Nowadays, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health diagnoses among school children. At the same time, it is a controversial case, as a lot of researchers still argue if ADHD is a real metal impairment. The main problem here is in the difficulty of diagnosis of this condition among children. The acceptance of the disorder is still problematic among both the specialists and families blaming pharmaceutical companies for promoting unnecessary drugs. Though, the supporters assume that the condition severely impacts children’s life and due to the complex symptomatic require special educational program. According to statistics “about 3%-7% of all school-aged children are affected by the disorder” (Lindstrøm 62). It is estimated that around seventy to eighty percent of the mental health care for children is provided by schools (Lindstrøm 63).
At the same time, such figures can be exaggerated for the urban communities, especially among the low income families. The teachers within the urban settings have advantages comparing to their rural peers in acquiring knowledge and special training programs for the students with special conditions. The main disadvantage is that there are much more children with ADHD and similar conditions to manage with every one of them. Yet, urban educators include also pupil personnel services professionals (PPS) who can assist teachers in dealing with children who require special help. PPS consists of school psychologists, councilors, and social workers. They provide identification, evaluation and formation of the academic plans for pupils with ADHD and other similar conditions. PPS professionals play pivotal role for the students with special conditions as they usually provide direct help for such children. Social skills training, creating special educational programs, provision support, and interventional procedures are not the only tasks PSS professionals provide for children with special conditions.
As the quantity of psychological stressors are bigger in the urban settings and the number of pupils with ADHD is bigger which require more recourses for the teachers in such schools. “In a large-scale study of high school non-completers it was found out that the indicator of hyperactivity-inattention in kindergarten students was a significantly stronger predictor of dropping out of school before age 18 than aggressive and oppositional behaviours.” (Montague, Enders and Cavendish 142). The work complicates with the misunderstanding of the disorder by the teachers who consider it as the outcome of poor diet, bad parenting care, or bad environment within the family. Such misconception often influence negatively the intervention provided for such pupils. In many cases teachers and professionals fail to recognize the condition considering a child’s inattention or/and impulsivity as a simple misbehaving. Especially such cases are common among the urban communities. Lack of recourses and negligence leads to suspensions, poor academic performance, and inability to acquire knowledge within ordinary educational program.
Scholars suggest that success with the interventions for children with ADHD connects to a teacher’s knowledge, attitude, and confidence towards the disorder. According to studies both in the urban and rural areas the educators prefer to work with interventions based upon positive behavioral therapy than to give special medications. “The diagnosis of ADHD assumes that the problems the child is encountering exist in the child's nature or biological makeup and are not a result of an inadequate educational program or other factors” (Kean 5). However, the majority of educators suggest that for the best assistance for pupils with ADHD a child has to get all interventional help, including classroom and mental health interventions, and medications. In addition to the psychological assistance children are prescribed with medications to control their behaviour. Individuals with ADHD are usually provided with methylphenidate. It is usually prescribed to reduce impulsivity emerged in the classroom.
In addition to the psychological assistance children are prescribed with medications to control their behaviour. Individuals with ADHD are usually provided with methylphenidate. It is usually prescribed to reduce impulsivity emerged in the classroom. It is important to notice that methylphenidate is similar to amphetamine having the same effects and side effects. The fact is that methylphenidate is an object of classification as a drug along with such substances like cocaine, amphetamines, opium, morphine, and barbiturates.
It is widely known that these kinds of drugs are extremely addictive and ruining for the health of individuals. Methylphenidate has side effects like irritability, headaches, apathy, and depression. It is used to suppress the symptoms of overwhelmed hyperactivity and lack of concentration, though it can cause the opposite effect of disorientation and even lead to social self-isolation. The positive reaction on methylphenidate is the decrease of activity level which is crucial for children with ADHD. Though, it can also cause insomnia, arrhythmia, weight loss, weakness, and increased blood pressure.
The pharmaceutical companies produce methylphenidate under the name of Ritalin which is the nervous system stimulant. Perhaps, the way of therapeutic action of Ritalin is known poorly and raises many questions among the professionals and parents. As the argument that ADHD is caused by malfunction of the central nervous system is only an assumption, the use of stimulants is not well grounded. This fact usually perplexes critics about the validity to use such heavy medications among small children and adolescents. It is estimated that about eighty to ninety percent of methylphenidate is used to suppress behavioural problems of American children. Nowadays, some researchers express their concerns towards the necessity to use Ritalin in the drug therapy for the children with ADHD.
The diagnosis of ADHD can be complicated with the existence of comorbid disorders. It makes the task almost impossible as the symptoms are lookalike with the symptoms of the other conditions. The presence of comorbid disorders complicates the prescription of the medications as they can influence each other. In this case, it is crucial to recognize the specific symptoms of ADHD and provide the proper treatment for the children. Yet, despite medications, a child has to receive psychological assessment and behavioural treatment. As pupils with this conditions have troubles with concentration, a PPS professional has to apply working memory training.
It is assumed that the training of working memory can episodically improve strategies of learning and as the outcome, concentration upon the educational process. The specialists also are working to improve the environment in the classroom and within the family by providing Parent Management Training. Behavioural treatment is considered as the most effective therapy for the children with ADHD. The training is aimed to teach individuals with the disorder to control oneself and to acquire necessary skills to function effectively within the society.
This can also prove the idea that socio-economic status of the family plays significant role in the formation of ADHD among children. The fact that the urban youth is more liable to acquiring of this disorder can be based upon the assumption that urban life consists of the stressful situations more than the rural one. Additional reason for the development of the disorder can be the economic level of the family income and disturbing atmosphere within the family. The researchers admit the absence of proper funding in this direction for training professionals and granting help for children and their families. The further study is required to meet a growing concern over the proper diagnosis of ADHD, treatment of children, and appropriate curriculum for the students who have been diagnosed with this disorder. As it is considered that children with ADHD do not require enrolling with the special education facilities, the curriculum for them have to undergo certain changes in order to provide them with all necessary tools for proper education.
Works Cited
Kean, Brian. “Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Controversial Diagnosis”. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry 14.1 (2012): 3-8.
Lindstrøm, Jon A. “Why Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Is Not a True Medical Syndrome”. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry 14.1 (2012): 61-73.
Montague, Marjorie, Enders, Craig and Cavendish, Wendy. “Academic and Behavioral Trajectories for At-Risk Adolescents in Urban Schools”. Behavioral Disorders 36.2 (2011): 141-154.
