Rosile <#>

Jaden Marie Rosile

Dr. Adrienne Cassel

ENG 1201 - 501

30 October 2021

The Effects of ADHD on Children and Possible Treatments

While sitting in class, Olivia stared out the window daydreaming, not paying attention to

what her teacher was saying. This had become a daily habit of hers. She found it difficult to pay

attention and stay focused for long periods of time. On the other side of the room, Charles was

constantly out of his seat, chatting with others, or fidgeting. The teacher found his behavior

exhausting and difficult to manage. His classmates were often distracted by his behavior, causing

the class to lose focus. Olivia and Charles started falling behind in class and received the lowest

grades in the class. The teacher said it was because Olivia was lazy, and Charles was too

energetic and distracting. Unfortunately, the teacher did not know the signs of ADHD and did

not know what she could do to help them improve. Olivia’s parents knew she had always

struggled with inattentiveness, even at home, and decided to talk to her doctor. The doctor

diagnosed Olivia with ADHD and recommended discussing potential treatments with the school.

When they scheduled the meeting with her teacher, she began to argue that ADHD was a made-

up disorder, and any treatment would be a waste of time and money. After showing the teacher

countless articles and studies, they finally convinced the teacher to give Olivia intervention.

After receiving this intervention, Olivia’s grades increased, and she found it easier to stay

focused in class. Charles, however, due to there still being stigma and ignorance around ADHD,

remained undiagnosed for the rest of his school career. He always struggled with staying on task
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and had too much energy. Charles believed he was dumb, and that school just wasn’t for him,

causing him to drop out. This story is accurate for many children in the classroom. Children with

ADHD have different experiences at school than children without. It is important that our

education system knows how to accommodate these students. ADHD affects school-age children

by negatively impacting their education because of hyperactivity and inattentiveness. There is a

lack of information on how ADHD affects students and how it can be treated. There are plenty of

methods of treatment that can be employed to help students with ADHD.

Attention-deficit disorder or ADHD is a neurodevelopment disorder that is diagnosed by

a psychologist or medical practitioner when a child shows signs of excessive inattentiveness or

hyperactivity for at least six months (Topkin et al. 2) (Films on Demand). To be diagnosed, a

parent or teacher must initiate the assessment. Typically, teachers are the ones to suggest that a

child should be tested. However, if a child does not show the typical signs of ADHD

(hyperactive, disruptive, inattentive) or if the adults around the child do not know the symptoms

of ADHD, the child will go untested. Treatment available for ADHD is “psychostimulant

medication, educational interventions, behavior modification procedures, diet manipulation and

supplements... the performance effects of the intervention strategies require close monitoring and

feedback” (Topkin et al. 2). The most common treatment is stimulant medication; however,

many parents opt out of using this treatment as it can have side effects, long term issues,

compliance problems, and may not normalize the child’s behavior (Gaastra et al. 3). If a child

does not receive treatment, they could experience academic difficulties, underachievement, poor

grades, special education placement, and suspension, or drop-out from school (Gaastra et al. 1).
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On average, there is at least one child in every classroom that has ADHD (Gaastra et al.

1). The Department of Education in 2001 stated that students with ADHD should have a

different curriculum, evaluation system, and progression rate than other students, however,

mainstream educators are not equipped to handle these requirements (Topkin et al. 2). In the

United States, approximately 80% of students learn in a general education classroom with

sporadic, legally mandated, individualized, intervention (Schuck, Sabrina, et al. 1). Many,

however, see this as a waste of time or ineffective. Children with ADHD are more likely to

disrupt class or be inattentive. These may distract their peers or cause teachers' distress. Research

shows that general education teachers generally find students with ADHD more difficult and

“report that teaching children with ADHD causes a disruption of the teaching process, a loss of

satisfaction from teaching, self-doubt and increased need for support” (Gaastra et al. 2). How

teachers educate their students and their behaviors toward them greatly impacts their education.
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Fig. 1. A table showing teacher’s willingness and perception of classroom management

techniques (Topkin et al. 5).

Even though approximately 5 to 7% of all children have ADHD, most teachers are not

trained or aware of how to appropriately support these students (Gaastra et al. 1). A study done

by the Northern Cape Education Department in South Africa on the education teachers have on

ADHD. The study found that the participants responded correctly less than 50% of the time and

31% had misperceptions on what ADHD was (Topkin et al. 5). The study also found that

teachers were more likely to be open to different techniques, as seen in Fig.1. However, when

asked in the questionnaire, less than 50% of participants answered that they did not have the

resources to implement changes to accommodate their students (Topkin et al. 5). This study

shows that there is a large percentage of misinformation about ADHD in the education system.
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After learning about ADHD, teachers are more willing to try techniques to help their students,

but unfortunately, many lack the resources. The education system needs to provide a way for

schools to implement treatment for students in a cost-effective way so that every classroom can

support its students.

An option for managing ADHD in the classroom is through the use of apps. One app that

was developed was iSelfControl which was designed for self-regulation at schools. The app,

iSelfControl monitors, evaluates, and corrects behaviors of students with ADHD. The app does

this by utilizing a token behavior management system, regulated self-evaluation and teacher

evaluation. A study that examined the effectiveness of the app on students with ADHD was done

and it was found that the app improved their self-awareness, self-regulation, and had a 70%

student satisfaction. Apps like iSelfControl could help students with ADHD improve their

behavior in the classroom. If a school has access to computers, tablets, or other devices, apps

could be an easy way for students to receive treatment. They do not require additional staff and

can generally be done independently. Additionally, they could be a great way to track a student’s

progress to see if their behavior has improved.

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Fig. 2. Examples of strategies that could help students with ADHD

(thepathway2success).

Including apps, there are several strategies that could be implemented in classrooms to

better manage students with ADHD. As seen in Fig. 2, organization, movement, confidence,

clear instructions, and more can improve students’ behavior. Classroom interventions also reduce

off-task behavior, showing a decrease of 34% and disruptive behavior at 52% (Gaastra et al. 38-

39). There are different types of interventions such as antecedent-based, consequence-based,

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self-regulation. Antecedent-based interventions use the environment, task, or instruction,

consequence-based interventions use reinforcement and punishment to alter behavior, and self-

regulation interventions develop self-control and problem-solving skills (Gaastra et al. 12). There

are also combined interventions that use strategies from multiple interventions. Consequence-

based and self-regulation interventions are most effective in general education classrooms

compared to antecedent-based and combined interventions. Interventions could be a way to treat

multiple students at once or to treat more troubling behavior. This, however, would require

additional staff and time allotted to helping the children. Teachers could work around this by

having the whole class participate in such activities simultaneously, such as stretching before a

lesson, creating organized spaces, and periodic breaks for movement.

Due to the increase of ADHD diagnoses, there is a growing misconception that it is a

fictitious disorder. Dr. Daniel F. Connor, a professor at the University of Connecticut School of

Medicine wrote in an article on ADHD that there is a general perception that ADHD is a socially

constructed disorder. As he explains, this is because “the general public appears confused about

ADHD” (Reynolds 3). The confusion comes from people not knowing what ADHD classifies as,

whether it be a mental, behavioral, or motivational problem. Richard Saul, a neurologist, argues

that ADHD is a made-up disorder that is used as a “an easy catchall phrase that saves time for

doctors to boot” (Reynolds 14). He supports his argument with research he has conducted to

show that twenty other conditions, such as iron deficiency and hearing problems, can result in

the same symptoms of ADHD. Due to these conditions sharing similar symptoms, they are

commonly diagnosed as ADHD. However, Peter Shankman, the founder of

FasterThanNormal.com, as well as many professionals say ADHD is a real neurological disorder

caused by the brain not creating enough dopamine, adrenaline, and serotonin.
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In conclusion, students with ADHD struggle more than those without it. For them, it is

harder to focus and stay on task. Students may experience many negative consequences because

of their disorder such as bad grades or discipline from their teachers. To be diagnosed with

ADHD, a child must be referred by a parent or teacher to a doctor. However, due to there being a

lack of knowledge around what ADHD is in the education system, many children go

undiagnosed or do not receive treatment. Another reason a child may not receive treatment is

because of a lack of funding. There are many possible methods of treatment that can be used

such as interventions, apps, allowing time for movement, and more. The American education

system needs to determine an effective method of treatment that is cost effective and implement

it across schools.

Works Cited
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"ADDitude." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2017. Gale In Context:

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u=dayt30401&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=72356070. Accessed 16 Oct. 2021.

Gaastra, Geraldina F., et al. "The effects of classroom interventions on off-task and disruptive

classroom behavior in children with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder:

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Reynolds, Jennifer Lea. “ADHD Misdiagnoses Cause More Problems Than the Disorder Itself."

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“25+ Strategies for Kids with ADHD.” thepathway2success, thepathway2success, 19 May. 2019.

https://www.thepathway2success.com/25-strategies-for-kids-with-adhd/. Accessed 13

Nov. 2021.

“Managing ADHD in School: The Best Evidence-Based Methods.” Films On Demand, Films

Media Group, 2018, http://sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?

url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b2010430&site=eds-live. Accessed 16 Oct. 2021.