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Some children have more trouble paying attention in class and
completing academic assignments than others. It is estimated
that from 3 to 10 percent of the population has a condition
known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This disorder is said to be found
present more often in boys than girls (3:1).
Not every student having trouble completing assignments or
who is squirmy and disruptive to the class has Attention Deficit
Disorder. This is particularly true in the lower grades where
many of the students have not reached a level of maturity
sufficient to meet the demands of the classroom. Some studies
have found that a first grade teacher may rate as many as 50% of
the boys in the class as having Attention Deficit Disorder using
common clinical questionnaires. Thus, educators may mislabel
behavior as being abnormal when it actually may be within the
low end of normal development.
Actually, normal attention span seems to develop in three
stages. First, the child’s attention is said to be overly
exclusive. This is a term used by psychologists to describe
attention that is focused on a single object for a long period
of time while tuning out all other stimuli. An example of this
would be a baby who focuses totally on a button or a pin on the
clothing of the person holding him. A child whose attention
becomes stuck at this stage of development might be diagnosed as
having autism.
Second, a child’s attention develops to where it is overly
inclusive. This refers to a very wide span of attention that is
constantly and rapidly changing from one object to another such
as a toddler who is running from one toy to the next never able
to stay with any one toy for any period of time. A child who is
stuck at the second stage of attention span development might be
diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder.
Third, the child develops selective attention where he is
able to shift focus at will from being inclusive to being very
exclusive. This is a mature pattern of attention and
concentration that is required to be successful in a classroom
learning environment.
There are a variety of causes for poor attention,
concentration and impulse control. A partial list would include
the following:
-
Immaturity and slow psychological development
-
Learning disabilities such as dyslexia
-
Anxiety
-
Depression
-
Low thyroid
-
Low motivation
-
Lack of sufficient sleep
-
Poor nutrition
-
Boredom due to lack of challenge
If your child has had the symptoms of poor attention,
concentration and/or poor impulse control for some time, you
should have your child examined by his physician. In addition to
a physical exam and appropriate lab tests, the physician may
have the parents and teachers complete questionnaires about the
child’s behavior. He may also refer you to a school psychologist
or a mental health professional for further assessment.
Depending on the outcome of the entire evaluation, one or
several specific medical, educational or psychological
recommendations may be given.
Causes of
Attention Deficit Disorder
The symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder are caused by a
neurological dysfunction within the brain. Several studies using
PET scans have confirmed that there is a definite difference in
brain functioning between a group of individuals diagnosed with
Attention Deficit Disorder and those without it. The underlying
physiological mechanism which causes Attention Deficit Disorder
is still not thoroughly understood and remains under scientific
study. It is presumed that brain chemistry is out of balance and
that specific chemicals called neurotransmitters may be lacking
in individuals with Attention Deficit Disorder. In two research
studies, when the Attention Deficit Disorder subjects were given
their medication and rescanned, their brain activity appeared to
be much more like that of the normal group. Another interesting
finding of these studies is that the areas of the brain in the
Attention Deficit Disorder group where brain activity was lower
than in the normal group are known to be associated with such
functions as attention and concentration as well as planning and
organization. These are the very functions that are impaired in
persons with Attention Deficit Disorder. PET scans are
considered to be very invasive because they involve the
injection of radioactive material into the individual and
therefore are not appropriate for diagnostic purposes. To date
only two studies of Attention Deficit Disorder using PET scans
have been conducted.
Attention Deficit Disorder may be either inherited or
acquired. Recent research in genetics has definitely shown that
Attention Deficit Disorder runs in families. The specific
chromosomes that are involved have not been fully identified
though more clues are being discovered as research progresses.
Like many other disorders, a child may have the symptoms while
his parents may not. Usually there are aunts, uncles,
grandparents or cousins with the disorder.
Attention Deficit Disorder may be acquired through various
conditions that cause insult (damage) to the brain. During
pregnancy and delivery these include the use of drugs during
pregnancy, toxemia, infectious diseases, overexposure to
radiation, prematurity, complicated delivery. After birth these
include meningitis, encephalitis, seizures from fever, head
injury and lead toxicity. Excessive use of sweets does not cause
Attention Deficit Disorder though it may make the symptoms worse
for some individuals who already have the condition
Since many children with Attention Deficit Disorder appear to
"outgrow" the condition it can also be looked at as a
developmental disorder. Some children seem to develop the
ability to pay attention and concentrate later than others just
as there is a wide range to timing for developing the ability to
walk, talk or be potty trained. In the past, children with
Attention Deficit Disorder and other learning disabilities were
labeled as "underachievers" in their younger years and then
reclassified as "late bloomers" when their development in this
area finally caught up with their peers.
Today, many adults look back and realize they had a learning
disability or Attention Deficit Disorder as a child which they
may or may not have been able to overcome. Some people with
Attention Deficit Disorder become very successful. However,
others continue to have significant symptoms as adults. Some
were not able to adapt or compensate on their own and did not
receive any help from teachers, parents or professionals. These
individuals often dropped out of school and may today be social
drop outs of one kind or another. It is for this last reason
that children who exhibit signs of Attention Deficit Disorder or
learning disabilities should receive all the help necessary and
available to spare them the frustration and anguish often
associated with these conditions.
Social
Problems Often Associated With
Attention Deficit Disorder
Some children with Attention Deficit Disorder experience
significant problems socializing with peers and cooperating with
authority figures. This is because when children have difficulty
maintaining attention during an interaction with an adult, they
may miss important parts of the conversation. This can result in
the child not being able to follow directions and so called
"memory problems" due to not listening in the first place. In
this case, the child is not being disobedient or "strong willed"
though they may be labeled as such. When giving directions to
Attention Deficit Disorder children it is important to have them
repeat the directions to make sure they have correctly received
them. For younger children with Attention Deficit Disorder, the
directions should consist of only one or two step instructions.
For older children more complicated directions should be stated
in writing.
Children with poor attention and concentration often miss
important aspects of social interaction with their peers. When
this happens, they have a difficulty time "fitting in." They
need to focus in on how other the children are playing with each
other and then attempt to behave similarly. Attention Deficit
Disorder kids often enter a group play situation like the
proverbial "bull in the china closet" and upset the play
session. As they improve their ability to attend and
concentrate, Attention Deficit Disorder children can be coached
on how to play appropriately with other children.
Attention Deficit Disorder children may have poor impulse
control. This can result in several different problems during
play time. First, they may have difficulty stopping a behavior
once they have started. They may also carry the behavior to a
level of intensity that is too much for the average child. This
can even happen when the child is engaged in "horse play" with
an adult. They often get "carried away" and don’t know when to
stop. This can result in negative feelings among those playing
and make the others involved not want to play with the Attention
Deficit Disorder child.
Sometimes an Attention Deficit Disorder kid will complain
that when he gets into trouble at school that "all the other
kids were doing the same thing and I was the only one that got
in trouble." When you understand how an Attention Deficit
Disorder child functions, it’s possible to see how that may
actually be close to the truth. Imagine that the teacher has
left the room for a few moments. The class decides to take
advantage of the situation and "mess around." When the teacher
returns, the class sees her and they immediately stop what they
are doing. On the other hand the Attention Deficit Disorder
child may not immediately see the teacher enter the room and
when he does is not able to immediately stop the inappropriate
behavior. The teacher then reprimands him for not stopping. The
Attention Deficit Disorder child feels singled out and picked on
by the teacher and feels he is being treated unfairly. |
