Article Reflection on ADD and ADHD

For years, Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyper-Active Disorder was a
label for behavior problems for children who couldnt sit still and wouldnt stop talking in class.
ADD and ADHD are multifaceted syndromes of impairments in growth of the brains cognitive
management system or exclusive functions. According to Thomas Brown, author of the article
A New Approach to Attention Deficit Disorder, there are a number of skills that ADD/ADHD
affect one to do such as: prioritizing, activating for work, attending to details, avoiding excessive
distractibility, controlling alertness and processing speed, sustaining and shifting focus, using
short-term memory and working memory, withstanding motivation to work, and managing
frustration and modulating emotions.
A study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that about 7.8% of
United States students aged 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD meaning it is possible
that a majority of teachers have at least a couple of students in each class that have been
diagnosed with this disorder. For some children, signs of ADD/ADHD are evident in the
preschool years. These children are the ones who might be tremendously hyper-active, incapable
to remain still, and unable to follow directions simple directions. Other children may learn and
behave fine during the pre-school and elementary years and not begin to show signs of
ADD/ADHA until middle school when their self-management skills are defied. This could be a
result of no longer having one single teacher who has directed their executive functions.
Additional students do not show their symptoms of ADD/ADHD until they enter the very
demanding high school where they encounter a greater need of studying with more homework
and new encounters of social interactions. Lastly are those whom do not have signs until later in

life. In these cases, the parents support the children so much their signs are invisible until they
move away from their parents and no longer have that same frame of support.
As a future health professional that will be working with a broad range of children, I
believe it is important to understand what ADD/ADHD is, how it to recognize it, and the
diagnosis process. After reading the article A New Approach to Attention Deficit Disorder by
Thomas Brown, I understand how important it is to stop labeling children who cant sit still,
wont stop talking, and often disruptive as ADD/ADHD. This complex syndrome of impairment
is not an all or nothing concept. Teachers often brand students who are chronically inattentive,
restless, and impulsive as ADD/ADHD. If such disorder is suspected by a teacher, the process of
diagnoses should start with the school staff. The staff including the school teacher and
psychologist should gather relevant information about the students specific impairments, social
skills, and obviously academic work. That information should then be presented to the parents
with a request of evaluation to identify the causes behind the childs behaviors. The earlier the
detection of ADD/ADHD is found, the more likely hood of the child reaching higher levels of
ability.
There are many accommodations I plan to make for my ADD/ADHD patients. Those
include: changes to make learning easier for these patients, variations in teaching methods, and
conducting interventions to discuss how the ADD/ADHD patient is affecting others. All health
professionals must be able to evaluate each childs individual needs and strengths. Congruently, I
believe there are a few key concepts to getting patients to calm down and pay attentions, which
include nothing less than patience, creativity, and consistency but a health professionals most
effective tools in helping patiens with ADD/ADHD are encouragement and a positive attitude.

KeLee King

October 19, 2015

Works Cited
Brown, Thomas E. "A New Approach to Attention Deficit Disorder." Educational
Leadership (2007): 22-27. Academic Search Premier [EBSCO]. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.