EFFECTS ON SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT, COGNITIVE, AND OTHER DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT
Effects on School Achievement:
http://www.honeywellnow.com
As the most common chronic mental health problem in children, it is important for future teachers to be aware of the effects that ADHD has on development. Approximately 4.4 million students nationwide are diagnosed with ADHD. Most often it is not until these students reach school age that they are diagnosed with this illness, due to the specific developmental setbacks that ADHD students most often face. Schools play a significant role in diagnosing students with ADHD since the developmental and behavioral symptoms begin to arise in the early elementary years. ADHD's effect on school achievement is one of the most noticeable stagnations of development.
Overall this illness shows a positive correlation of low achievement within schools. Children who display characteristics of ADHD such as not following rules and not completing tasks consistently are those that are put on the diagnosis list. By not being able to complete these necessary tasks, students suffer academically. These students tend to receive poorer grades, low standardized test scores in reading and math. They are also more prone to receive detentions, suspensions, and other consequences of misbehaving.
Many studies have occurred on whether or not ADHD students who are taking medication have improved academic achievement that those who are unmedicated. Studies showed that medication does improve their overall academic scores, however there still is a wide gap between those students who have ADHD and those who do not. "The 2.9-point mathematics and 5.4-point reading score differences are comparable with score gains of 0.19 and 0.29 school years, respectively, but these gains are insufficient to eliminate the test-score gap between children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and those without the disorder. " (Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2006)
Overall this illness shows a positive correlation of low achievement within schools. Children who display characteristics of ADHD such as not following rules and not completing tasks consistently are those that are put on the diagnosis list. By not being able to complete these necessary tasks, students suffer academically. These students tend to receive poorer grades, low standardized test scores in reading and math. They are also more prone to receive detentions, suspensions, and other consequences of misbehaving.
Many studies have occurred on whether or not ADHD students who are taking medication have improved academic achievement that those who are unmedicated. Studies showed that medication does improve their overall academic scores, however there still is a wide gap between those students who have ADHD and those who do not. "The 2.9-point mathematics and 5.4-point reading score differences are comparable with score gains of 0.19 and 0.29 school years, respectively, but these gains are insufficient to eliminate the test-score gap between children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and those without the disorder. " (Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2006)
Effects on Cognitive Development:
Children diagnosed with ADHD have many limits to their cognitive development. "The basic cognitive characteristic of ADHD appears to be high impulsiveness and reduced "executive control."" (Psychology 2010) The many behavioral problems that ADHD students have is linked with their high impulsiveness. Impulsiveness is ultimately linked with distractibility, which has led many people to believe that ADHD students are inattentive. Their impulsive behaviors also lead to impatient, restlessness, and hyperactivity behaviors. Problems with behavioral inhibitions have also been blamed for those diagnosed with ADHD. Some factors of behavioral inhibitions that are common "include withhold a planned response, interrupt a response that has already been initiated, and protect an ongoing activity from competing or distracting stimuli." (Gargiulo 2012) Ultimately, these issues lead to many problems in students such as patiently waiting in line or interrupting someone else.
Researchers have blamed these impulsive behaviors on poor control of the executive functions. According to the Youtube video found above titled Effects of ADHD on the Brain: Talk Dirty to Me " left prefrontal cortex of the brain is smaller and quieter in children with with ADHD which may explain why focused attention is such a task for them. Also the motor cortex appears to develop more quickly which is probably linked to their hyperactivity." Here are some differences in brain structure between those diagnosed with ADHD and those with normal brains: 1. Slightly reduced neural mass in the prefrontal cortex. 2. Reduced activity in some parts of the prefrontal cortex while performing certain tests of executive function. 3. Fewer dopamine receptors in certain parts of the brain that receive input from the prefrontal cortex. In the photo below two brains can be seen. The brain on the left side displays a normal brain and the brain on the right is a brain of an ADHD person. The warmer colors represent higher functioning brain activity and the cooler colors are lower functioning brain activity. The normal brain displays a greater amount of executive brain functioning then the brain of the ADHD patient does. (Psychology Today 2010) Problems that arise with poor executive functions include inability to follow direction, forgetting and the overall lack of control of ones emotions.
Researchers have blamed these impulsive behaviors on poor control of the executive functions. According to the Youtube video found above titled Effects of ADHD on the Brain: Talk Dirty to Me " left prefrontal cortex of the brain is smaller and quieter in children with with ADHD which may explain why focused attention is such a task for them. Also the motor cortex appears to develop more quickly which is probably linked to their hyperactivity." Here are some differences in brain structure between those diagnosed with ADHD and those with normal brains: 1. Slightly reduced neural mass in the prefrontal cortex. 2. Reduced activity in some parts of the prefrontal cortex while performing certain tests of executive function. 3. Fewer dopamine receptors in certain parts of the brain that receive input from the prefrontal cortex. In the photo below two brains can be seen. The brain on the left side displays a normal brain and the brain on the right is a brain of an ADHD person. The warmer colors represent higher functioning brain activity and the cooler colors are lower functioning brain activity. The normal brain displays a greater amount of executive brain functioning then the brain of the ADHD patient does. (Psychology Today 2010) Problems that arise with poor executive functions include inability to follow direction, forgetting and the overall lack of control of ones emotions.
Effects on Social Development:
Making friends is not done easy for children who have ADHD. During childhood, friendship is the essence of happiness and is crucial in helping them develop long-term relationships in the future. Most often ADHD children are rejected by peers or do not have any friends at all. According to statistics "Parents of children with a history of ADHD report almost 3 times as many peer problems as those without a history of ADHD (21.1% vs. 7.3%)" (Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2011) This goes to show how difficult it is for these students to make and keep friends. But why are peer relationships such a difficulty for ADHD children? Maybe it's due to their withdrawn shy attitude from group activities or frequent outbursts and aggression. There is no definite answer as to why this avoidance from peers occur but it is a major issue effecting all that are involved with ADHD, parents, teachers, schools, and of course the child. Ways to overcome these problems and the best strategies can be found under strategies for the school and classroom.
In the ever advancing technological world we live in, it is without no surprise that there is an app aimed for children with ADHD who are experiencing social difficulties at the moment. This app provides situational based questions that asks the children about their situation. The app will the modify a suggestion for the child to help them out with their difficulties. For information regarding this app click here.
In the ever advancing technological world we live in, it is without no surprise that there is an app aimed for children with ADHD who are experiencing social difficulties at the moment. This app provides situational based questions that asks the children about their situation. The app will the modify a suggestion for the child to help them out with their difficulties. For information regarding this app click here.