Essay on an area of educational need: ADHD.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common and most distressing disorders amongst school-age children, yet it is probably one of the least well understood. It has received a lot of awareness mainly because of the large numbers of children receiving drug treatment for the disorder. Where children have behavioural problems and parents are finding it hard to manage, it is expected that they will turn to teachers for guidance and help. ADHD can drastically affect children's development at school, not only their work but also their social progress and the relationships that they have with teachers and their peers. If not identified early, long-term problems can lead to poor educational achievement and social seclusion. For these reasons, it is crucial that teachers know about the disorder and are able to offer proper support to children in their classes and guidance to parents, as well as helping them access other sources of information and direction. In this essay I will examine the prevalence of ADHD, its signs, symptoms and the challenge these pose to teachers. I will outline what research says about managing and teaching these children in today's classrooms.
What is ADHD?
Numerous terms have been used to describe the disorder with the symptoms of ADHD. These include Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD), Hyperkinetic reaction and Hyperkinesis. Throughout this essay I will refer to it as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD is a disorder with an enduring biological cause. It is not merely the end result of deprived parenting or the annoying nature of the child. In some ways it is similar to other illnesses that arise in children, in that it can have serious effects if it is not sufficiently treated.
ADHD is not a recently recognise condition. People with its symptoms have perhaps always existed. In 1902 a British physician, Fredric Still, described