What Evidence Underpins the Use of Medication for Supporting Students with ADHD - Term Paper Example

Since the number of children diagnosed with ADHD is rising and so is the number of children being prescribed these stimulants and other medications, safety issues are a major public concern. In this context, the current paper also aims to study the safety issues associated with medications commonly prescribed for ADHD.ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a developmental disorder now established to be of neurobiological origin resulting due to disturbances in the dopamine system (Hughes & Cooper, 2007).

The multidimensional nature of the ADHD symptoms renders the definition and diagnosis of the disease complex. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) defines ADHD as “a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and more severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development” (APA, 2000). It provides a list of 18 core behavioral symptoms divided into two subsets; inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity.

Each of these is further characterized by nine symptoms. On the basis of symptomatic profile the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) classifies ADHD into three subtypes viz. predominantly inattentive (ADHD-IA), predominantly hyperactive-impulsive (ADHD-HI) and the combined type (ADHD-CT) (APA, 1994). The individuals diagnosed with ADHD form a highly diverse group with most children being assigned the zone of ambiguity (Parens &Johnston, 2009). A positive diagnosis is confirmed by the observation of at least six of the core symptoms in a child below the age of 7, the presence of which must lead to a disturbed function in any two settings (McClellan & Werry, 1997).

The disorder has wide implications for students as they struggle to focus on their studies. It is the most common paediatric psychiatric disorder (Swanson et al, 1998), with an estimated prevalence of 5% to 10% in children (Biederman, 2005); and 2% to 8% in preschoolers (Egger et al., 2006). Recent estimates of the prevalence of ADHD by US Centres for Disease Control report that up to 8.4% of American children in the age group of 6-17 years have been diagnosed with the disorder at some stage (Parens & Johnston, 2009).

Global estimates of prevalence are difficult to determine due to the heterogeneity of the symptoms and terminology.