Ms. Dahl - School Psychologist

Visit the TeacherWeb® videos to learn about the features, modifications, and customizations available on your website. Click here to learn more.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that becomes 
apparent in some children in the preschool and early school years. It is 
hard for these children to control their behavior and/or pay attention. It 
is estimated that between 3 and 5 percent of children have ADHD, or 
approximately 2 million children in the United States. This means that in a 
classroom of 25 to 30 children, it is likely that at least one will have 
ADHD.

ADHD was first described by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman in 1845. A physician who 
wrote books on medicine and psychiatry, Dr. Hoffman was also a poet who 
became interested in writing for children when he couldn't find suitable 
materials to read to his 3-year-old son. The result was a book of poems, 
complete with illustrations, about children and their characteristics. "The 
Story of Fidgety Philip" was an accurate description of a little boy who had 
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet it was not until 1902 that Sir 
George F. Still published a series of lectures to the Royal College of 
Physicians in England in which he described a group of impulsive children 
with significant behavioral problems, caused by a genetic dysfunction and 
not by poor child rearing�children who today would be easily recognized as 
having ADHD. Since then, several thousand scientific papers on the disorder 
have been published, providing information on its nature, course, causes, 
impairments, and treatments.

The principal characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and 
impulsivity. These symptoms appear early in a child�s life. Because many 
normal children may have these symptoms, but at a low level, or the symptoms 
may be caused by another disorder, it is important that the child receive a 
thorough examination and appropriate diagnosis by a well-qualified 
professional.

Symptoms of ADHD will appear over the course of many months, often with the 
symptoms of impulsiveness and hyperactivity preceding those of inattention, 
which may not emerge for a year or more. Different symptoms may appear in 
different settings, depending on the demands the situation may pose for the 
child�s self-control. A child who �can�t sit still� or is otherwise 
disruptive will be noticeable in school, but the inattentive daydreamer may 
be overlooked. The impulsive child who acts before thinking may be 
considered just a �discipline problem,� while the child who is passive or 
sluggish may be viewed as merely unmotivated. Yet both may have different 
types of ADHD. All children are sometimes restless, sometimes act without 
thinking, sometimes daydream the time away. When the child�s hyperactivity, 
distractibility, poor concentration, or impulsivity begin to affect 
performance in school, social relationships with other children, or behavior 
at home, ADHD may be suspected. But because the symptoms vary so much across 
settings, ADHD is not easy to diagnose. This is especially true when 
inattentiveness is the primary symptom.

According to the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical 
Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR (DSM-IV-TR), there are three patterns of 
behavior that indicate ADHD. People with ADHD may show several signs of 
being consistently inattentive. They may have a pattern of being hyperactive 
and impulsive far more than others of their age. Or they may show all three 
types of behavior. This means that there are three subtypes of ADHD 
recognized by professionals. These are the predominantly hyperactive-
impulsive type (that does not show significant inattention); the 
predominantly inattentive type (that does not show significant hyperactive-
impulsive behavior) sometimes called ADD�an outdated term for this entire 
disorder; and the combined type (that displays both inattentive and 
hyperactive-impulsive symptoms).

Or, would you like to view and optionally restore one of these previous versions?

Password: Forgot your password?

TeacherWeb.com

Content on this site is the responsibility of the Subscriber. Additional information is available in the TeacherWeb Terms & Conditions