Children who go to school start having a failing rate more than other children who do not have ADHD, and also have repeated grades due to having this disability. They tend to be moody, have anxiety, and also have problems getting along with others including family members, and they are also unpopular with their classmates. Some of the recommendations for children with ADHD are to have academic, behavioral and medical interventions to help them to learn and adapt more efficiently.
Even though causes of ADHD have not been found, it has been proposed that low levels of neurotransmitters, prenatal and postnatal abnormalities, and even environmental toxins are involved. Heredity may play a role in ADHD such as a parent or sibling who has ADHD. “About 85 to 90 percent of children with ADHD are taking stimulant medication such as Ritalin or Adderall to control their behavior. The drugs Ritalin and Adderall are stimulants but to some children who have ADHD the medications speed up the underactive areas that controls attention, impulsivity, and planning. Whereas with some children with ADHD it does the opposite, it slows down their nervous system and behavior" (Santrock, 2007).
“Stimulant drugs not only reduce disruptive, hyperactive behavior but also improve attention spans of ADHD children. Stimulant drugs are even being used with preschoolers as young as 3 to 5 years of age. Although use of stimulants is not without critics, these drugs can help many children with ADHD calm down and concentrate better on tasks and schoolwork. The medication can also help reduce restlessness and increase attention in school. Combining stimulant medication with behavior modification boosts academic performance in teenagers with ADHD, including performance on such measures as quiz scores, and daily assignments. With stimulant medications, as with many other uses of psychotropic drugs, is a high rate of relapse once the child stops taking the medication, and the range of effectiveness is limited” (Nevid, Rathus & Greene, 2006).
However, not all children with ADHD respond positively to prescription stimulants, and some critics believe that many physicians are too quick in prescribing prescription stimulants for children with milder forms of ADHD. There are some children who take the medication while school is going, but when they are at home on weekends they do not take any medications at all. It has been my experience that the school prefers that children with ADHD remain on their medication at all times, some physicians, though, believe that it is easier on the child’s mind and body to be given a rest whenever possible.
For educational issues, “in 1990, Public Law 94-142 was recast as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA was amended in 1997 and then reauthorized in 2004 and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. IDEA spells out broad mandates for services to all children with disabilities. A major aspect of the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA involved aligning it with the government’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation that was designed to improve the educational achievement of all students, including those with disabilities. An individualized education plan (IEP) is a written statement that spells out a program that is for the student with a disability” ( Santrock, 2002).
However, we sell students with disabilities short when we pretend that they are not different from typical students. We make the same error when we pretend that they must not be expected to put forth extra effort if they are to learn to do some things- or learn to do something in a different way. Like general education, an important aspect of special education should be to challenge students with disabilities “to become all they can be” (Santrock, 2002).
References
Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2006). Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Santrock, J. W. (2002). Life-Span Development (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Santrock, J. W. (2007). A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGaw-Hill.
