APA RESEARCH PAPER

Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

Introduction

Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder can be characterized in children by the way that they cannot sit still for a prolonged period of time. Children with ADHD will often exhibit outward signs of discomfort or hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. It is considered to be a chronic disorder that affects more than a million children and is known to persist into adulthood as they grow older. In this paper, I will be analyzing what the characteristics of ADHD are and what treatments are utilized to ensure its control.

Discussion

There are many different characteristics of ADHD, with sufferers having a difficult time in social situations. In children, the performance during the crucial school years is affected negatively because of this disorder, a time that is most sensitive for the proper growth of the mind. Due to this, the child might experience difficulties in forming functional relationships with their peers, and might tend to become aggressive instead. There would also be problems in self esteem that would take hold of a child, making them more and more anti-social with age. ADHD can eventually become a serious problem and a hindrance in adults being able to grow up in the “standard” manner.

Causes of ADHD

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder is a psychological disorder which is developed in the early stages of infancy. Parents are often known to worry if they have contributed somehow to their child's psychological well being. While the causes of this disorder are not commonly known, psychological assessments of patients often show that children who have one sibling or more are more than likely to have this disorder. Children being raised by single parents also make up large numbers among those suffering from ADHD, and have problems in their adulthood with the disorder as well. Causes of the disorder may also be linked to traumatic brain injuries or previous neurological disorders (Web MD, 2009). Neurotransmitters play an important role in ADHD and imbalance in the transmission of these might result in ADHD. In some cases, malnutrition or lack of care taken by the mother before birth has contributed to the disorder as well (Sharp & Odle, 2009, p. 1 ). While several scientists and medical professionals believe the causes of ADHD may be traced into being hereditary, that might not be the case every time. Children develop the disorder without having any previous implications of having a short attention span, might just one day have a certain change in behavior (Web MD, 2009). The biggest cause that is being considered for this disorder are external factors such as peer pressure and so on. However, even then, there has been altered brain functions recorded in children who develop ADHD early. Brain scans reveal distinct changes in brain functions and very relevant differences in the structure of brains of children suffering from ADHD.

Symptoms of the disorder are varied, but officially there are three subtypes of the disorder. These are:

Primarily Inattentive Types - These are individuals varying from children ...