Verified Document

Childhood Developmental Disorders And Their Treatment Essay

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the Difficulties Associated With the Assessment and Treatment of Psychological Childhood Disorders By any measure, childhood is a challenging period in human development where young people are forced to actively participate in the educational process while developing human relationship skills that they will need for the rest of their lives. Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that many young people experience behavioral difficulties that detract from their ability to attain their full academic and social potential including one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. To gain some new insights into this condition, this paper reviews the relevant literature concerning attention deficit hyperactivity disorder followed by a discussion concerning the difficulties that are associated with assessing and treating psychological childhood disorders. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues are presented in the conclusion.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. This condition is typically diagnosed during childhood, but left untreated, it can persist well into adulthood (Facts about ADHD 1). Although individual manifestations of ADHD vary, sufferers tend to have problems controlling their impulsive behaviors and paying attention (Facts about ADHD 2). Clinicians are increasingly applying the diagnosis of ADHD to children based on sustained disruptive or uncontrollable behaviors and more than six million children are currently diagnosed with ADHD, and one-third of these are aged 2 to 5 years (Facts about...

In this regard, the CDC points out that, "It is normal for children to have trouble focusing and behaving at one time or another. However, children with ADHD do not just grow out of these behaviors. The symptoms continue and can cause difficulty at school, at home, or with friends" (Facts about ADHD 4).
In reality, though, it is reasonable to suggest that most young people demonstrate many of the signs and symptoms of ADHD. For instance, the CDC advises that children suffering from ADHD might:

Daydream a lot;

Forget or lose things a lot;

Squirm or fidget;

Talk too much;

Make careless mistakes or take unnecessary risks;

Have a hard time resisting temptation;

Have trouble taking turns; and,

Have difficulty getting along with others (Facts about ADHD 5).

Not only do many adults exhibit these types of behaviors, this laundry list of ADHD symptoms could also serve as a working definition of childhood because every child in history has engaged in these behaviors to some extent at some point or another. Moreover, there remains a lack of consensus among researchers concerning the legitimacy of the ADHD diagnosis in the first place. For instance, Wingo and Ghaemi emphasize that, "Given ADHD's relatively loose diagnostic criteria and high comorbidity in adults with mood disorders, the question of whether adult ADHD/bipolar disorder represents comorbidity or diagnostic overlap remains unresolved" (47).

This "loose diagnostic criteria" could also mean that some teachers are tempted to divert troublesome students from mainstream classrooms into special educational settings even though they are simply engaging in normal childhood behaviors (Schnoes and Reid 484). Similarly, the temptation to…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

"Facts about ADHD." (2016). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.

Mash, Eric J. and Barkley, Russell A. (1999, May 1). "Treatment of Childhood Disorders, Second Edition." Behavioral Disorders 24(3): 258-261. Print.

McCabe, Paul C. (2009, Annual). "The Use of Antidepressant Medications in Early Childhood: Prevalence, Efficacy, and Risk." Journal of Early Childhood and Infant Psychology 5: 13-15. Print.

McLoone, Jordana and Hudson, Jennifer L. (2006, May). "Treating Anxiety Disorders in a School Setting." Education & Treatment of Children 29(2): 219-223. Print.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Efficacy of Personality Disorder Treatments Abnormal Psychology
Words: 1745 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Efficacy of Personality Disorder Treatments Abnormal Psychology The paper reviews literature regarding the nature of personality disorders and known treatments. The paper argues that there is no definitive cure-all for personality disorders. The paper also advocates for increased attention and research in the area of personality disorders regarding treatments and variation of treatment strategies. The paper explains the causes of personality disorders, the treatments available, the perceptions of personality disorders in

Autism Is a Developmental Disorder As It
Words: 12944 Length: 32 Document Type: Literature Review

Autism is a developmental disorder as it is marked with pervasive and severe impairment revolving around areas of development such as communication, imagination, reciprocal interaction and behavior. The diagnostic criteria for autism as incorporated by the DSM IV TR includes symptoms such as impairment in the use of nonverbal behaviors like eye contact, gestures, bodily postures during the normal routine social interaction, the inability to form good peer relationships, delay

Treatment of Asperger's Syndrome According
Words: 3190 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

They may become distressed when they experience unexpected changes in routines. They may become distracted and not complete tasks, along with struggling with transitions between activities. Young children with autism seldom participate in pretend play. (Attwood, 2005, p. 11) Asperger's syndrome student may function on or above grade level in academic subjects, albeit, their behavioral quirks may inhibit their success. Along with a supportive learning environment, support through visual

Autistic Spectrum Disorders and the Family Unit
Words: 4350 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

Autistic Spectrum Disorders and the Family Unit Autistic Spectrum Disorders are a group of related disorders or developmental disabilities that have been caused by some sort of problem within the brain. The necessity to understand the reasons for autism and the basic underlying pathophysiology has become more severe because the amount of diagnosed cases has increased dramatically in recent years. (White, 2003) Researchers and scientists have not been able to discover,

Treatment Approaches for Neurological Disorders
Words: 900 Length: 3 Document Type: Article Review

Neurological disorders are disorders that affect the spine, brain, and nerves that connect them. There is a wide range of neurological disorders and more than 600 disorders that affect the nervous system. As a result, the treatment of neurological disorders has attracted significant attention and been the subject of numerous studies. The studies have focused on various issues relating to these disorders, particularly the development and use of various methods

Childhood Obesity Is Becoming Prevalent With Every
Words: 3768 Length: 11 Document Type: Term Paper

Childhood obesity is becoming prevalent with every passing day, almost uniformly in the developed parts of the world. This problem needs to be discussed on important forums so that substantial solutions can be sort for this issue as this is creating a lot of burden on the government as well as the parents of the children who become obese. Childhood obesity is defined as a condition in which the child has

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now