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ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
Attention deficit disorder
(ADD) is a neurological condition that has been
found to be occuring in 5-10% of the population
and which affects cognition, learning and
behaviour. It is believed that the
condition arises from anomalous brain chemistry
and possibly anatomy.
Symptoms of the disorder
may include:
impulsivity, low stress
tolerance and over reaction, poor organization
and task completion, extreme mood swing, high
anxiety and /or short, excessive temper. There
is a common misconception that the attentional
problems of ADD appear in a consistent manner in
all areas of an individual's life. It is more of
an inability to regulate attention, impulse
control and behavior.
Students often have
difficulty concentrating on and completing
tasks, frequently shifting from one uncompleted
activity to another. In social
situations, inattention may be apparent by
frequent shifts in conversation, poor listening
comprehension, and not following the details or
rules of games and other activities. Symptoms of
hyperactivity may take the form of restlessness
and difficulty with quiet activities.
US doctors take new look at
kids' concentration problems
The
American Academy of Pediatrics recently released
new recommendations for diagnosing school-age
children with attention deficit/ hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD).
The academy
said that between 4 and 12 percent of all US
school-age children may have the
problem - marked by inattention,
hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour-and there
has been recent concern that doctors may be
over-diagnosing it.
Surveys of pediatricians
and family physicians across the US have shown
wide variations in diagnostic criteria and
treatment methods, the academy said.
Earlier this year, a report in the Journal of
the American Medical Association said there had
been a steep rise in the number of US preschool
children who got prescriptions for pschotropic
drugs, including those used to treat
ADHD.
The new
guidelines, developed by a panel of medical,
mental health and educational experts, are
designed for doctors diagnosing the disorder in
order children between the ages These new guidelines
recommend that primary care clinicians should
make evaluations using criteria developed by the
American Psychiatric Association. of
six and 12.
Those
criteria specify that symptoms be present in two
or more of Child's settings and they adversely
affect the child's functioning for six
months.
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