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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

What sort of problems would you expect Scott to have at school? 

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorder in children and can affect their social interaction, well-being and academics. Its symptoms are hyperactivity, lack of attention, and impulsivity. The cause for ADHD is not known but genetics plays a huge role. Some problems that I would expect Scott to have in school would be forgetfulness, inability to sit through class, poor focus, and a disruptive behavior. A task might be given to him and in a few moments, he acts like he doesn’t remember what task it was or do not even pay attention to what the person might be saying. He could also be experiencing an outburst of energy and finds it hard to stay still, interrupting his classmate, teacher or class activities.

What are some teachings you might provide for this parent?

Some teaching that might help would be creating a schedule that the child has to follow every day, with time it would become a routine; and implement transition into things that needs to be done like giving a reminder few minutes prior to when a task is to be done. Since ADHD could have an overstimulating effect, it would help to limit choice. For example, choosing between two things rather than three things. Breaking down complicated task into simpler ones would help a lot as well as taking little breaks between them. Create goal and reward them as they complete each task. Take away privileges and use time outs to discipline inappropriate behaviors.

What interventions would give Scott the best chance of having positive outcomes? 

A combination of medication and therapy would help Scott a lot and result in a positive outcome. Medication like Ritalin will help normalize the brain’s activity associated with ADHD and its daily symptoms when given at schedule times throughout the day. This medication must be prescribed by a physician. The medications used to treat ADHD are known as Psycho-stimulants and are shown to be very effective. Psycho-stimulant drugs could be a stimulant or a non-stimulant medication depending on the need of the child. The family therapy would help with his behavior and thoughts. The therapy would help to develop coping mechanism as well as incorporate a structure in the family for managing his behavior. Both behavior therapy and FDA-approved medications have been demonstrated to reduce behaviors associated with ADHD and improve function (Wolraich et al., 2011).