ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurobiological disorder that affects a person’s ability to control their behavior and pay attention to tasks (Genone 2008). ADHD is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders found in children and can carry into adulthood if not treated properly. As of yet doctors are not certain what causes this disorder, however it has been suggested that a genetic component is a possibility. The first known ADHD symptoms were described by Dr Heinrich Hoffman in 1845 who later wrote the popular children’s poem ‘The Story of Fidgety Phil’ which demonstrated early signs of hyperactive behavior. In 1901 Sir George Frederic Still, a British Pediatrician, published a series of lectures about ADHD stating that he believed the children were brain-damaged and described them as "aggressive, defiant, lawless, overactive, attention impaired, dishonest and accident-prone, along with a general defect in moral control” (Armas 2001). It is now estimated that between 3-5% of all children have ADHD which is approximately 2 million children nationwide. So in a normal classroom of 25-30 children, at least one will have ADHD.
The main characteristics of ADHD are chronic levels of inattention , hyperactivity, and impulsiveness, however many normal children display these actions in lower levels which is why researchers believe another pre-existing disorder may be involved which makes it so hard to diagnose. A survey performed by the Center for Disease Control showed that at least one half of all children diagnosed with ADHD also have a prior known learning disability which may correlate the two but no research proves that yet. Since so many children do portray the ADHD characteristics they are often overlooked and never diagnosed properly. But when the child’s hyperactivity, poor concentration, distractibility, and impulsiveness begin to affect life areas like school and social relationships, ADHD...