Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is an illness that has been recognized in both adults and children. The disorder has afflicted many people, and the number of people diagnosed with ADHD has skyrocketed in recent years. ADHD is defined by deficiencies in resistance to distraction, sustained concentration, restlessness, and behavioral inhabitation. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is known by many different names, including hyperkinetic reaction, hyperactive kid syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactive child syndrome. According to a 2003 CDC report, an estimated 4.4 million youths aged 4 to 17 were diagnosed with ADHD. About 2.5 million of those diagnosed were receiving medical attention.

ADHD and the nature of self-control

Basing ideas on ADHD and how it is related to the nature of self-response or control, one can argue that individuals suffering from the ADHD condition have a significant deficit of self-control. However, attention problems caused by disorder can be characterized as a secondary disease (Tice, Baumeister, Shmueli and Muraven, 2007). The disease is known to develop over time, and during this course, children behavior may change, and they lose control over the same. Their actions may shift from being controlled externally, and they tend to be governed by internal standards and rules. For example, a child diagnosed with this disorder may find it difficult to prevent control themselves from acting or doing things on impulse. The disease makes them move without giving a second thought to what they are doing. Also, when a child is in a position to control their emotions from acting on impulse, it is always evident that something in their surrounding is preventing them. For example, a playing child may monitor their feelings from destroying their playing toys when frustrated due to their parent’s presence. The child is refrained because he or she knows the parent may give punishment if the toys are thrown away.

The critical deficit of self-regulation

Self-control is the critical deficit that has been associated with ADHD. Self-regulation is based on biological reasons and not on parenting. When a child cannot meet individual self-regulation, essential functions in the body, including psychological processes may fail to develop as required in an optimal way (Muraven et al., 2007). Some of the functions that can fail due to the deficit of self-regulation include working memory. Children with ADHD always show signs of little working memory. They find it difficult to recall past events or make predictions about what they think of to happen in the future. Dealing daily activities and situations have become a big challenge. As the ADHD condition continues to develop, their conditions worsen as they cannot recall simple things like what one ate for breakfast.

Impairment of time senses

The ADHD condition lowers one's ability to internalize speech. One's behavior and actions free guide. The situation makes it difficult for children to solve problems or regulate their activities. ADHD patients tend to lose track of time in most cases. They find it hard to track time passage and change their behavior. One cannot compare and come with an assumption of time required to finish a given task. Time evaluation is something often required by everyone in the day to day activities. Time senses in persons with the ADHD condition are impaired, and that's why their behaviors are not modified in response to time demands in the real world. The feeling of time impairment can be identified in an adolescent with this condition since they tend to take more time than allocated in handling their projects.

Difficulty in establishing goals

The ADHD may prevent a child from establishing goals in their minds. Children with this disorder cannot develop internal images to help shape, direct, and guide direct actions they take. They lose persistent and consistent efforts to enable them to achieve long-term ambitions and goals.

Coping with difficulties

ADHD as a disorder of self-control has significant implications on a child in understanding how to cope up with the difficulties they face. Individuals with ADHD may have the knowledge and skills to live a successful life, but rather, the problems they face of self-control often hinder them from applying the skills and knowledge at necessary times. The disorder makes the individuals face problems when facing stressful situations. In most cases, they solve their problems by doing what they want to do rather than what they know. For example, a child diagnosed with ADHD may be in a position to know that the necessary virtues of making friends are sharing and cooperating (Tice et al., 2007). However, the child may fail to remember and apply this knowledge with his fellows. Or, the child may have the idea of the steps required for in doing a good project, but the child may apply this knowledge because of issues with time management.

Treatment strategies for children with ADHD

Treatments given to the children with ADHD are aimed at helping them implement the knowledge they have at required times, rather than teaching them specific skills and knowledge. To help the children apply knowledge, they have needed visible reminders and cues. The visible reminders are aimed at helping guide them because they have less experienced internal guides. The children need to be provided with frequent reminders to guide them on how to behave when interacting with their peers. For the attainment of this goal, it is therefore required to take them through some social rules before they join their peers in playgrounds. It is much better reminding the children with ADHD of the rules as they play at regular intervals. They will tend to grasp a little from the reminders improving their general memory and how to relate to their peers.

Classroom rules and regulations

In regards to helping the disordered children follow classroom rules and regulations, and how to enable them to have their work done, one way to achieve this can be by writing down rules on signs all over the classroom. One can also post class rules on a card and tape them on their desks. When the children are given work, they can be provided with a headphone to listen to recorded reminders to enable them to stay on the task. The principle of these examples is to compensate and cover up for the children with ADHD inability to control their behavior by themselves. The external means prompts and remind them of what is required of them in applying the knowledge they already have.

External prompts and limitations

The children with ADHD may show improvements since the external prompts may appear sufficient (Walter et al., 2013). However, the external prompt may have limitations since its effectiveness is based on a child's motivation in following the rules provided rather than preferring their alternatives that they may consider appealing. Children with ADHD are so responsive to immediate consequences. The state drives the limitation of external prompts being practical. However, attractive short-term procedures will often be followed. For one to achieve a child's motivation in meeting his behavioral expectations as per required, it is necessary to provide them with privileges and rewards when they meet their attractive and appealing expectations. Awards provided to children with ADHD may be difficult. For example, one might have a problem telling a child with ADHD that doing best at school by cooperating with the teachers will result in a reward over the weekend. The anticipation of this reward can guide a child behavior through the whole week. This is because for a child with ADHD, his expression control depends on what they have internalized and believed.

Long-term treatments and self-regulation

In overcoming the reward problem, long-term objectives need to be broken into many shorter-goals, and every goal should be associated with its award. The rewards are as per how every child is understood by those taking care of him. For example, bearing in consideration a particular weekend treatment, one may need to supplement it by daily privileges necessary on helping the child meet specific behavioral expectations. A day’s behavioral expectations should be broken down into many shorter intervals. The various intervals will help remind the child about what he or she is expecting, and what he will achieve by meeting these expectations. Carrying out these plans is apparently complicated, hence, making it as one of the reasons why the implementation of effective treatment strategies is challenging. Children with ADHD are not neglected because of the condition they are undergoing (Walter et al., 2013). Instead, individuals need to escalate the children's accountability by giving them more frequent checks and observing their behaviors. They further supplement the children's behavior by providing them with appropriate privileges and rewards when the children meet desired standard behaviors.

Long-term effects and adulthood

Children with ADHD requires regular long term treatments. Long-term treatments enable the ADHD children to self-regulate their behaviors based on the type of treatments given. Thus, treatments are a reflection of the ongoing efforts that are aimed at managing the child's disorder rather that curing the ADHD. As the children mature, they gain their self-regulation abilities. Even though the children may never catch up with their peers, their abilities to govern and guide their behavior based on private means will have developed and grown. Over time, therefore, ADHD children will indicate a decrease reliance on external sources for their motivation. The intensity and frequency with which the provision of external resources will have reduced. Eventually, when approaching adulthood, individuals with ADHD may learn and have ideas on how to come up with their external prompts in list forms. They can further develop useful cues and reward themselves with rewards of their choice when they meet their voluntary standards.

Outgrowing ADHD and challenges in adulthood

Research results have estimated that from 15 percent to 50 percent of children with ADHD finally outgrow the disorder. Adults with ADHD are likely to appear undereducated compared to the educational background of their family. In most cases, they experience many difficulties with work adjustments. Most of them are underemployed in their occupations because of little intelligence and educational backgrounds. The adult with ADHD tends to change their jobs due to various reasons including boredom or some interpersonal challenges they experience at work. In most cases, they tend to have problems in making friends and turnovers in dating relationships. They are prone to marital problems and in most cases are always divorced. ADHD adults may face problems with speeding and follow traffic rules as they are many citations (Pedron and Cornoldi, 2007). They cause many accidents making their driving license be revoked.

ADHD subtypes

Those with ADHD can be placed in several subtypes, based on the combination of symptoms shown by an individual. ADHD people with impulse difficulties and have hyperactive behaviors and lack attention can be grouped as the Hyperactive impulse type. While the opposite pattern, persons without desire and are significantly inattentive can be arranged as a Predominantly inactive type. However, most ADHD individuals manifest the two clinical features thus identified as being in the Combined Type. Research indicates that those in this group are likely to have developed their impulsive or hyperactive signs during their preschool years. At this mature age, such individuals may be diagnosed and found to be having Hyperactive-Impulse type. In such conditions, with time they develop difficulties with persistence and attention plan. Eventually, they are diagnosed as having the Combined Type.

Possible causes of ADHD

Less research has been considerably carried on the Predominantly Inattentive Type. The ADHD type used to be known as attention deficit disorder with an absence of hyperactivity. The ADHD occurrence is highly contributed to the natural phenomenon. Precise causes of this disease have not yet been found. However, there is little question on whether it may be provided to genetic causes. Studies show that ADHD heritability averages to about 80 percent are making it be identified as the most likely cause of the disorder. Research has not indicated that ADHD may rise due to an intake of excessive sugar, poor child management, food additives or excessive concentration on television (Pedro et al., 2007). However, it has been identified that some drugs used on children to treat seizure may increase cause side effects and improve symptoms of ADHD in children.

Medication and behavioral therapy

In conclusion, according to Barkley’s notion, medications normalize the disorder thus may appear useful. Medicating ADHD may develop behavioral inhabitation which is its main core feature. Medication is the current treatment that may be considered available for the treatment of ADHD. Its results have currently proved to be effective. Barkley's theory has significantly advanced many people's reasoning about ADHD. His approach has been used to organize many kinds of literature and taken account in clinical observations when dealing with the ADHD. Finally, medication treatment and behavior therapy are the most pursued approaches in addressing ADHD. Currently, the two interventions enjoy the strongest empirical support. Provision of rewards and external prompts only compensate on for a child's deficit instead of correct them. However, treatment provides short-term improvements on the child's deficits, which finally vanishes from their system depending on the effectiveness of the medication.

References

Mischel, Walter. Personality and assessment. Abingdon: Psychology Press, 2013.

Re, A. M., Pedron, M., & Cornoldi, C. (2007). Expressive writing difficulties in children described as exhibiting ADHD symptoms. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 40(3), 244-255.

Tice, D. M., Baumeister, R. F., Shmueli, D., & Muraven, M. (2007). Restoring the self: Positive affect helps improve self-regulation following ego depletion. Journal of experimental social psychology, 43(3), 379-384.