Attention Deficit Disorder
What Parents Should Know
Index:
ATTENTION
DEFICIT DISORDER:
What Parents Should Know
If you believe
your child shows signs of Attention Deficit
Disorder -- short attention span, impulsive
behavior, and hyperactivity -- there are several
steps you can take. Since most children
occasionally show some of these signs, ask
yourself if the behavior you are concerned about
is persistent and if your child consistently
exhibits such behavior in most settings.
If so, you should
first consult with others who know the child
well, such as relatives and family friends. Talk
to them about the ADD behaviors and have them
indicate the ones they see your child regularly
exhibit. You also may want to keep notes on your
child's behavior.
Next, speak to
your child's teachers, as many behaviors
characteristic of ADD are most visible in the
classroom. Your child's teachers may want to
complete a checklist on ADD signs, or use their
own experience with other children with ADD to
help you reach some conclusions of your own. In
many cases, teachers may be the first to suspect
a child has ADD and notify the parent(s). Keep
in mind that some children show behaviors
similar to children with ADD when they have
learning problems stemming from other causes.
In addition, you
should consult with a physician or other health
care provider. A doctor will know the medical
signs of ADD and can recommend local sources of
information or a psychologist for your child to
see. The physician should give your child a
general medical exam and perhaps recommend a
neurological evaluation, if he believes it
necessary.
There are two
primary Federal laws applying to the education
of children with ADD, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These
laws are discussed in "Attention Deficit
Disorder: Adding Up The Facts," which is
also in this information kit.
If you believe
that your child has a disability whether
resulting from ADD or any other impairment, and
the school district believes that your child may
need special education or related services, the
school district must evaluate your child. If the
school district does not evaluate a child, it
must notify the parents of their due process
rights. According to federal law, a school is
responsible for providing an educational
diagnosis of a child. To determine a child's
level of disability and best treatment, a
multi-disciplinary team is formed that includes
teachers, parents, and someone with training in
child psychopathology (usually the school
psychologist or school social worker).
At the meeting
with these professionals, you should have your
notes on your child's behaviors with you; and
you also should bring report cards and any
comments about your child made by teachers.
Later, you may have the opportunity to fill out
a standardized rating scale that compares your
child's behaviors to those of children already
diagnosed with ADD. Ideally, the team should
follow a two-tiered approach to first determine
the presence of ADD symptoms and then to
determine its adverse effect on academic
performance.
Once your child
is evaluated and determined to have ADD, the
school and the teacher may design modifications
in your child's classroom and schoolwork based
on his or her needs and abilities. The school
may provide assistance and training in study
skills, classroom management, and organization.
A student should have access to a continuum of
services, from pull-out programs that give the
student individualized attention in a resource
room to related aids and services provided in
the classroom. Teachers have found that in order
to help children with ADD they frequently need
to make modifications in the lesson, its
presentation, and its organization as well as
specialized behavioral management.
Parents and
teachers should work together and communicate
frequently with one another to form a complete
picture of a child and to note changes in his or
her behavior. If your child is taking
medication, you should request notes on his or
her progress and notify the school of any
changes in medication. Since children with ADD
have difficulty obeying two different sets of
rules, parents and teachers should agree on the
same rules and the same management system. If
your child's teachers do not have much knowledge
about ADD, you should meet with them, explain
your child's problems, and give them copies of
this information sheet and other sources of
information on ADD.
Medication of
children with ADD remains controversial.
Medication is not a cure and should not be used
as the only treatment strategy for ADD. While
doctors, psychiatrists, and other health care
professionals should be consulted for advice,
ultimately you must make the final decision
about whether or not to medicate your child.
The short-term
benefits of medication include a decrease in
impulsive behavior, in hyperactivity, in
aggressive behavior, and in inappropriate social
interaction; and an increase in concentration,
in academic productivity, and in effort directed
toward a goal.
However, studies
show that the long-term benefits of medication
on social adjustment, thinking skills, and
academic achievement are very limited. If you do
choose to use medication, you should observe
your child for possible side effects. Some
children lose weight, lose their appetite, or
have problems falling asleep. Less common side
effects include slowed growth, a tic disorder,
and problems with thinking or with social
interaction. These effects usually can be
eliminated by reducing the dosage or changing to
a different medication.
Children with ADD
can learn to control some aspects of their
behavior and to succeed in school and at home.
When parents establish and enforce a few rules
and maintain a system of rewards, children
incorporate such rules into their daily routine.
Remember that every child, with or without ADD,
has individual strengths and weaknesses. Once
you identify your child's strengths, you can use
them to build your child's self-esteem and help
to provide the confidence your child needs to
tackle whatever he or she finds difficult.
- Discipline
can best be maintained by establishing a
few consistent rules with immediate
consequences whenever each rule is
broken. Rules should be phrased
positively in terms of what your child
should do. Praise your child and reward
him or her for good behavior.
- Children
with ADD respond well to a structured
system of rewards for good behavior.
This system encourages the child to work
in order to earn privileges or rewards
he or she wants by accumulating points
for desired behaviors and removing
points for undesirable behaviors. You
can make charts or use tokens or
stickers to show your child the
consequences of good behavior. You
should only work on a few behaviors at
one time and add additional behaviors as
others are learned.
- Make a
written agreement (a contract) with your
child in which the child agrees to do
his or her homework every night or to
demonstrate other desired behavior in
return for a privilege he or she
selects, such as the right to watch a
certain television show. If your child
does not fulfill the contract, remove
the promised privilege.
- Another
effective strategy is to provide a
specified time-out location for your
child to go when he or she is out of
control. This should not be seen as a
place of punishment, but as a place the
child uses to calm down. Younger
children may need to be told to go the
time-out location, but older children
should learn to sense when they need to
calm down and go on their own.
- Set up a
study area away from distractions and
establish a specific time each day for
the child to do homework. Do not allow
your child to do homework near the
television set or the radio.
- Devise a
calendar of long-term assignments and
other tasks. Keep this on the
refrigerator door, or other visible
place, where it can remind your child of
what he or she needs to do.
- Have the
teacher make a checklist of homework to
be completed and items to be brought to
school the next day. Before your child
goes to bed, check the list to make sure
everything has been completed.
- In general,
punishing the child is not as effective
as using praise and rewards. Rather than
focusing on weaknesses, you should
assist your child in developing personal
strengths.
- Avoid
emotional reactions such as anger,
sarcasm, and ridicule. Remember your
child has problems with control, and it
only makes him or her feel worse to be
told a task is easy or anyone can do it.
However, short, mild reprimands can
remind children to focus their
attention.
Children with ADD
may require additional help in managing the
transition to independent adulthood. They may
need help learning how to structure their time
and how to prioritize what they have to do. As
children grow older, you can give them more
responsibility so they can learn from their own
decisions.
The hard work of
children with ADD, their parents, and their
teachers helps them develop their abilities and
prepares them for success in their adult lives.
With assistance, children with ADD can develop
strategies that allow them to work around their
ADD and the problems it causes.
Credits:
'This paper was
originally published by Division of Innovation
and Development Office of Special Education
Programs Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services of the U.S. Department
of Education
This document was
developed by the Chesapeake Institute,
Washington, D.C., with The Widmeyer Group,
Washington, D.C., as part of contract
#HS92017001 from the Office of Special Education
Programs, Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, United States
Department of Education. The points of view
expressed in this publication are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect the
position or policy of the U.S. Department of
Education.
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