Affiliate Institution
Abstract
This paper is written in the precept of looking at the manifestation of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Prasad et al., 2013). The disorder affects many children in the United States, making them realize challenges in their academic growth. Various thinkers to manage the condition have explored many intervention criteria. In fact, medical practitioners say that the condition has no specific diagnosis, but task teachers and parents to work together to help them manage themselves. Therefore, this work examines different non-pharmacological approaches that can be effective in treatment. It goes ahead to elucidate the pros and cons of the identified approaches.
Keywords: Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, approach, treatment, pros, cons, parents, teachers, health professionals, learners
Introduction
ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder) is a learning problem that affects the learner in the classroom environment. For instance, the learner is unable to concentrate for a longer period during the lesson. They are always emotional and talkative, and the teachers who do not understand them mistake their behavior to mean indiscipline. As a result, they develop low self-esteem and feel they are unworthy (Prasad et al., 2013). On the other hand, parents who do not understand their situation would fail to provide them the conducive environment for growth and development. More seriously, the society does not understand their conditions and can end up frustrating them. In fact, fellow learners who mock them due to their condition have bullied many children suffering from the condition. The good news is that with proper intervention, the condition is manageable. Candidly, the society should work together to identify these conditions at the right time to help manage it for successful future of these individuals.
Many researchers and clinicians have identified many interventions that help in managing the condition if identified at the right time. In this precept, many non-pharmacological approaches may be effective in managing these learners. In fact, the good collaboration between teachers, parents and health professionals is essential to initiate these approaches. For example, the teacher is responsible for monitoring the child in the school environment to identify itinerant changes that these children exhibit (Prasad et al., 2013). On the other hand, the parents give the necessary support to their children, which include resources that support the management of the condition. Likewise, the health professional has the duty in advising the duo about the best way to handle the learners with this condition in their care. However, these approaches have advantages and disadvantages that the applicants must understand for better results.
Pros and Cons of Parent, Teacher and Therapeutic Recreational Programs
There are various advantages that get along any intervention that the caregiver choses to use in managing the child with ADHD. According to Jiang, Gurm & Johnston (2014), understanding of a particular intervention approach is the key to its success. For example, a teacher may decide to use a peer monitoring activity, by engaging other peer learners to help him or her to evaluate the behavior of the learners. This would have a greater advantage, because the learners are so close to the fellow peers. In addition, it emphasizes the use of prosocial behaviors to determine the improvement. It also encourages learner interaction and makes the other learners to get use to those who undergo the treatment and can easily embrace them. In addition, teachers can organize special exercise programs that make these children active during the day. They can be given ample time to play games like football, so that they do not get bored with the learning environment. This has an advantage of making them feel part of the environment.
Besides, parents can schedule time special time each day to get them sleep if they show to be over carried with their hyperactivity. The advantage of this intervention is that it is easy to implement. On the other hand, the family members can help to utilize the approach by just ensuring that the child sleep in a supportive environment. Furthermore, more, the parent can opt to change different lifestyle of the child through dietary variations, recreation facilities services and social activities (Prasad et al., 2013). They can decide to enroll their children into some support programs that care for children in this condition. This would be able to change their perception about themselves and others. However, it is fundamental that the parents understand the dynamics in such interventions. For example, using special programs would mean that they are secluded from the public. This might imply to them that they are not worth living with other normal people. If that become their perception then the approach would elicit stigma rather than support.
In addition, the teacher may decide to implement different instructional choices to help the learners with ADHD. One of the choices would be to organize special programs that put the learners in groups to exercise teamwork learning. The teacher may decide to give a common task for the learners to do in their small groups. This has the advantage of increasing learner interactivity and collaboration (Jiang, Gurm & Johnston, 2014)). The disadvantage of this method is that it encourages teacher laziness. Many teachers organize learners in groups then go to the staffroom to do other things. Another disadvantage is that other learners can dominate the work by forcing their views and abandoning the views of others. This means that the teacher must remain the facilitator of the group work for it to succeed.
On the other hand, the teachers together with parents should work together to ensure that they organize other therapeutic programs that help these learners to cope with their conditions. The school can use academic trips and field excursions to entertain the learners. When they get out of the learning environment, the learners are able to reduce the class boredom and can interact with other ideas outside the classroom. However, the approach requires strict parents’ participation by providing every resource support or the same. In meticulous look, all the approaches require collaborative intervention. Meaning, the teachers must do their part to help the learners to understand themselves and improve in the areas of weakness (Jiang, Gurm & Johnston, 2014). The parents as the primary caregivers must provide all the resources to support their children in the learning and social environment. The health providers maintain the obligation of proper advice and other medical care needed in the treatment plan.
Imperatively, there have been various thoughts about the medical management of ADHD in the health facilities. In fact, many professionals admit that there is no special diagnosis for the condition, but have been administering Adderall, Ritalin, and Dexedrine as Schedule 11 drugs. However, they maintain that there must be a multiplicity approach to help in managing children with ADHD (Prasad et al., 2013). Meaning, the other interventions discussed above are so fundamental to help in the treatment process. Therefore, the parents and teachers must remain vigilant and knowledgeable in the step they take to help the learners.
Conclusion
ADHD as a learning difficulty has many impacts on the learner, the teacher, and fellow students. For instance, the learner suffering from this disorder fails to perform like other students in the normal classroom tasks. Secondly, they are always emotional and talkative, making the teachers to misunderstand them as being indiscipline. Three, they can develop low self-worth if constantly punished for failing to do something the right way they are instructed to do. For example, many teachers are so stringent about assignments and punish students heavily for failing to complete assignments in time.
References
Jiang, Y., Gurm, M., & Johnston, C. (2014). Child impairment and parenting self-efficacy in
relation to mothers’ views of ADHD treatments. Journal of attention disorders, 18(6), 532-541.
Prasad, V., Brogan, E., Mulvaney, C., Grainge, M., Stanton, W., & Sayal, K. (2013). How
effective are drug treatments for children with ADHD at improving on-task behaviour and academic achievement in the school classroom? A systematic review and meta-analysis. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 22(4), 203-216.
