ADHD Diagnosis in Children
SHELBY AUSTIN
DeVry University
Composition
Professor: Emily Gorman-Fancy
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurological disorders in children. Over the past decade, ADHD diagnoses have increased approximately five percent per year. In a 2012, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, more than five million children ages three to seventeen were diagnosed with ADHD. The CDC determined that boys are nearly three times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ADHD. Southern states lead the nation in children’s ADHD diagnoses. The recent influx of ADHD diagnoses in the United States has created dangerous dependencies on ADHD medication and has manifested a culture where many parents and teachers are more inclined to seek an ADHD diagnosis and administer ADHD medication, than to eliminate unwanted behaviors through exercise and behaviors through exercise and behavioral treatments. Inconsistent and subjective ADHD diagnoses and the prescription of stimulant medications for students’ misbehavior or inattention are detrimental to all students, including those not diagnosed with ADHD. Those who are diagnosed with ADHD and rely on stimulant medication and/or disability accommodations, may be kept from fully learning valuable lessons of self-control, accountability, and coping mechanisms that could provide for a more prepared, stable, and healthy lifestyle.
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a pattern of behavior involving inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity. For this diagnosis the child must display symptoms in more than one setting for example at home, in church, or while in the shopping mall. This disorder leads to problems in social, education, and/or work performance. It is grouped under Neurodevelopmental Disorders in DSM-5, and it usually diagnosed by age 12. About half of children with ADHD continue to have troublesome...