Saturday, February 25, 2012

Is ADHD Truly the Cause?

English: Percent of Youth 4-17 ever diagnosed ...
Image via Wikipedia
ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a term that many people know. This popularity though has come about quite quickly, from what was once an unheard of label not too many years ago. Now this makes me wonder, is there something happening with our youth physically causing them to acquire this cognitive disorder, or is there another reason.
I believe that many of the children that have been diagnosed with ADHD have been in fact misdiagnosed, either not having the condition, or possibly having another underlying condition that mimics that of ADHD. Now for a student to truly be diagnosed with ADHD I believe that the characteristics must be shown not only within the schooling environment, but throughout the daily life of the individual. I feel this way because if a child in school shows disinterest, or are always acting out in class this may mean that either they do in fact have ADHD, or simply that the material that they are learning is not interesting to them, or too easy. Now this recent rise of students with ADHD may also reflect a teacher, or parents quest for perfection within the child. An intolerance of "child-like" behaviors on the adults part may be to blame. So in order for the parent or teacher to regain control of that child their first instinct is "give them a pill," "the quick fix." Now this relates more to a "Pill Based Society," which I will discuss in later articles, but I feel as though this mentality does play a large role in context of this subject. So if this plays a large role, what must change? Well the answer is the teacher, or the parent. As a teacher one must accommodate for that student, and their needs, making a more learning friendly environment. Even for the child that truly does have ADHD, it is not that they do not wish to learn, but it is their bodies that are hindering them from doing so. Teaching techniques must be employed during these types of situations. Allowing the student to move in class, or you moving with the student. As a teacher you must be versatile, do not allows be so quick to blame the child. In fact it may be you that is to blame. Be a reflective teacher, and always adapt, this is what must be done to be successful and influence as many students as possible for the better.
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