Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of the American Psychiatric Association, "ADHD is a disorder that can include a list of nine specific symptoms of inattention and nine symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity."The Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia describes ADHD as a "chronic, neurologically based syndrome, characterized by any or all of three types of behavior: hyperactivity, distractibility, and impulsivity. Unlike similar behaviors caused by emotional problems or anxiety, ADHD does not fluctuate with emotional states."
About 1-3% of the school aged population has the full ADHD syndrome, without symptoms of other disorders. Another 5-10% have partial ADHD syndrome with one or more other problems, such as anxiety or depression. Gender and age affect the way the patients display their symptoms. Boys are more likely to have the disorder than girls.
The symptoms of ADHD usually decrease with age, but those symptoms related with other similar disorders are said to increase with age. 30-50% of children with ADHD may display symptoms, although often times less severe, into adulthood.
ADHD may be observed in children before the age of four, but its signs are often missed until the child begins school. ADHD is often accompanied by learning difficulties, excessive physical activity, impulsive actions, inattention and social inappropriateness. Many of the children affected by ADHD exhibit a low threshold for frustration, which predisposes them to uncontrollable tantrums, and inability to concentrate in a controlled setting, such as a classroom.
The behavioral symptoms associated with ADHD must last more than six months before they can be diagnosed as an attention disorder, although it is not uncommon for medical doctors promote the idea of office diagnosis.
Diagnosis of ADHD syndrome in a doctor’s office, however, presents an evaluation in a controlled environment, which is subject to error. Office diagnosis entails a child being put in an observation room, usually alone, which enables the doctor to observe their behavior. This observation does not produce accurate results due to the fact that the environment is not one of which the child frequently has problems in.
Frequently the behaviors of children affected by ADHD will parallel those of a normal child, other times, the child can be uncontrollable. Most children with ADHD have problems with interacting with other children or when asked to complete a task, especially if additional distractions are present.
More frequently, children suspected of having ADHD are evaluated by their intellectual, academic, social and emotional functioning. The evaluation often includes input from the child’s teacher(s), parent(s), and other adults that frequently interact with the child.
There are questionnaires to rate the child's behavior, that are often used by the parents and teacher of the child. Since the behavior must last for at least six months, it is suggested that a log of the behavior be kept.