Running head: ADHD 1
School Aged Children Diagnosed with ADHD;
Whether it is Best to Medicate or Not
Christopher L Gardner
Texas A&M Central Texas University
Author Note
This paper was prepared for PSYK 301, Psychology of Learning taught by Professor Elyse J.
Carlson
ADHD 2
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is becoming more and more common
today more than ever. It is suspected that ADHD affects 10% of all children. For reasons
unknown it currently affects boys about three times as much as girls. ADHD can have severe
negative impacts on a child. ADHD can cause a child to grow up not only hating school but also
his or her siblings and parents. To avoid these negative outcomes that ADHD tends to have on a
child it is important that not only the child receives the proper treatment and education but also
his or her parents, siblings, and teachers as well. Throughout this paper we are going to first take
a look at what exactly ADHD is, once we have identified what ADHD is then we are going to
cover behavioral problems associated with ADHD, treatment options available for children with
ADHD, and finally different approaches to teaching a child with ADHD and different approaches
to learning with ADHD.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder in children and some
adults that causes them to show signs of inattentiveness, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. Many
believe this is due to miswiring in the brain that causes neurotransmitters to not work like they
are suppose to. Doctors believe that ADHD runs in families and is genetic inherited. It is also
believed that some pregnancy problems can cause a child to have ADHD. It is a fact though that
consuming to much sugar as a child is not responsible for ADHD so eat it up. At one time many
doctors and psychologist believed ADHD was a child’s disease and that children would outgrow
ADHD and its signs and symptoms; however ADHD is now looking more like a chronic
disorder. The reason behind this is because more and more children that are were diagnosed with
ADHD as a child are also being diagnosed with ADHD as adults. The most important thing to
remember when dealing with a child that has ADHD is that he or she is not trying to be bad.
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These children have a medical disorder and that is the reason why they act the way they do.
After reading the above information many parents may believe their child has shown signs and
symptoms of ADHD and be wondering how a child is diagnosed with ADHD. Well first the
important thing to know is that all children at times act out and may exhibit signs and or
symptoms of ADHD at times. However, ADHD affects children 365 days a year 24/7, if your
child only exhibits signs and symptoms randomly from time to time then they are just being a
child. But it is important to know when and how to go about having your child diagnosed with
ADHD. Let’s take a look at diagnosing a child with ADHD.
Usually parents identify their children as possibly having ADHD before they even start
school. This is done by the parents observing the child showing signs and symptoms of ADHD.
Which we covered earlier as being inattentiveness, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. The
