Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among School-Aged Children - Essay Example

            Emily and John said that the school called for a conference eight months ago to discuss Carl’s behavior in class.  Emily and John were in disbelief that anything was wrong because he never had issues reported before.  Carl’s teacher reported that he was making careless mistakes in his school work; having difficulty keeping attention on tasks; and avoiding doing work that required more than 3 minutes of thought.  She reported to Emily and John that he was always losing his pencils and was very distracted.  The teacher went on to tell Emily and John that Carl would fidget and appeared to have difficulty staying still.  He also talked excessively in class which disrupted the other students.  Carl would blurt out answers and had difficulty waiting his turn.  Emily and John were shocked by this report and said that their son did appear to have a hard time staying on task and paying attention but they did not think it was this bad.  The teacher then recommended that they take Carl to be evaluated for ADHD.  Emily and John said they brought him to a child psychologist who diagnosed him with ADHD and told them that he was a “classical” case, but with the proper treatment, he would be fine.  The school also classified him as having ADHD and provide him with modified work assignments that are shorter in length and the school provides him with space to go to when he is feeling overwhelmed to calm down.

            Emily and John said that they did not feel comfortable with medicating their son; but would continue to bring him to therapy to work on behavioral issues.  As of the last session Carl had with the psychologist he has progressed with his ability to focus.  Emily and John report that with a routine and organization, he has been doing better.  Emily and John use goals and rewards to encourage him to listen and complete tasks while at school and at home.  Emily and John said they are not sure where he “got” ADHD from, but they do believe that there is a genetic disposition as John was also diagnosed when he was a teenager with ADHD.  Carl’s psychologist also believes that genetics play a role in his diagnosis.  The belief genetics contributed to Carl’s diagnosis, but has not affected or changed his treatment modality; however, it does make Emily and John think about having more children as they do not want another child to have to deal with these problems.

Looking at Carl it was as if he was wound up and had a hundred things going on in his mind.  He appeared frustrated with what appeared to be simple tasks.  He just appeared to his parents as “lost.”  His parents said that after six months of therapy and the new techniques, he is like a “new child”.  They said that he seems happier now that he knows what his routine will be for the day; and because things are broken down for him, he appears to have slightly better focus.  This writer does not believe ADHD has skyrocketed in recent years but believes that there are better early intervention tools available now and more doctors and teachers are picking up on children’s behaviors than they were 20 years ago.  This writer does have concerns about treatments given to children diagnosed with ADHD.  There are still a large number of doctors that are quick to just prescribe medication and not look into the behavioral piece of the diagnosis.  This writer believes that a lot of children are overmedicated and because of this suffer secondary issues as a side effect of being medicated; such as insomnia and eating issues.  This can create more stress on the child and the parents.  Thus, discouraging the parents from seeking other alternatives for fear that it will not work either.