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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. I

t 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.

Treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder

Medication

Medications such as stimulants have long been employed in the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder. These medications are presumed to improve a chemical imbalance in the brain which is causing the symptoms. The PET scan studies do show that the brain functioning of Attention Deficit Disorder patients does improve and appears to be more like the normal group after they have taken their prescribed medication.

Medications usually used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder stimulate the production of two neurotransmitters known as dopamine and norephinephrine. Specific neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) are necessary to carry a nerve impulse (message) along a neuropathway (circuit). When a neurotransmitter is under supplied, a message may be stopped short of its intended destination. When this happens, the function regulated by that circuit may not work as well as it should.

Brain circuits, like those of a computer are either on or off. When some circuits are on they make something happen such as helping a child focus on a learning situation. When other circuits are on they prevent something from happening. For instance, some circuits prevent emotional reactions to situations. If the circuit is not on or only partially on, the child may react too quickly to a minor incident which may lead to a temper tantrum.

Medications that treat Attention Deficit Disorder are not tranquilizers or sedatives. They do not slow down the nervous system. They actually stimulate various areas of the brain to be more active so that the attention and concentration functions and the self-control functions work better. The use of stimulant medications helps to keep the circuits on when they should be turned on.

Most individuals who are treated with medication take Ritalin® (a psychostimulant). This drug appears to be very beneficial for many who take it. Though Ritalin® has received much bad press, it is actually a very effective form of treatment and is relatively safe. When Ritalin® does not work or there are contraindications for its use, other amphetamine drugs may be used. Also, antidepressants and beta blockers have proven to be effective with certain individuals. Medication is the most frequently employed treatment method for Attention Deficit Disorder. It is often employed along with psychological techniques such as behavior modification and patient/family education. Focus is a psychoeducational program that designed so that it can be used as either an adjunct or as an alternative to medication.

Best Wishes and Lot’s of Love,
Arthur Buchanan

Out of Darkness & Into the Light
209 Ellis Ave. Suite 1313
Bellevue, Ohio44811

567-217-1133 (Home)

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The principal characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These symptoms appear early in a child’s life. Because many normal children may have these symptoms, but at a low level, or the symptoms may be caused by another disorder, it is important that the child receive a thorough examination and appropriate diagnosis by a well-qualified professional.

Symptoms of ADHD will appear over the course of many months, often with the symptoms of impulsiveness and hyperactivity preceding those of inattention, which may not emerge for a year or more. Different symptoms may appear in different settings, depending on the demands the situation may pose for the child’s self-control. A child who “can’t sit still” or is otherwise disruptive will be noticeable in school, but the inattentive daydreamer may be overlooked.

The impulsive child who acts before thinking may be considered just a “discipline problem,” while the child who is passive or sluggish may be viewed as merely unmotivated. Yet both may have different types of ADHD. All children are sometimes restless, sometimes act without thinking, sometimes daydream the time away. When the child’s hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration, or impulsivity begin to affect performance in school, social relationships with other children, or behavior at home, ADHD may be suspected. But because the symptoms vary so much across settings, ADHD is not easy to diagnose. This is especially true when inattentiveness is the primary symptom.

According to the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders2 (DSM-IV-TR), there are three patterns of behavior that indicate ADHD. People with ADHD may show several signs of being consistently inattentive. They may have a pattern of being hyperactive and impulsive far more than others of their age.

Or they may show all three types of behavior. This means that there are three subtypes of ADHD recognized by professionals. These are the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (that does not show significant inattention); the predominantly inattentive type (that does not show significant hyperactive-impulsive behavior) sometimes called ADD—an outdated term for this entire disorder; and the combined type (that displays both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms).

Hyperactivity-Impulsivity

Hyperactive children always seem to be “on the go” or constantly in motion. They dash around touching or playing with whatever is in sight, or talk incessantly. Sitting still at dinner or during a school lesson or story can be a difficult task. They squirm and fidget in their seats or roam around the room. Or they may wiggle their feet, touch everything, or noisily tap their pencil. Hyperactive teenagers or adults may feel internally restless. They often report needing to stay busy and may try to do several things at once.

Impulsive children seem unable to curb their immediate reactions or think before they act. They will often blurt out inappropriate comments, display their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for the later consequences of their conduct. Their impulsivity may make it hard for them to wait for things they want or to take their turn in games. They may grab a toy from another child or hit when they’re upset. Even as teenagers or adults, they may impulsively choose to do things that have an immediate but small payoff rather than engage in activities that may take more effort yet provide much greater but delayed rewards.

Some signs of hyperactivity-impulsivity are:

• Feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming while seated

• Running, climbing, or leaving a seat in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected

• Blurting out answers before hearing the whole question

• Having difficulty waiting in line or taking turns.

Inattention

Children who are inattentive have a hard time keeping their minds on any one thing and may get bored with a task after only a few minutes. If they are doing something they really enjoy, they have no trouble paying attention. But focusing deliberate, conscious attention to organizing and completing a task or learning something new is difficult.

Homework is particularly hard for these children. They will forget to write down an assignment, or leave it at school. They will forget to bring a book home, or bring the wrong one. The homework, if finally finished, is full of errors and erasures. Homework is often accompanied by frustration for both parent and child.
The DSM-IV-TR gives these signs of inattention:

• Often becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds

• Often failing to pay attention to details and making careless mistakes

• Rarely following instructions carefully and completely losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and tools needed for a task

• Often skipping from one uncompleted activity to another.
Children diagnosed with the Predominantly Inattentive Type of ADHD are seldom impulsive or hyperactive, yet they have significant problems paying attention.

They appear to be daydreaming, “spacey,” easily confused, slow moving, and lethargic. They may have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as other children. When the teacher gives oral or even written instructions, this child has a hard time understanding what he or she is supposed to do and makes frequent mistakes. Yet the child may sit quietly, unobtrusively, and even appear to be working but not fully attending to or understanding the task and the instructions.

These children don’t show significant problems with impulsivity and overactivity in the classroom, on the school ground, or at home. They may get along better with other children than the more impulsive and hyperactive types of ADHD, and they may not have the same sorts of social problems so common with the combined type of ADHD. So often their problems with inattention are overlooked. But they need help just as much as children with other types of ADHD, who cause more obvious problems in the classroom.

Is It Really ADHD?

Not everyone who is overly hyperactive, inattentive, or impulsive has ADHD. Since most people sometimes blurt out things they didn’t mean to say, or jump from one task to another, or become disorganized and forgetful, how can specialists tell if the problem is ADHD?

Because everyone shows some of these behaviors at times, the diagnosis requires that such behavior be demonstrated to a degree that is inappropriate for the person’s age. The diagnostic guidelines also contain specific requirements for determining when the symptoms indicate ADHD. The behaviors must appear early in life, before age 7, and continue for at least 6 months.

Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person’s life such as in the schoolroom, on the playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings. So someone who shows some symptoms but whose schoolwork or friendships are not impaired by these behaviors would not be diagnosed with ADHD. Nor would a child who seems overly active on the playground but functions well elsewhere receive an ADHD diagnosis.

To assess whether a child has ADHD, specialists consider several critical questions: Are these behaviors excessive, long-term, and pervasive? That is, do they occur more often than in other children the same age? Are they a continuous problem, not just a response to a temporary situation? Do the behaviors occur in several settings or only in one specific place like the playground or in the schoolroom? The person’s pattern of behavior is compared against a set of criteria and characteristics of the disorder as listed in the DSM-IV-TR.

Best Wishes and Lot’s of Love,
Arthur Buchanan

Out of Darkness & Into the Light
209 Ellis Ave. Suite 1313
Bellevue, Ohio44811

567-217-1133 (Home)

They are calling Arthur Buchanan’s methods of recovering from mental illness REVOLUTIONARY! (MEDICALCOLLEGE OF MICHIGAN) ‘Arthur Buchanan has given us a revolutionary blue print for recovery in these uncertain times, when Mental Illness at a all time high in the United States of America, yet if you follow this young mans methods, we assure you of positive results and I QUOTE ‘If these methods are followed precisely, their is no way you can’t see positive results with whatever illness you have’ -Dr. Herbert Palos Detroit, Michigan

Listen to Arthur Buchanan on the Mike Litman Show!

LISTEN TODAY!

www.freesuccessaudios.com/Artlive.mp3

www.out-of-darkness.com www.biologicalhappiness.com

www.adhdandme.com www.mentalillnessandme.com