Even though the scientific term is ADHD there are some that refers to it as ADD with the different subtypes. o ADHD predominantly inattentiveness is still known by many people as ADD, even though that is not the right term. o In places where ADHD is mentioned alone in the paper, the research is about ADHD as a whole. Introduction Most of us have heard of the term Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder, better know as ADHD.
Many of us have also had dealings with ADHD. However, did you know that there are six subtypes of this condition? The most common type of ADHD is ADHD hyperactive and inattentiveness or ADHD combined, which most people know as just ADHD. However, scientifically just ADHD is not the right term anymore.There is also ADHD predominantly hyperactive.Then there is the term, ADHD predominantly inattentiveness which most people know as ADD. These three most common subtypes of ADHD do overlap but there are distinct differences, and I am going to focus my research on ADHD predominantly inattentiveness, because it is less common than the other two conditions, and it is harder to detect. Characteristics of ADHD Predominantly Inattentiveness and How It Can Affect the Students Learning A parent is worried about her child; a teacher is worried about his student.
Why are they worried? Is the child a troublemaker at school? Is the child a troublemaker at home? No. Then what is the problem? The child has failing grades in school. The child doesnt qualify for Special Education for one reason or another. Tutoring is not helping. The child just isnt getting it! He/she likes to daydream. Why, she seems intelligent enough? What could be wrong? Could it be that the child has ADHD predominantly inattentiveness? ADHD predominantly inattentiveness has been recognized as a disorder since 1944 (Solanto p.
Well, what are the characteristics we should look for in a child who is thought to possibly ADHD Predominantly Inattentiveness? There are several characteristics that parents should look for. They are listed below.
- These children might fail to pay close attention to details or make careless mistakes in schoolwork, or other activities.
- They have difficulty sustaining attention to tasks or leisure activities.
- They do not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
- They do not follow through on instructions and fail to finish schoolwork or chores.
- They have difficulty organizing tasks and activities.
- They avoid, dislike, or are reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort.
- They can lose things necessary for tasks or activities.
- They are easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
- They are forgetful in daily activities (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-How its diagnosed, p. 1). According to my research, there are many characteristics that parents and educators should look for to assume that their child or student might have ADHD predominantly inattentiveness.
However, these characteristics are not set in stone. If a child hasnt been portraying these characteristics before age seven, then most likely there is another problem going on. Some of these problems might be more serious like schizophrenia, or there might be problems at home, or with friends.
It could be confused with internalized and over focused behaviors seen in children with a compulsive or pervasive developmental disorder. It might be because the child has a learning or language disorder. Maybe, for many reasons, the child is depressed or anxious and cannot concentrate. (Baldwin 1 2).As can be seen here, there could be a number of things causing the trouble. The only way that a parent or educator can be sure if a child has this disorder is to have him/her checked out by a health professional. How is ADHD Predominantly Inattentiveness Diagnosed and What Causes ADHD To diagnose a student with ADHD, the professional has to look at how long the child has been portraying at least six of the nine characteristics listed in the last section.
These characteristics have to at least have been present for six months to a degree that is a problem and inconsistent with their developmental level (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-How its diagnosed, p. 1). Not only do these characteristics have to be going on for at least six months for a child to be diagnosed as having ADHD predominantly inattentiveness, they also have to fit criteria that needs to fit all of the subtypes of ADHD to be diagnosed correctly. These four characteristics are listed below. They need to be present before the age of seven years old.
They need to be present in two or more settings, such as at school and at home. o There must be clear evidence of clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning. The symptoms do not occur exclusively during the course of a developmental disorder, a mental illness like schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder, and are not better accounted for by another disorder (for example: mood disorder, anxiety disorder, dissociative disorder or a personality disorder). (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-How its diagnosed, p.
However, needing to be present before the age of seven years old, can be very tricky, especially for those kids with ADHD predominantly inattentiveness. In many situations this disorder may not be recognized in the early grades (Baldwin, p. 2). In fact, there is only 25% at most of children with ADHD predominantly seen at mental health centers. One likely reason is that, since they are quieter and far less disruptive than other children with ADHD, they are less likely to create headaches for teachers or parents, and thus more likely to be overlooked (Solanto, p. and therefore not correctly diagnosed. So in other words, a child may be very intelligent and can get by without really paying a lot of attention. Without paying attention though, eventually the child is going to get behind in his/her studies. Therefore, many symptoms of children with ADHD predominantly inattentiveness does not become apparent until age 9, and that impairment may not become significant until age 11 (Solanto 3).
When this happens, the disorder may be finally recognized, but diagnosed as something different. In order to be sure that any child is getting what he/she needs from the education system, parents need to pay close attention to their child, and educators need to pay close attention to their students. This is especially true when helping health professionals diagnose ADHD predominantly inattentiveness. Remember, inconsistency of early academic performance is the key to early detection of simple or isolated ADHD predominantly inattentiveness.
Generally speaking, when a child performs well in all phases of academics some of the time, but struggles the rest of the time, ADHD predominantly inattentiveness should be a diagnostic consideration for all parents and teachers, and present their case to the health professionals. (Baldwin, P. 3). One thing parents need to remember though, is that ADHD is not a cold. It is not the flu; it is not something that can be diagnosed with just a blood test.In fact, there is no single test, and a diagnosis can only be made after a range of information is collected, especially from the parents (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-How its diagnosed, p. 1).
Parents and health professionals must be careful though, because since there is no absolute test for ADHD, the risk for over diagnosis does exist (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: General Information. pg 1). In other words, Each and every condition that has symptoms similar with ADHD predominantly inattentiveness should be considered and ruled out. So too, should environmental, familial, health, behavioral, and other risk factors, be inventoried and evaluated for potential problems that could alter attention (Baldwin p. 2). So, in other words, it is the parent that ultimately diagnoses the child.
Parent need to tell the health professional everything they know about their child, so the health professional can correctly diagnose it. However, a parent does not need to over state the symptoms because of fear. Today, we have so many children that do not need to be diagnosed with this disorder, but are. A wrong diagnosis can hurt the child rather than help it. In the same way though, a parent does not need to understate the problem, or ignore the problem. If the child has ADHD, any type, the parent is only hurting the child if they ignore it.
This is especially true if the child can focus or pay attention at times. There are some situations in which children with ADHD can sustain their attention. Examples of such situations include: watching television, playing with a video game, or a computer, in a quiet room with an adult, one-on-one situations, in the presence of an adult male, engaging in tasks that are novel or interesting or in a highly structured classroom with a low number of students (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: General Information p. 1).Just because a student with ADHD predominantly inattentiveness can focus at these times, parents and educators alike do not need to start thinking that the child does not have ADHD.. No parent, special education teacher, or health professional knows what really causes ADHD (any type). However there are some things that might cause ADHD.
