Some children would learn comfortably using the established curriculum systems in education, while others might need specialized assistance to facilitate their learning (Warikoo & Faraone, 2013). The conditions that might cause some children to require unique learning approaches vary, depending on the child’s physical, social, or mental faculties. Most of the children who might struggle when placed in the same learning environment as normal children have some disability (Heilskov Rytter et al., 2015). In this paper, the focus is on how Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can categorize children with the disorder as exceptional children. The areas the paper shall examine include the definition of the disorder, its background and history, characteristics, causes, prevalence, prognosis, and the programs and services available for such children and their families. The paper shall also discuss the strategies teachers should use for instructional purposes, the appropriate learning environment, and classroom accommodation for children with ADHD.

Definition and background history of ADHD

ADHD is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder whose condition includes impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and attention difficulty (Heilskov Rytter et al., 2015). The disorder manifests in childhood and can last into adulthood. Its effects include low self-esteem, difficulty at work for adults, difficulty at school for children, and troubled relationships. Sir George Still discovered ADHD in 1902 (Warikoo & Faraone, 2013). He described the disorder as an abnormal defect that affects children’s moral control. Sir George Still found that some children who had the disorder struggled to control their behaviour as typical children (Kim, King, & Jennings, 2019). Despite the difficulty that the children had, they remained intelligent. Before the discovery by Sir George Still, Sir Alexander Crichton had noticed in 1798 that people could easily be distracted and struggled to focus on their activities as others would (Heilskov Rytter et al., 2015). He hypothesized that the condition might have started in childhood. However, it was not until the discovery by Sir George Still that the examination and research on ADHD began in earnest. In the earlier research processes, ADHD was referred to as a hyperkinetic impulse disorder until the American Psychiatric Association recognized it in 1960 as a mental disorder (Warikoo & Faraone, 2013). Since then, different targeted research has been conducted to improve the understanding of ADHD and how it impacts the lives of people and their families.

Characteristics

ADHD has varied characteristics grouped into behavioural, cognitive, and mood categories. On the behavioural traits, a person having ADHD will demonstrate experiences such as impulsivity, lack of restraint, hyperactivity, persistent words or actions repetition, fidgeting, excitability, or aggression (Warikoo & Faraone, 2013). The extent to which these behavioural characteristics might manifest can vary with individuals and the extent of the disorder. The cognitive aspects can occur in the form of difficulty focusing, absent-mindedness, short attention span, problems paying attention, or forgetfulness (Keilow, Holm, & Fallesen, 2018). A person with the disorder might display anxiety experiences, boredom, mood swings, or excitement on the mood characteristics. Other common characteristics in people with ADHD include learning disabilities and depression. 

Causes

Scientists do not definitively have concurrence on the risk factors and causes of ADHD (Heilskov Rytter et al., 2015). However, recent research indicates that genetics is the main factor. Most studies in the past few years have linked ADHD with genetic factors (Heilskov Rytter et al., 2015). Apart from genetics, scientists are equally examining certain risk factors and causes, including low birth weight, premature delivery, tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy, exposure to certain environmental factors such as lead when a person is at a young age or during pregnancy and brain injury (Warikoo & Faraone, 2013). Some other notable elements that have been discussed as risk factors of ADHD but have no backing from research, despite their popularity, include social environment factors like family chaos and poverty, parenting, consumption of too much sugar, and spending lots of time on television (Keilow, Holm, & Fallesen, 2018). Most of these factors could worsen the symptoms, but there is no evidence of ADHD causes. 

Prevalence

ADHD is a common behavioural disorder among children (Kim, King, & Jennings, 2019). Statistics from systematic reviews show that the global community prevalence of the disorder is between 2 and 7 percent, and an average of approximately 5 percent (Kim, King, & Jennings, 2019). In 2016, a survey conducted by the CDC in the United States approximated that 6.1 million children between 2 years and 17 years had been diagnosed with ADHD in the country (Kim, King, & Jennings, 2019). However, the diagnosis rate of the disorder in most developed countries where access to healthcare and knowledge of the disorder is vast could explain the high reported incidences of the disorder in such countries compared to the developing countries. 

The prognosis

ADHD is a chronic disorder, meaning that it has no cure. Given this, the disorder can have a long-lasting and serious impact on a person’s life (Warikoo & Faraone, 2013). For most people, the symptoms that they have of the disorder might fail to disappear completely. The most common approach is to learn how to manage the symptoms effectively, subsequently improving the person’s quality of life (Keilow, Holm, & Fallesen, 2018). People diagnosed with the disorder attain a position where they have mastered managing their conditions, and their confidence levels increase (Warikoo & Faraone, 2013). They are motivated to pursue a healthy pathway in achieving a fulfilling and meaningful life. People with untreated ADHD will experience disruptive day-to-day functionality, which might negatively impact their lives at school, work, and home (Kim, King, & Jennings, 2019). Some studies have equally associated untreated ADHD with certain substance use disorders as individuals look for ways to manage their symptoms. 

Programs and services available for children and family

Some of the programs and services available for children and their families in tackling ADHD include a combination of access to therapy sessions and medication. Children between 4-5 years primarily are pre-school children; the behavior therapy will require training for parents as the recommended first line of treatment (Tegtmejer, 2019). Parents are often trained on handling the condition before the physician proposes appropriate medication for the child. Despite this, whatever would work best for the child will depend on the child’s receptibility to the applied treatment options (Keilow, Holm, & Fallesen, 2018). The appropriate treatment plans for the child with ADHD and their family would include monitoring, making changes to the plan, and conducting follow-ups. Apart from the available treatment options, various government and non-profit organisations provide some other programs and services (Keilow, Holm, & Fallesen, 2018). These organizations include National Institute for Mental Health, National Resource Center for ADHD, American Psychiatric Association, and American Psychological Association. 

Strategies for teachers to use for instructional purposes

There are several strategies that teachers can use for instructional purposes when teaching children with ADHD (Keilow, Holm, & Fallesen, 2018). One of such strategies involves building a solid relationship with the child’s parents, as this will enhance the teacher’s knowledge of the child and understand any other valuable information about strategies that could or could not work (Tegtmejer, 2019). The teacher will also learn more about the student’s weaknesses, interests, and strengths, which is critical in enhancing the child’s absorption of the teacher’s instructions. The other strategy is setting up effective seating arrangements, for instance, letting the child sit closer to the teacher for easy monitoring of how they are following the taught concepts (Keilow, Holm, & Fallesen, 2018). Teachers can also simplify all the instructions, assignments, and tasks they provide to students for easy understanding (Tegtmejer, 2019). Lastly, the teacher can reward good behaviour, promote interactive tasks, and allow extensions where necessary to facilitate the child’s ability to catch up with other students. 

The appropriate learning environment and classroom accommodations

The appropriate learning environment for a child with ADHD is minimal to no distractions since children with ADHD are easily distracted (Tegtmejer, 2019). A proper accommodation that teachers can make for such students to enhance their learning environment is to position their sitting place away from the windows and doors where there could be external distractions from what is going on in the classroom (Keilow, Holm, & Fallesen, 2018). Other accommodations can include giving them extra time on assignments, providing positive feedback, and using assignments and instructions tailored to the child (Tegtmejer, 2019). Allowing time or breaks between the class sessions for the child to move around would also be useful. 

Teaching children with disorders or disabilities can be challenging. For children with ADHD, they might struggle remembering issues. They will also display some element of hyperactivity. Collectively, these elements might require that a specialized teaching approach be provided for them. Some of the strategies teachers can use for instructional purposes include building a solid relationship with the child’s parents, setting up effective seating arrangements, and simplifying all the instructions, assignments, and tasks provided to the child. Additionally, specific classroom accommodations can be provided, such as giving extensions on tests and using assignments and instructions tailored to the child.

References

Heilskov Rytter, M. J., Andersen, L. B. B., Houmann, T., Bilenberg, N., Hvolby, A., Mølgaard,C., … & Lauritzen, L. (2015). Diet in treating ADHD in children—A systematic review of the literature. Nordic journal of psychiatry, 69(1), 1-18.

Keilow, M., Holm, A., & Fallesen, P. (2018). Medical Treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and children’s academic performance. PloS one, 13(11), e0207905.

Kim, M., King, M. D., & Jennings, J. (2019). ADHD remission, inclusive special education, and Socioeconomic disparities. SSM-population health, 8, 100420.

Tegtmejer, T. (2019). ADHD as a classroom diagnosis. An exploratory study of teachers’ strategies for addressing ‘ADHD classroom behaviour’. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 24(3), 239-253.

Warikoo, N., & Faraone, S. V. (2013). Background, clinical features and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy, 14(14), 1885-1906.