ENC 1102

The Cheerleaders
26 February 2015

How Will I Know? How to Spot Attention

Deficit Hyperactivity-Disorder in Your
Child.
Shakeena Lubin

INTRODUCTION
Does your child or teen have trouble concentrating in class, or even at home? Does your child
show signs of inappropriate behavior in public places or in the privacy of your own home?
Behavior like this can be a sign of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as
ADHD. Many parents today dont realize that their child or teenager has ADHD. Attention
Deficit - Hyperactivity Disorder is a chronic condition that includes attention difficulty,
hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. This disorder is very common, more than three million cases
are found in the United States of America per year. Although ADHD is very common at times, it

may be hard to spot because in numerous accounts this disorder gets confused with a child or
teen simply misbehaving. As a parent. Guardian, or teacher dealing with a child that has ADHD
can be very complicated and stressful if you are not sure of how to cope with the disorder. All
articles cited below are written by credible authors and publishers. Each source gives the reader
an inside look on ADHD and exactly what it is, following signs and symptoms, and treatment of
this disorder. All cited sources have a short summary following to give a brief explanation of
what the source will include, and how the source relates to the topic of discussion. Although
many articles may be bias and not agree completely on the same points, they all have much in
common when listing and explaining the signs, the symptoms and how to treat the child and/or
teenager with ADHD. The cited pages will help inform those parent, guardians, and/or teachers
that need more understanding on what exactly ADHD, how to spot ADHD in children and
teenagers, as well as how to treat the disorder.

Anastopoulos, Arthur, Erika E. Klinge, and E. Paige Temple. "The Key Components of a
Comprehensive Assessment of ADHD." IdoOnline. Web. 28 Feb. 2015. Arthur D.
Anastopoulos, Ph.D. currently is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology
at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he also directs an AD/HD
specialty clinic for children, adolescents, and adults. Paige Temple, M.A. is completing a
clinical internship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Erika Klinger, M.A.
is completing a clinical internship at Monmouth Medical Center in New Jersey. In this
web article the authors use facts from other websites to explain how ADHD cam be a

very simple disorder to pinpoint in a child because it is simply an act of misbehavior. The
authors further explain that although ADHD can be spotted quickly, the hardest part is
what to do after knowing the child has the disorder. The authors tell how to corner the
disorder, simply taking the child to see a clinical child psychologist, school psychologist,
or child psychiatrist. The authors further explain the importance of the caregiver being
there with the child during this time to help the child cope better and have a better
understanding of what is happening.
Boyse, Kayla, and John O'Brien. "ADHD: What Parents Need to Know." Med.umich. 1 July
2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. This school article was written by Kayla Boyse who is a
registered nurse in the State of Michigan, the article was later reviewed by John OBrien
who is a doctor of medicine and a member of many organizations such as: American
Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Florida
Society of Plastic Surgeons, and Tampa Bay Society of Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgeons. In this article the author describes ADHD as being not only as a learning
disability, but also as an attention deficit problem. The gives the statistic that 8-12% of
children have ADHD. In the article the author explains what causes ADHD and how
ADHD could be treated. The author adds sources at the end of the article to allow the
reader to look up more information on the disorder. Some of the website links include
what to do if your child has ADHD and wants to go to college, as well as what to know
about the special education programs at different schools.
Bussing, Regina, and John M. Grohol. "Childhood / Teenage Attention Deficit Disorder An
Introduction to ADHD in Children & Teenagers." Psychcentral. Psychcentral, 16 May
2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. In this web article written by Regina Bussing who completed

her residency and fellowship training at the University of Florida and obtained a Masters
degree at the UCLA School of Public Health. As well as John M. Grohol who received
his Doctor of Psychology and his Masters in Science at Nova Southeastern University.
The authors open the article with open ended questions to their readers regarding ADHD
behavior among their child and/or teen. Going into greater depth, the authors give
background information on ADHD and where it could have possibly been spotted in the
beginning of time. To conclude the authors state that although ADHD is an illness in
which its causes remain unknown and has many disadvantages, it can be treated with
psychotherapy and psychiatric medicine. This web article mentions the definition of
ADHD and the symptoms of it, but it does not mention many statistics of both the illness
and if the treatment has worked. Going into greater depth about the severity of this
illness, the authors make sure to give web addresses to different websites to give more
information on the facts and to give credit to their statements.
Jacobson, Rae. "How to Tell If Your Daughter Has ADHD With Girls, Look beyond the
Stereotype." ChildMind. 21 July 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. This is the first part of a three
part article explaining ADHD and females. The author opens the article giving a personal
experience she had with ADHD. She later explains that females are less likely to be
diagnosed with ADHD as quickly as males, which is a misconception. Author Rae
Jacobson states that ADHD has a new face. ADHD falls into many behavioral categories
which may confuse those caregivers of a person with ADHD, especially as a female.
Never be afraid to get checked for ADHD if for any reason a person may feel as if they
may have the disorder, it is always better late than never. Author Rae Jacobson closes her
article by stating that if a caregiver believes their daughter has ADHD they should not be

afraid to speak out and talk to their daughter just to see if there isnt any other issues that
may be in the way, this will help the child open up more to speak about problems she
may encounter. This article focuses mainly on females and ADHD, this analysis was
interesting because the stereotypical thought is that females arent able to be diagnosed
with ADHD as quickly as males are which as we read in this article is not true.
Krucik, George. "7 Signs of ADHD." Healthline. 4 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2015. This article
was written by the Healthline editorial team, and medically reviewed by George Krucik
who obtained a Masters in business administration degree at the University of San
Francisco, a medical doctor at the University of Manitoba, and received his bachelors of
Science Computer Science and Mathematics at the University of Manitoba. This article
to give information on the obvious signs of ADHD. In the article the authors give
personal examples of what many may encounter or say to themselves when dealing with
an ADHD child. If a parent sees the signs and symptoms of this disorder they should get
the child help as needed, so that the problem doesnt get worse. Although, this article
doesnt give specific treatment on the ADHHD disorder, giving the signs and symptoms
will help readers understand the article and be able to further get the help they need if
they arent sure if the child has the disorder.
Rodriguez, Diana, and Bass III, Pat F.. "ADHD Symptoms and Your Child's Behavior."
Everyday Health. Everyday Health Media. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. This article was written by
Diana Rodriguez, and later medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III who received his
Doctors of Medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and his
Master of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University. The author opens up with a
question that most parents may ask themselves when they are not sure if they are dealing

with an ADHD child or if the child is simply miss behaving on their own. The author
further explains the similarities that ADHD has with several other disorders, and how
some may get the two disorders confused with one another. Many question the signs and
symptoms because the symptoms can pass as a child misbehaving. The author doesnt
come out and state what treatment and actions to take when dealing with an ADHD child,
but with the sources listed at the bottom of the page, someone on the website could use
this to form their own treatment.

Schusteff, Arlene. "Is Preschool Too Young to Diagnose ADHD in Children?" Additudemag.
New Hope Media, 1 Nov. 2006. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. A journal article written by Arlene
Schusteff interviews a mother of an ADHD child who has trouble dealing with the
problem. In this article author Schusteff begins to explain the difficulty of diagnosing a
preschooler with ADHD at such a young age. The author says that although trying to
diagnose a preschooler would be difficult because the child could be showing the simple
signs of a child. Further, in the article the author explains the different treatments of
having a child with ADHD. There is much conflict when trying to diagnose certain
problems in preschoolers because of their age. Furthermore, towards the end of the article
the author states that although it is difficult to spot ADHD so early on in a childs life, if
any suspicion the parent, and/or guardian should get the child checked to be sure.

Schwarz, Alan, and Sarah Cohen. "A.D.H.D. Seen in 11% of U.S. Children as Diagnoses Rise."
NYTimes. 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. In the newspaper article written by Sarah
Cohen who is an American journalist, and professor at the Columbia University Graduate

School of Journalism. Alongside Alan Schwarz who received a Bachelor of Arts degree in
mathematics, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania. The authors discuss the
problems that parents encounter with their high school child. The authors give examples
and statistics from different articles proving that many high school students are diagnosed
with ADHD at earlier stages than others. In this article the author also gives examples of
different medications that patients with ADHD use that help treat the illness. Giving the
reader facts and statistics help prove different medications are able to help treat the
ADHD disorder found in many high school students. This article goes hand in hand with
the article titled Is Preschool Too Young to Diagnose ADHD in Children, giving
feedback from the beginning stages of ADHD to the later stages of ADHD. The statistics
in this article have had a few changes since the article was written.

Smith, Melinda, Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal. "ADD / ADHD in Children Signs and
Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder in Kids." Helpguide. Web. 27 Feb. 2015. Author
Melinda Smith who is a senior editor who received her master's degree in psychology.
Author Lawrence Robinson is a freelance writer with over ten years of experience
working for print and online publications. Jeanne Segals holds a Bachelors degree in Art
and Humanities, a Masters degree in Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Sociology, with a
specialty in Holistic Health. In this article the authors break down what exactly ADHD
and gives statistics of the disorder. The authors give different myths about ADHD and
how most children with ADHD behave. In this article the author gives the primary
characteristics of ADHD and how to spot the problem when at an early age. The author
also gives signs and symptoms and the different types of ADHD and the positive effects

of having the disorder. To end the article the authors list tips for parents, guardians, and
teachers on how to deal with a child with the ADHD disorder and what to expect. Giving
the readers a positive outlook that ADHD can have on a child helps those realize that
ADHD can be positive and not just negative as some may think.

Sears, William. "ADHD or Immaturity?" Parenting. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. Dr. William Sears is a
medical and parenting consultant for BabyTalk and Parenting magazines and the
pediatrician on the website Parenting.com. Dr. William Sears explains the main
characteristics of ADHD called the Big Four: selective attention, distractibility,
impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Dr. Williams breaks down ADHD as an acronym. The A
stands for attention, in which an ADHD child will only pay close attention to something
that they are interested in. The D treat ADHD not as a disorder or deficit but as a
difference, try matching your Childs learning with other events around even the learning
environment. H in ADHD stands for ways of helping your child counteract with their
hyperactivity. Lastly, the next D is just a reminder that your child does not have a
disorder, but they are just different. To close his article Dr. Williams gives the treatment
that caregivers should take into consideration, he always reminds parents to start their
childs day off with a healthy breakfast in the morning to help stimulate their brain and get
their day going.

Wait, Marianne. "How to Recognize ADHD Symptoms at Every Age." Webmd. 6 June 2014.
Web. 5 Mar. 2015. This medical web article was written by Marianne Wait, who received
her Bachelor degree in communications at Cornell University. Author Marianna goes into

detail of the three different types of ADHD: hyperactivity - impulsivity, inattention, or

both. The author states that a person can get diagnosed with ADHD at any age from
preschool to an adult. Wait further explains the symptoms one may have as a preschooler
and goes up the threshold from preschool to an adult. Marianne Wait states that at an
older age ADHD may be harder to spot and diagnose, but if the person is diagnosed with
this disorder it can help them further explain why there were certain situations they could
not complete because they struggled with such a disorder that gives them trouble in
accomplishing different tasks.

"AD/HD and Kids." Mental Health America. Mental Health America, 1 Jan. 1909. Web. This
article was written by Mental Health America, founded in 1909 is the nations leading
community-based non-profit dedicated to helping all Americans achieve wellness by
living mentally healthier lives. In this article the editors open with the definition of
ADHD and giving the signs and symptoms one with inattentive behavior may have and
signs and symptoms someone with hyperactivity disorder may have as well. Giving more
information the editors go into greater explanation of what causes ADHD and what other
conditions may occur with ADHD. At the end of the article the editors explains to parents
and caregivers of an ADHD child to stay positive and to motivate the child to help the
child cope better with the disorder when undergoing treatment. This helps the child
remain calm as well as the caregiver relief.

"Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Staff,

5 Mar. 2013. Web. 3 Mar. 2015. Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical

care, research and education for people from all walks of life. This article is a twelve
page slideshow that goes into great depth of what exactly Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder is. The author gives a definition of ADHD, its symptoms, causes
and the risk factors of ADHD if not diagnosed as soon as possible. The editors later
explain the complications of ADHD, tests and diagnosis, treatments, the lifestyle and
home remedies, furthermore explains alternative medicine. At the end of the slide show
the editors give a brief explanation on the prevention of ADHD and how those taking
care of a child or teenager with ADHD can cope with the disorder.

"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Signs and Symptoms." BabyCenter. Baby
Center Medical Advisory Board. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. The babycenter advisory board is a
group of doctors and other professionals that help provide the most complete and
accurate parenting information on the Web. These professors define ADHD as a condition
that makes it hard for a child to control his activity level and reactions to what's going on
around him. Experts believe diagnosing a child age four and younger is harder because
they are still developing and could be showing signs of an energetic child. The signs of
hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention vary from child to child but all can be spotted
easily. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the condition affects 4
to 12 percent of U.S. schoolchildren. Although, many different experts and professionals
have the same idea of the causes of ADHD but are not sure if it could simply be a
variation difference in genes. Many parents question if their child will outgrow ADHD
and how will their child be evaluated. Experts say there are different ways of treating

ADHD going to a family therapist, ADHD medication, or behavioral therapy. There are
also many ways to help treat ADHD at home, giving your child a reward for good
behavior, let close family members know and see if they can get involved as well.

"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." Healthy Children. American Academy of Pediatrics,

11 May 2016. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. This article was written by the American Academy of
Pediatrics, founded in June 1930 by 35 pediatricians. The mission of the AAP is to attain
optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children,
adolescents, and young adults. To accomplish this mission, the AAP shall support the
professional needs of its members. This article heavily explains ADHD and explains the
actions that those with ADHD may do. The editors explain that children with ADHD may
become frustrating easily, and are not aware of their own safety at times. The article
describes how a child may behave when in a classroom atmosphere and difficulties the
child may face when trying to learn. This article does not give direct statements on the
signs, symptoms and treatments of ADHD, but on the other hand gives links to websites
that the reader can further do research on to learn more about the disorder and treating
this disorder.

"Does Your Child Have ADHD? Recognizing Signs & Treatment Options." Drugs. 4 Feb. 2015.
Web. 26 Feb. 2015. Drugs.com is the largest, most widely visited, independent medicine
information website available on the Internet. Our aim is to be the Internets most trusted
resource for drug and related health information. ADHD is a common behavioral disorder

diagnosed in roughly 10 percent of school-aged children and adolescents. ADHD signs

and symptoms must be present for roughly six months before a child can be diagnosed
with the disorder, and child is younger than the age of twelve. Many experts believe that
causes of ADHD may come from low birth weight; fetal exposure to cigarette smoke,
alcohol, herbicides, or pesticides; and exposure to toxic lead paint after birth. Additional
research is needed to define the exact role of these environmental factors on the causes of
ADHD. ADHD is largely over diagnosed in todays society because of the risk some
parents are afraid of. The writers go into further explanation of ADHD and the myths
some people have of ADHD. To close the article the researchers explain the different
treatments those with ADHD can undergo to help treat the disorder.

"How Do You Know If Your Child Has ADHD?" FDA. U.S Department of Health and Human
Services, 23 Dec. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2015. The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services is the U.S. governments principal agency for protecting the health of all
Americans and providing essential human services. Studies show that diagnosis of
ADHD in children is slowly increasing as the years continue to go by. The FDA has
approved two types of treatments for ADHD, stimulants and non stimulants. If left
untreated ADHD can cause serious effects to the person. Stimulants, Strattera
(atomoxetine), Intuniv (guanfacine), and Kapyay (clonidine) are all types of treatments
for ADHD that the FDA has approved of.

"What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?" Nimh.Nih. National Institute of Health.

Web. 8 Mar. 2015. The mission of NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment

of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention,
recovery, and cure. ADHD can be confused with other disorders if not diagnosed the
correct way. Genes, environmental factors, brain injuries, sugar, and food additives can
all be causes of ADHD. There are stimulants and non stimulants medications for ADHD
that can help treat the disorder. There are many different conditions that coexist with
ADHD such as learning disabilities, conduct disorder, and anxiety and depression. Many
parents should sit and talk to their child if they feel as if they have ADHD in order to help
the child get a better understanding of the disorder they have as well help them get more
comfortable with the person that they are so that they can accept it.