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General
Information on Attention
Deficit Disorder
what is
attention deficit disorder?
Some children have more
trouble paying attention in
class and completing academic
assignments than others. It is
estimated that from 3 to 10
percent of the population has a
condition known as Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD) or
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD). This disorder
is said to be found present
more often in boys than girls
(3:1).
Not every student having
trouble completing assignments
or who is squirmy and
disruptive to the class has
Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is particularly true in
the lower grades where many of
the students have not reached a
level of maturity sufficient to
meet the demands of the
classroom. Some studies have
found that a first grade
teacher may rate as many as 50%
of the boys in the class as
having Attention Deficit
Disorder using common clinical
questionnaires. Thus, educators
may mislabel behavior as being
abnormal when it actually may
be within the low end of normal
development.
Actually, normal attention
span seems to develop in three
stages. First, the child’s
attention is said to be overly
exclusive. This is a term used
by psychologists to describe
attention that is focused on a
single object for a long period
of time while tuning out all
other stimuli. An example of
this would be a baby who
focuses totally on a button or
a pin on the clothing of the
person holding him. A child
whose attention becomes stuck
at this stage of development
might be diagnosed as having
autism.
Second, a child’s
attention develops to where it
is overly inclusive. This
refers to a very wide span of
attention that is constantly
and rapidly changing from one
object to another such as a
toddler who is running from one
toy to the next never able to
stay with any one toy for any
period of time. A child who is
stuck at the second stage of
attention span development
might be diagnosed as having
attention deficit disorder.
Third, the child develops
selective attention where he is
able to shift focus at will
from being inclusive to being
very exclusive. This is a
mature pattern of attention and
concentration that is required
to be successful in a classroom
learning environment.
There are a variety of
causes for poor attention,
concentration and impulse
control. A partial list would
include the following:
- Immaturity and slow
psychological
development
- Learning disabilities
such as dyslexia
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Low thyroid
- Low motivation
- Lack of sufficient
sleep
- Poor nutrition
- Boredom due to lack of
challenge
If your child has had the
symptoms of poor attention,
concentration and/or poor
impulse control for some time,
you should have your child
examined by his physician. In
addition to a physical exam and
appropriate lab tests, the
physician may have the parents
and teachers complete
questionnaires about the child’s
behavior. He may also refer you
to a school psychologist or a
mental health professional for
further assessment. Depending
on the outcome of the entire
evaluation, one or several
specific medical, educational
or psychological
recommendations may be given.
more
symptom information
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