Lifespan Development Paper
Introduction
To define development, development is “the act or process of developing; growth; progress: child development (dictionarycom 2011.)” Development is defined as "the pattern of movement or change that starts at beginning and carry on all the way through the human life span. Psychologist has proposed Life begins at the time an individual is conceived to the time he or she dies. Life span development is the stages of life, and all of us have to pass through these different stages in life. Life span development has many different concerns and characteristics. In this paper, the writer will identify and analyze the selected condition and describe the biological, sensory, perceptual, motor, and physical development of the mind and …show more content…
body and how the selected condition affects the individual. The writer will evaluate the impact of nutrition, eating behavior, and overall health on physical development and life expectancy in individuals with our selected condition. Identifying and analyzing these conditions will help the writer better understand the impact the select condition may have and the influence the condition has on the social world and relationships.
Visual Impairments
What is Visual Impairment? “Visual Impairment refers to all degrees of reduction in vision. Visual Impairment is defined as having no more vision than light perception in both eyes and where corrective lenses would make no difference (Understand Intellectual Disability & Health 2011).” Vision Impairment measured into five categories of impairment. “Low vision 1 is a best corrected visual 20/70, Low vision 2 starts at 20/200, blindness 3 is below 20/400, blindness 4 worse than 5/400, blindness 4 is worse than 5/300 and blindness 5 is no light perception at all (Medical Dictionary 2008.)” Normal vision readers can read from a distance of 20 ft, from a 20/20 vision.
Some of causes of visual impairment are Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetes Mellitus, and Cataracts. Visual Impairment affects some babies at his or her prenatal development stage. Visual impairment can be transmitted from the mother to baby during the pregnancy. Some of the conditions vision impairment for an infant are; Amblyopia, Amblyopia reduces vision in the eye of a child from lack of usage, cataracts, some babies are born with congenital cataracts systems include double vision, difficulty seeing, blurry vision and colors that fad, and diabetic retinopathy, diabetic retinopathy occurs when the tiny blood vessels in the infant retina are damaged because the infant develop diabetes.
Visual Impairment plays an important role in motor and physical development. Vision controls and guides the performance of motor skills. Visual impairment affects the learning in social, cognitive development areas in language, social, and motor. Motor skills are important in the emotional and social functioning that may impact the quality of life for a child. Vision impairment enables children movements and causes them to be in dangerous situations. Visual impairment affects individual’s environment and affect the individual mind in ways that causes the individual to have low self-esteem and become depress.
Good nutrition plays a role in visual impairment. Children that have vitamin A deficiency can develop corneal degeneration. There are several treatments for visual impairment. Telescopes, hand magnifiers, and prisms may be used in having vision impairment. Individuals with Visual impairment have a greater emotional distress than those with stable visual impairment. For those individual that are blind there are several resources an individual can contact to improve the quality of life such as mobility training, audio books and guard dogs. There are also schools designed for the blind and social security assistant. Regular eye exams and general check- ups are important in detecting eye problems.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or AD/HD or ADD) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder. It is primarily characterized by the co-existence of attention problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone and symptoms starting before seven years of age. ADHD is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often persists into adulthood. Problems associated with ADHD include inattention and hyperactive, impulsive behavior. Children with ADHD may struggle with low self-esteem, troubled relationships and poor performance in school.
A specific cause of ADHD is not known. There are, however, a number of factors that may contribute to, or exacerbate ADHD. They include genetics, diet and social and physical environments. Over the past decades, concepts of ADHD have evolved from narrow behavioral symptom clusters to broader notions of deficient self-regulation; and from a focus on lower brain centers to theories that involve frontal and prefrontal regulation (Hinshaw 1994; Hynd, Horn, Voller et al 1991). Conceptions of underlying mechanisms must be able to account for a wide range of problems including those of academic, social and cognitive dimensions. For example, DSM-IV field trials separated dimensions of inattentive/restless from impulsive/hyperactive behaviors. It is possible that varying subgroups of ADHD (and co-morbid conditions) may relate to various vulnerability factors, which may push the child past the threshold of disorder. Further large-scale genetic studies are needed to determine genetic versus environmental influences on ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder as well as relationships to language and learning disabilities (Levy, Hay, McLaughlin et al 1996).
ADHD may accompany other disorders such as anxiety or depression. Such combinations can greatly complicate diagnosis and treatment. Academic studies and research in private practice suggest that depression in ADHD appears to be increasingly prevalent in children as they get older, with a higher rate of increase in girls than in boys, and to vary in prevalence with the subtype of ADHD. Where a mood disorder complicates ADHD it would be prudent to treat the mood disorder first, but parents of children who have ADHD often wish to have the ADHD treated first, because the response to treatment is quicker. ADHD exists alone in only about one-third of the children diagnosed with it. Many co-existing conditions require other courses of treatment and should be diagnosed separately instead of being grouped in the ADHD diagnosis. Some of the associated conditions are Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Mood, Bipolar, Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders.
Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD are especially difficult to define because it is hard to draw the line at where normal levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity end and clinically significant levels requiring intervention begin. To be diagnosed with ADHD, symptoms must be observed in two different settings for six months or more and to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age. The symptom categories of ADHD in children yield three potential classifications of ADHD—predominantly inattentive type, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, or combined type if criteria for both subtypes are met. Symptoms may persist into adulthood for up to half of children diagnosed with ADHD. Estimating this is difficult as there are no official diagnostic criteria for ADHD in adults. ADHD in adults remains a clinical diagnosis. The signs and symptoms may differ from those during childhood and adolescence due to the adaptive processes and avoidance mechanisms learned during the process of socialization. A 2009 study found that children with ADHD move around a lot because it helps them stay alert enough to complete challenging tasks.
Children diagnosed with ADHD have significant difficulties in adolescence, regardless of treatment.
In the United States, 37 percent of those with ADHD do not get a high school diploma even though many of them will receive special education services. A 1995 briefing citing a 1994 book review says the combined outcomes of the expulsion and dropout rates indicate that almost half of all ADHD students never finish high school. Also in the US, less than 5 percent of individuals with ADHD get a college degree compared to 28 percent of the general population. Those with ADHD as children are at increased risk of a number of adverse life outcomes once they become teenagers. These include a greater risk of auto crashes, injury and higher medical expenses, earlier sexual activity, and teen pregnancy. Russell Barkley states that adult ADHD impairments affect "education, occupation, social relationships, sexual activities, dating and marriage, parenting and offspring psychological morbidity, crime and drug abuse, health and related lifestyles, financial management, or driving. ADHD can be found to produce diverse and serious impairments". The proportion of children meeting the diagnostic criteria for ADHD drops by about 50 percent over three years after the diagnosis. This occurs regardless of the treatments used and also occurs in untreated children with ADHD. It persists into adulthood in about 30 to 50 percent of cases. Those affected are likely to develop coping mechanisms as they …show more content…
mature, thus compensating for their previous ADHD.
Methods of treatment often involve some combination of behavior modification, life-style changes, counseling, and medication.
A 2005 study found that medical management and behavioral treatment is the most effective ADHD management strategy, followed by medication alone, and then behavioral treatment. While medication has been shown to improve behavior when taken over the short term, they have not been shown to alter long term outcomes. Treatment of ADHD helps control the ADHD symptoms, including inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Consistent ADHD treatment can improve the ability of the person with ADHD to function better in school, at work, and in social situations. Treatment for ADHD is multifaceted. It consists of ADHD medications or behavioral modification therapy or both. ADHD treatment should be tailored to meet the unique needs of the child or adult who has ADHD as well as the needs of the
family.
Stepfamilies and Blended Families
Marriage is an oath that two people take to love and honor each other until death. Many people strongly believe this oath and live up to it, but there are those marriages that do not last. The marriage rate has fallen nearly 30% since 1970 and the divorce rate has increased about 40% (Divorce, nd). There are an estimated 1,075,000 children involved in divorce or 16.8 children per one thousand under the age of eighteen who are involved in their parents ' divorce (Divorce, nd). Children are always affected by divorce even if it is a settle transition. Many families go through divorce every year and each family handles the situation differently. This is the interview of one family who has learned to live in a stepfamily world.
Ginger Lacey married her first husband 16 years ago. They had two children together and then ended their marriage just five years after the shared their vows. Ginger raised her two daughters by herself until she met her husband Mike. Mike and Ginger started dating in 1999 and married in 2004. Ginger’s daughter’s where just five and two when Mike and Ginger married. Mike vowed to raise them as his own. They moved to Ohio just months before they married and bought their first house together. Now 11 years after they started dating Ginger and Mike share their struggles and highlights of living in a world that so many people do every day. Mike and Ginger share their daughters with the biological father. They girls go every other weekend, to Pennsylvania, and for at last two weeks out of the summer. When it comes to functions at school or with sports but Mike and Ginger and the biological father show their support. Mike and Ginger have opened their door and let the girl’s father come over and share special moments. Mike stated that this is sometimes hard because he sits in the same house, his house, with his wife’s ex-husband. He says he knows that he is not a threat it is just weird how friendly they are (Conger, 2010). Mike and Ginger both agreed that they would rather have the openness then fight. Ginger says that where they have come from she would take the friendship any day (Ginger, 2010).
Mike has struggled and fought for the father title and for both girls to listen and understand his role. He was the main father figure in their lives for a long time while their father spent time in prison for felonies that he committed. Mike states that all he ever wanted was a happy family even if it meant never having his own children (Conger, 2010). Mike loves the girls and treats them as his own. During conversation he referred to both girls as his daughters. He talked about how there have been struggles in their marriage because there are times where he wants to step up and discipline but he feels out of place. Ginger knows that he is a great father and she wishes that her daughters would have more respect for the man that has helped raised them and pay for the roof over their heads. Over the years the girls have had the option to call Mike by his real name or Dad. About seven years back they both started calling him dad. When asked why they both stated that he was there Dad because he was always there for them and he would do anything to make sure they were happy and safe (Clark, 2010). Both Ginger and Mike know that they have a great family and they know that there have been some struggles but in the end they feel that they have done the best that they could for having a stepfamily. Neither Mike nor Ginger regrets their past and they know that their daughters have been given the best life that they could have.
Shortly after the interview, Mike and Ginger started questioning their relationship and the past 11 years that they have spent together. They know that they love each other but with money troubles and the issues with having two teenage daughters have pushed the limits on their relationship. Ginger later called me stating that all the questions that where asked during the interview made them realize how many issues they have faced over the years that they just brushed off and never talked about. She knows that Mike loves the girls and considers them as his own, but she also knows that he has always had a hard time with never having his own children. Though they talked about it and agreed never to have children it is always something that weighed on the back of his mind (Ginger, 2010). Ginger knows that things will heal over time, but it is just a point in their lives where they now can look back and question what they have done and why they are in the position they are in right at this point.
Families Dealing With Taking Care of Older People
One of the last steps in a person’s lifespan is considered late adulthood which ranges from 60’s and 70’s until death. Some people in their late adulthood years may end up going to retirement homes or even be able to live in their own home with occasional assistance. For many the late adulthood years are spent living with family.
When a person in their late adulthood years lives with family members there are adjustments that need to be made on both sides. A person in their late adulthood has to resign themselves to the fact that he or she does not have complete control over their lives now. An elderly person living among family will have to make allowances for normal occurrences that they might have previously avoided such as people coming and going at odd hours or music and televisions going at times he or she would have normally been asleep. The difference in age groups alone can cause problems if both sides are not willing to compromise. Elderly people facing a new environment need time to acclimate to their new environment. Having several generations within one household in many countries is normal. In the United States many elderly are looked at as out of touch with society or even as a burden to some. In places around the world the same ideas about the elderly are the opposite. An example would be how in many Asian cultures the elderly are revered as being full of wisdom and cherished.
The changes people must make when faced with living with elderly are going to take time and understanding. Many people in younger generations do not understand why some elderly seem set in their ways, but sometimes there are reasons behind their routines or rules. Change is not often met with ease when dealing with the elderly. Something subtle such as not being able to eat or use the bathroom at their normal time can cause problems as they get older. As people age many of their normal functions such as eating and using the restroom become scheduled. These actions becoming scheduled can be both good and bad depending on the way a person looks at the situation. If an elderly person all of a sudden does not want to eat at their normal time or have a problem with urinating more frequently then they previously did then this could be a sign of something that needs to be checked out by a doctor. The bad side of routine for an elderly person is the more routine something is the less they are exercising their brain and skills to complete the task. As people get older there is a great need to be challenged in order to retain cognitive skills. The same can also be said for physical challenges such as exercise. An older person that is challenged both mentally as well as physically everyday has a better chance at retaining the ability for a longer period.
There are other changes that could potentially happen for someone in their late adulthood that their family must deal with. Health issues are a very real possibility for someone in their late adulthood years. Some of the types of health issues that an elderly person could deal with are diabetes which is not only found in the elderly, but certain concerns need to be addressed such as medication and the appropriate care for their diet as well as physical care. The possibility of stroke or heart attacks can leave a person unable to care for themselves even in some of the simplest of tasks. In the elderly a stroke is more likely to be fatal, but when it does not kill the person it severely debilitates them. Another very real problem that many elderly face is Alzheimer disease or dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the decline of a person’s mental functioning. Alzheimer is not reserved for the elderly only but can be seen in people as young as 30, but this is considered rare and are shown to be predominantly in people above a certain age. One problem that can occur with elderly that may take time and effort to treat is the occurrence of depression among the elderly. The loss of freedom, health problems, as well as the possibility of the loss of a loved one or friends means the elderly are almost constantly faced with situations that would be hard for anyone to handle.
In all living with an elderly person does pose much change and even heartache on both sides. There is without a doubt advantages for both sides when dealing with this situation as well. The younger generation has the benefit of having the knowledge and wisdom of someone that has seen far more of life then he or she has witnessed. The firsthand account of history and cultural lessons are things that cannot be taught in books. As we people get older having younger people around you will give you the constant challenge that is needed to maintain a healthy life both mentally and physically. The social interaction is vital when dealing with those in their late adulthood years. For many in their later years socializing becomes increasingly harder as mobility becomes harder. Having a loving and supportive family around you can more than make up for the lack of mobility and help keep many thriving even as they age.
Families Who Have Lost A Child To Death
Death is something every person must deal with eventually because it is a part of the natural progression of life. From the moment we are born we all start to die. For some people the natural progression is interrupted by unexpected life events and certain things we take for granted are changed. The attitude towards death differs greatly depending on where and what culture is involved. In many other countries as well as in the U.S. malnourishment, disease, poor living condition, unavoidable events and even by choice are some of the reasons many children lose their lives. For many in the United States it is the natural progression of life that a person expects their children to outlive them, especially in today’s society where life expectancy is higher than it was many years ago and infant mortality rates have changed due to medical advances. The death of a child is something that no parent wants to ever face. For many it seems an abomination to outlive your own child. There are some common circumstances in the United States in which the death of a child occurs such as illness, accidents, violence, abortions ,and suicide .The loss of a child is great be it an infant that was able to only take a single breath or an adult that has lived many years.
When a child dies the grief does not belong solely to the parents, but the family as a whole. The sudden loss of a sibling can be devastating to a child especially if the siblings were close. Having to explain death to a child is hard enough for a parent, but to have to explain following the unexpected loss of a child is extremely hard when dealing with their own grief. In some instances a parent might retreat from the family emotionally as well as mentally and perhaps physically. In this any child that needs the reassurance after the loss of a sibling could potentially be scared by not finding this reassurance because a parent has retreated in such a way. There different types of grieving depending on the way a person continues after the loss of a loved one. To some after an allowable time many people are expected to move on with their lives. If a person is not able to move on or has difficulty moving on it is considered complicated or prolonged grief. Prolonged grief is quite common when dealing with the loss of a child this grief can have create problems both physically and mentally for the griever as well as those surrounding them. There is also detached grief for those that are not able to grieve in a normal way. Often this type of grief is associated when the death has a stigma attached or the sorrow is not expressed outwardly for whatever reasons. In many instances the type of grieving that is wanted to attain is the duel process where a person is able to mourn the loss of a loved one, but also acknowledge that they are in a better place or that they are no longer suffering as they did in life.
Grieving the loss of a loved one changes from culture to culture. As mentioned before there are said to be consequences both mentally as well as physically for those that are felt to grieve too long or continue to dwell on their loss, but in some cultures this very behavior is encouraged. For some sharing a person’s pain with others that may have experienced a similar type of loss is how they cope with death. In some cultures a person is encouraged to move on and forget the deceased as quickly as possible. Another tradition is to mourn the loss of a loved one by being joyful and celebrating their memory. In the United States the common method of mourning is to give a time of grieving while remembering to celebrate or acknowledge their passing on the anniversary of their passing.
Whichever way a person is taught to mourn or the way they feel they need to express their grief there is no denying that the loss of a child is very real regardless of how he or she was lost. Whether the child was lost in a country that sees more than their fair share of infant deaths or in a country that does everything to combat the problem the loss of a child is something no parent ever forgets.
Conclusion From birth till death many decisions are made. In the beginning these decisions are made by parents or legal guardians and as an individual grows, beliefs and values are instilled in each person in hopes that each one will grow up and being happy and safe. No one knows what the outcome of life will hold for them but each person has the choice of what road to take. Some may be blessed in having the road right in front of them while others may struggle with personal and physical issues. Throughout these interviews many people shared their stories on where they are in life and what helped them get there. Through all the issues each individual shared, the writer was able to gather the information and put together a paper stating each issue and outcome. The writer was able to identify and analyze the selected conditions and describe the biological, sensory, perceptual, motor, and physical development of the mind and body and how the selected condition affects each individual.
References
Dim sightedness, (2008) Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Retrieved December 30, 2010, from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Dimsightedness
Understand Intellectual Disability & Health (2011), Intellectual Disability, Retrieved December 30, 2010, from http://www.intellectualdisability.info
To define development, development is “the act or process of developing; growth; progress: child development (dictionarycom 2011.)” Development is defined as "the pattern of movement or change that starts at beginning and carry on all the way through the human life span. Psychologist has proposed Life begins at the time an individual is conceived to the time he or she dies. Life span development is the stages of life, and all of us have to pass through these different stages in life. Life span development has many different concerns and characteristics. In this paper, the writer will identify and analyze the selected condition and describe the biological, sensory, perceptual, motor, and physical development of the mind and …show more content…
body and how the selected condition affects the individual. The writer will evaluate the impact of nutrition, eating behavior, and overall health on physical development and life expectancy in individuals with our selected condition. Identifying and analyzing these conditions will help the writer better understand the impact the select condition may have and the influence the condition has on the social world and relationships.
Visual Impairments
What is Visual Impairment? “Visual Impairment refers to all degrees of reduction in vision. Visual Impairment is defined as having no more vision than light perception in both eyes and where corrective lenses would make no difference (Understand Intellectual Disability & Health 2011).” Vision Impairment measured into five categories of impairment. “Low vision 1 is a best corrected visual 20/70, Low vision 2 starts at 20/200, blindness 3 is below 20/400, blindness 4 worse than 5/400, blindness 4 is worse than 5/300 and blindness 5 is no light perception at all (Medical Dictionary 2008.)” Normal vision readers can read from a distance of 20 ft, from a 20/20 vision.
Some of causes of visual impairment are Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, Diabetes Mellitus, and Cataracts. Visual Impairment affects some babies at his or her prenatal development stage. Visual impairment can be transmitted from the mother to baby during the pregnancy. Some of the conditions vision impairment for an infant are; Amblyopia, Amblyopia reduces vision in the eye of a child from lack of usage, cataracts, some babies are born with congenital cataracts systems include double vision, difficulty seeing, blurry vision and colors that fad, and diabetic retinopathy, diabetic retinopathy occurs when the tiny blood vessels in the infant retina are damaged because the infant develop diabetes.
Visual Impairment plays an important role in motor and physical development. Vision controls and guides the performance of motor skills. Visual impairment affects the learning in social, cognitive development areas in language, social, and motor. Motor skills are important in the emotional and social functioning that may impact the quality of life for a child. Vision impairment enables children movements and causes them to be in dangerous situations. Visual impairment affects individual’s environment and affect the individual mind in ways that causes the individual to have low self-esteem and become depress.
Good nutrition plays a role in visual impairment. Children that have vitamin A deficiency can develop corneal degeneration. There are several treatments for visual impairment. Telescopes, hand magnifiers, and prisms may be used in having vision impairment. Individuals with Visual impairment have a greater emotional distress than those with stable visual impairment. For those individual that are blind there are several resources an individual can contact to improve the quality of life such as mobility training, audio books and guard dogs. There are also schools designed for the blind and social security assistant. Regular eye exams and general check- ups are important in detecting eye problems.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or AD/HD or ADD) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder. It is primarily characterized by the co-existence of attention problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone and symptoms starting before seven years of age. ADHD is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often persists into adulthood. Problems associated with ADHD include inattention and hyperactive, impulsive behavior. Children with ADHD may struggle with low self-esteem, troubled relationships and poor performance in school.
A specific cause of ADHD is not known. There are, however, a number of factors that may contribute to, or exacerbate ADHD. They include genetics, diet and social and physical environments. Over the past decades, concepts of ADHD have evolved from narrow behavioral symptom clusters to broader notions of deficient self-regulation; and from a focus on lower brain centers to theories that involve frontal and prefrontal regulation (Hinshaw 1994; Hynd, Horn, Voller et al 1991). Conceptions of underlying mechanisms must be able to account for a wide range of problems including those of academic, social and cognitive dimensions. For example, DSM-IV field trials separated dimensions of inattentive/restless from impulsive/hyperactive behaviors. It is possible that varying subgroups of ADHD (and co-morbid conditions) may relate to various vulnerability factors, which may push the child past the threshold of disorder. Further large-scale genetic studies are needed to determine genetic versus environmental influences on ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder as well as relationships to language and learning disabilities (Levy, Hay, McLaughlin et al 1996).
ADHD may accompany other disorders such as anxiety or depression. Such combinations can greatly complicate diagnosis and treatment. Academic studies and research in private practice suggest that depression in ADHD appears to be increasingly prevalent in children as they get older, with a higher rate of increase in girls than in boys, and to vary in prevalence with the subtype of ADHD. Where a mood disorder complicates ADHD it would be prudent to treat the mood disorder first, but parents of children who have ADHD often wish to have the ADHD treated first, because the response to treatment is quicker. ADHD exists alone in only about one-third of the children diagnosed with it. Many co-existing conditions require other courses of treatment and should be diagnosed separately instead of being grouped in the ADHD diagnosis. Some of the associated conditions are Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Mood, Bipolar, Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders.
Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD are especially difficult to define because it is hard to draw the line at where normal levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity end and clinically significant levels requiring intervention begin. To be diagnosed with ADHD, symptoms must be observed in two different settings for six months or more and to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age. The symptom categories of ADHD in children yield three potential classifications of ADHD—predominantly inattentive type, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, or combined type if criteria for both subtypes are met. Symptoms may persist into adulthood for up to half of children diagnosed with ADHD. Estimating this is difficult as there are no official diagnostic criteria for ADHD in adults. ADHD in adults remains a clinical diagnosis. The signs and symptoms may differ from those during childhood and adolescence due to the adaptive processes and avoidance mechanisms learned during the process of socialization. A 2009 study found that children with ADHD move around a lot because it helps them stay alert enough to complete challenging tasks.
Children diagnosed with ADHD have significant difficulties in adolescence, regardless of treatment.
In the United States, 37 percent of those with ADHD do not get a high school diploma even though many of them will receive special education services. A 1995 briefing citing a 1994 book review says the combined outcomes of the expulsion and dropout rates indicate that almost half of all ADHD students never finish high school. Also in the US, less than 5 percent of individuals with ADHD get a college degree compared to 28 percent of the general population. Those with ADHD as children are at increased risk of a number of adverse life outcomes once they become teenagers. These include a greater risk of auto crashes, injury and higher medical expenses, earlier sexual activity, and teen pregnancy. Russell Barkley states that adult ADHD impairments affect "education, occupation, social relationships, sexual activities, dating and marriage, parenting and offspring psychological morbidity, crime and drug abuse, health and related lifestyles, financial management, or driving. ADHD can be found to produce diverse and serious impairments". The proportion of children meeting the diagnostic criteria for ADHD drops by about 50 percent over three years after the diagnosis. This occurs regardless of the treatments used and also occurs in untreated children with ADHD. It persists into adulthood in about 30 to 50 percent of cases. Those affected are likely to develop coping mechanisms as they …show more content…
mature, thus compensating for their previous ADHD.
Methods of treatment often involve some combination of behavior modification, life-style changes, counseling, and medication.
A 2005 study found that medical management and behavioral treatment is the most effective ADHD management strategy, followed by medication alone, and then behavioral treatment. While medication has been shown to improve behavior when taken over the short term, they have not been shown to alter long term outcomes. Treatment of ADHD helps control the ADHD symptoms, including inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Consistent ADHD treatment can improve the ability of the person with ADHD to function better in school, at work, and in social situations. Treatment for ADHD is multifaceted. It consists of ADHD medications or behavioral modification therapy or both. ADHD treatment should be tailored to meet the unique needs of the child or adult who has ADHD as well as the needs of the
family.
Stepfamilies and Blended Families
Marriage is an oath that two people take to love and honor each other until death. Many people strongly believe this oath and live up to it, but there are those marriages that do not last. The marriage rate has fallen nearly 30% since 1970 and the divorce rate has increased about 40% (Divorce, nd). There are an estimated 1,075,000 children involved in divorce or 16.8 children per one thousand under the age of eighteen who are involved in their parents ' divorce (Divorce, nd). Children are always affected by divorce even if it is a settle transition. Many families go through divorce every year and each family handles the situation differently. This is the interview of one family who has learned to live in a stepfamily world.
Ginger Lacey married her first husband 16 years ago. They had two children together and then ended their marriage just five years after the shared their vows. Ginger raised her two daughters by herself until she met her husband Mike. Mike and Ginger started dating in 1999 and married in 2004. Ginger’s daughter’s where just five and two when Mike and Ginger married. Mike vowed to raise them as his own. They moved to Ohio just months before they married and bought their first house together. Now 11 years after they started dating Ginger and Mike share their struggles and highlights of living in a world that so many people do every day. Mike and Ginger share their daughters with the biological father. They girls go every other weekend, to Pennsylvania, and for at last two weeks out of the summer. When it comes to functions at school or with sports but Mike and Ginger and the biological father show their support. Mike and Ginger have opened their door and let the girl’s father come over and share special moments. Mike stated that this is sometimes hard because he sits in the same house, his house, with his wife’s ex-husband. He says he knows that he is not a threat it is just weird how friendly they are (Conger, 2010). Mike and Ginger both agreed that they would rather have the openness then fight. Ginger says that where they have come from she would take the friendship any day (Ginger, 2010).
Mike has struggled and fought for the father title and for both girls to listen and understand his role. He was the main father figure in their lives for a long time while their father spent time in prison for felonies that he committed. Mike states that all he ever wanted was a happy family even if it meant never having his own children (Conger, 2010). Mike loves the girls and treats them as his own. During conversation he referred to both girls as his daughters. He talked about how there have been struggles in their marriage because there are times where he wants to step up and discipline but he feels out of place. Ginger knows that he is a great father and she wishes that her daughters would have more respect for the man that has helped raised them and pay for the roof over their heads. Over the years the girls have had the option to call Mike by his real name or Dad. About seven years back they both started calling him dad. When asked why they both stated that he was there Dad because he was always there for them and he would do anything to make sure they were happy and safe (Clark, 2010). Both Ginger and Mike know that they have a great family and they know that there have been some struggles but in the end they feel that they have done the best that they could for having a stepfamily. Neither Mike nor Ginger regrets their past and they know that their daughters have been given the best life that they could have.
Shortly after the interview, Mike and Ginger started questioning their relationship and the past 11 years that they have spent together. They know that they love each other but with money troubles and the issues with having two teenage daughters have pushed the limits on their relationship. Ginger later called me stating that all the questions that where asked during the interview made them realize how many issues they have faced over the years that they just brushed off and never talked about. She knows that Mike loves the girls and considers them as his own, but she also knows that he has always had a hard time with never having his own children. Though they talked about it and agreed never to have children it is always something that weighed on the back of his mind (Ginger, 2010). Ginger knows that things will heal over time, but it is just a point in their lives where they now can look back and question what they have done and why they are in the position they are in right at this point.
Families Dealing With Taking Care of Older People
One of the last steps in a person’s lifespan is considered late adulthood which ranges from 60’s and 70’s until death. Some people in their late adulthood years may end up going to retirement homes or even be able to live in their own home with occasional assistance. For many the late adulthood years are spent living with family.
When a person in their late adulthood years lives with family members there are adjustments that need to be made on both sides. A person in their late adulthood has to resign themselves to the fact that he or she does not have complete control over their lives now. An elderly person living among family will have to make allowances for normal occurrences that they might have previously avoided such as people coming and going at odd hours or music and televisions going at times he or she would have normally been asleep. The difference in age groups alone can cause problems if both sides are not willing to compromise. Elderly people facing a new environment need time to acclimate to their new environment. Having several generations within one household in many countries is normal. In the United States many elderly are looked at as out of touch with society or even as a burden to some. In places around the world the same ideas about the elderly are the opposite. An example would be how in many Asian cultures the elderly are revered as being full of wisdom and cherished.
The changes people must make when faced with living with elderly are going to take time and understanding. Many people in younger generations do not understand why some elderly seem set in their ways, but sometimes there are reasons behind their routines or rules. Change is not often met with ease when dealing with the elderly. Something subtle such as not being able to eat or use the bathroom at their normal time can cause problems as they get older. As people age many of their normal functions such as eating and using the restroom become scheduled. These actions becoming scheduled can be both good and bad depending on the way a person looks at the situation. If an elderly person all of a sudden does not want to eat at their normal time or have a problem with urinating more frequently then they previously did then this could be a sign of something that needs to be checked out by a doctor. The bad side of routine for an elderly person is the more routine something is the less they are exercising their brain and skills to complete the task. As people get older there is a great need to be challenged in order to retain cognitive skills. The same can also be said for physical challenges such as exercise. An older person that is challenged both mentally as well as physically everyday has a better chance at retaining the ability for a longer period.
There are other changes that could potentially happen for someone in their late adulthood that their family must deal with. Health issues are a very real possibility for someone in their late adulthood years. Some of the types of health issues that an elderly person could deal with are diabetes which is not only found in the elderly, but certain concerns need to be addressed such as medication and the appropriate care for their diet as well as physical care. The possibility of stroke or heart attacks can leave a person unable to care for themselves even in some of the simplest of tasks. In the elderly a stroke is more likely to be fatal, but when it does not kill the person it severely debilitates them. Another very real problem that many elderly face is Alzheimer disease or dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the decline of a person’s mental functioning. Alzheimer is not reserved for the elderly only but can be seen in people as young as 30, but this is considered rare and are shown to be predominantly in people above a certain age. One problem that can occur with elderly that may take time and effort to treat is the occurrence of depression among the elderly. The loss of freedom, health problems, as well as the possibility of the loss of a loved one or friends means the elderly are almost constantly faced with situations that would be hard for anyone to handle.
In all living with an elderly person does pose much change and even heartache on both sides. There is without a doubt advantages for both sides when dealing with this situation as well. The younger generation has the benefit of having the knowledge and wisdom of someone that has seen far more of life then he or she has witnessed. The firsthand account of history and cultural lessons are things that cannot be taught in books. As we people get older having younger people around you will give you the constant challenge that is needed to maintain a healthy life both mentally and physically. The social interaction is vital when dealing with those in their late adulthood years. For many in their later years socializing becomes increasingly harder as mobility becomes harder. Having a loving and supportive family around you can more than make up for the lack of mobility and help keep many thriving even as they age.
Families Who Have Lost A Child To Death
Death is something every person must deal with eventually because it is a part of the natural progression of life. From the moment we are born we all start to die. For some people the natural progression is interrupted by unexpected life events and certain things we take for granted are changed. The attitude towards death differs greatly depending on where and what culture is involved. In many other countries as well as in the U.S. malnourishment, disease, poor living condition, unavoidable events and even by choice are some of the reasons many children lose their lives. For many in the United States it is the natural progression of life that a person expects their children to outlive them, especially in today’s society where life expectancy is higher than it was many years ago and infant mortality rates have changed due to medical advances. The death of a child is something that no parent wants to ever face. For many it seems an abomination to outlive your own child. There are some common circumstances in the United States in which the death of a child occurs such as illness, accidents, violence, abortions ,and suicide .The loss of a child is great be it an infant that was able to only take a single breath or an adult that has lived many years.
When a child dies the grief does not belong solely to the parents, but the family as a whole. The sudden loss of a sibling can be devastating to a child especially if the siblings were close. Having to explain death to a child is hard enough for a parent, but to have to explain following the unexpected loss of a child is extremely hard when dealing with their own grief. In some instances a parent might retreat from the family emotionally as well as mentally and perhaps physically. In this any child that needs the reassurance after the loss of a sibling could potentially be scared by not finding this reassurance because a parent has retreated in such a way. There different types of grieving depending on the way a person continues after the loss of a loved one. To some after an allowable time many people are expected to move on with their lives. If a person is not able to move on or has difficulty moving on it is considered complicated or prolonged grief. Prolonged grief is quite common when dealing with the loss of a child this grief can have create problems both physically and mentally for the griever as well as those surrounding them. There is also detached grief for those that are not able to grieve in a normal way. Often this type of grief is associated when the death has a stigma attached or the sorrow is not expressed outwardly for whatever reasons. In many instances the type of grieving that is wanted to attain is the duel process where a person is able to mourn the loss of a loved one, but also acknowledge that they are in a better place or that they are no longer suffering as they did in life.
Grieving the loss of a loved one changes from culture to culture. As mentioned before there are said to be consequences both mentally as well as physically for those that are felt to grieve too long or continue to dwell on their loss, but in some cultures this very behavior is encouraged. For some sharing a person’s pain with others that may have experienced a similar type of loss is how they cope with death. In some cultures a person is encouraged to move on and forget the deceased as quickly as possible. Another tradition is to mourn the loss of a loved one by being joyful and celebrating their memory. In the United States the common method of mourning is to give a time of grieving while remembering to celebrate or acknowledge their passing on the anniversary of their passing.
Whichever way a person is taught to mourn or the way they feel they need to express their grief there is no denying that the loss of a child is very real regardless of how he or she was lost. Whether the child was lost in a country that sees more than their fair share of infant deaths or in a country that does everything to combat the problem the loss of a child is something no parent ever forgets.
Conclusion From birth till death many decisions are made. In the beginning these decisions are made by parents or legal guardians and as an individual grows, beliefs and values are instilled in each person in hopes that each one will grow up and being happy and safe. No one knows what the outcome of life will hold for them but each person has the choice of what road to take. Some may be blessed in having the road right in front of them while others may struggle with personal and physical issues. Throughout these interviews many people shared their stories on where they are in life and what helped them get there. Through all the issues each individual shared, the writer was able to gather the information and put together a paper stating each issue and outcome. The writer was able to identify and analyze the selected conditions and describe the biological, sensory, perceptual, motor, and physical development of the mind and body and how the selected condition affects each individual.
References
Dim sightedness, (2008) Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Retrieved December 30, 2010, from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Dimsightedness
Understand Intellectual Disability & Health (2011), Intellectual Disability, Retrieved December 30, 2010, from http://www.intellectualdisability.info