHD and to examine the relations between these neurobiological abnormalities and response to stimulate medication”(Epstein, 2007, p. 1). They found in these studies if medication is really the answer to helping ADHD. Also in this study they “examine brain activation difference between patients with ADHD and normal research participants, the effects of stimulant medications to the brain” (Epstein, 2007, p. 2). They found that a lot of younger children it helped with the medications, but as a person gets older the medication are not so helpful. Another study was found about medication and treatments for children with ADHD. They say “in the study by Charlotte Johnston that both psychostimulant medications and behavioral treatments for ADHD symptoms and associated problems” (Johnston pg. 1). The research found that when both of these too are together they create a bigger problem, and to just have medications by themselves, the researchers also found that “medication typically produces greater effects and adds incrementally to the effects achieved with behavioral treatment” (Johnston, 2001, p. 1). The treatments for this study is based on the environment of the child and what symptoms they have. The “social –cognitive framework of the child needs to be examined and the functioning of the child with and without the medication” (Johnston, 2001, p. 1). The prescription drugs, those children are usually put on is Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat. These four drugs are the most common to children and adults with ADHD. The dose is either higher or lower depending on their age.
Methylphenidate is one of the most common drugs that a child can get prescribed from a doctor, when being diagnosed with ADHD. This drug is a “stimulant drug related to amphetamine that acts to increase the synaptic concentration of dopamine and noradrenaline by blocking their reuptake” (Mehta, 2001, p. 1). The neurotransmitters in the brain are known to “affect performance of spatial working memory in monkeys and in humans” (Mehta, 2001, p.1). The neurotransmitters work in the brain to pass information back and fourth. They start working harder when they take Ritalin or other medication prescribed to them to help focus. The major factor with this study is that the “neural localization of the effects of stimulant medications, such as methylphenidate, on the working memory performance had not been determined on human subject” (Mehta, 2001 p. 1). The working memory effects ones performance, so you need your working memory to be on spot. The researchers found in the brain that the “prefrontal and temporal cortices can be hypothesized to be possible neuromodulatory sites of action, because of the damage to these cortical areas impairs self- ordered performance” (Mehta, 2001, p. 1). The damage happens when doing again violent activities. When you are trying to perform in either a sport or in schools, you need your working memory. The prefrontal and temporal cortices are needed to tell the body when to perform. Without this occurring it impairs the performance in a person. This study is to determined if “ methylphenidate would enhance spatial working memory performance and that it would be accompanied by changes in regions of the frontal and parietal lobes known to be activated by the task”(Mehta, 2001, p. 1). They found the results and the effects of Ritalin and take-dependent and take – independent changes. The effects of methylphenidate that the researchers found was that “ the drug only produced increases of blood flow in the right cerebellum, but led to decreases in blood flow in regions within the frontal and temporal lobes. As you can see the medications can help a person with getting back on task, but once the damage is done there is no turning back.
The environmental influences that affect attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is that a child with these usually also suffers from “poor educational attainments, lower income, underemployment, legal difficulties and impaired social relationships” (Pineda, 2007, p. 1). There are a ton of environmental factors that come into play when being suspicious of your child might have ADHD. These environmental factors tend to make the child more at risk for ADHD symptoms’, as well as the exposure to nicotine and alcohol. Another factor is low birth rate, which a study has been found that “ ADHD children were three times more likely to have low birth weights, even after potential confounders such as exposure to alcohol and cigarettes were taken into a account”(Pineda, 2007, p. 2). The researchers found that season of birth is another potential ADHD risk factor such as “bring born in September had an odds ratio of 5.4 for ADHD and learning disabilities and or 4.5 for ADHD without psychiatric comorbidities (Pineda, 2007, p. 2). This means that the temperature is starting to drop, and more time to get the flu. It is interesting to find out that the “seasonal pattern of birth may exist for subtypes of ADHD, but it also can relate to the maternal respiratory infections, such as the flu, during the first weeks of pregnancy, which then is more common in winter” (Pineda, 2007, p. 2). The colder the temperatures, people are at a higher risk of getting sick.
Pineda conducted a study of a “cohort of two hundred children with ADHD and about two hundred and eighty six healthy controls between the ages of six and eleven” (Pineda pg 2). Only about eighty participants were accepted, and they were selected to be examined in three ways “psychiatric, neurological and psychological to find out where they stranded on the rating scale of this test” (Pineda, 2001, p. 2). To get a good feel of the study, the participants were looked at for over a year. They found that doing a series of tests that about “eleven of the thirty five of one test were at risk factors for ADHD” (Pineda, 2001, p. 5). The researchers also found out that about “forty eight percent of the participants which were children and adolescents were suffering a brain injury developed persistent ADHD symptoms” (Pineda, 2001, p. 5). After they found this results out, they then did a “longitudinal study that used MRI’s to measure the volume and spatial distribution of brain lesions in children and adolescents three months after they suffers a moderate or sever closed traumatic brain injury”(Pineda, 2001, p. 5). It is interesting to find out that the reason behind them developing ADHD is because of the activities that they did before hand, and how it affected their brain.
One can see that ADHD as a lot of possible cures and treatments, to help young and older adults get though ADHD disability. All the researchers did accurate studies to see what the results were with different experiments. The most interesting study found was with Luke Curtis and how he found what effects children and how to prevent them from getting ADHD. Throughout our society there are lots of ways to find out prevention of ADHD. Having your child being diagnosed with ADHD is not the end of the world, it just means that they learn in a different way then everybody else does. This is one of the reasons why so many researchers are trying to find out what medications to give and what not to prescribe. All the researchers that were mentioned either did a study on either how to possibly cure ADHD, treat or prevent this disability from happing in the future, or at least not have as many kids with this disability in the future.
Works Cited
Purpura, David. (2010). Attention- Deficit/ Hyperactivity disorder Symptoms in Preschool Children: Examining Psychometric Properties Using Item Response Theory. The American Psychological Association, 546- 557.
Mehta, Mitul. (2000) Methylphenidate Enhances Working Memory By Modulating Discrete Frontal and Parietal Lobe Regions in the Human Brain. The Journal of Neuroscience, 1-6.
Johnston, Charlotte.(2001) Effects of Medication, Behavioral and Combined Treatments on Parents and Children’s Attributions for the Behavior of Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The American Psychology Association, 67-75.
Curtis, Luke. (2008) Nutritional and Environmental Approaches to Preventing and Treating Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Review. The Journal of Alternative And complementary Medicine, 79-85.
Epstein, Jeffery. (2007) ADHD- and medication-related brain activation effects in concordantly affected parent-child dyads with ADHD. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1-13.
Quartier, Vincent. (2010) Sense of Time in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), A Comparative Study. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 1-7.
Wright, Ellison. (2008) Structural Brain change in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder identified by meta-analysis. Bio-Med Central, 1-8.
Pineda, David. (2007) Environmental Influences that affect attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, study of genetic isolate. Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 1-10.
Websites for more knowledge:
1. National institute mental health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml
2. ADHD: meditation, not medication By: Sarina Grosswald -http://www.altmd.com/Videos/ADHD-Meditation-NOT-Medication
3. http://www.answerstv.com- look under topics below on this website. ADHD and the Brain, ADHD Treatment :Drugs, Does my child have ADHD
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