Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Early Intervention and Inclusion

Subject: Psychology
Pages: 3
Words: 615
Reading time:
3 min
Study level: College

Introduction

According to various researchers, it is imperative that children’s behaviors remain closely monitored so as to identify any development disorders. With this procedure in place, early cases of development disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be addressed using early intervention and inclusion strategies (WebMD, 2005). As a result, affected children may have a chance to transform their behaviors before it becomes too late for them any significant improvement. In line with that, this paper aims at establishing various ways in which parents whose children live with ADHD might utilize various approaches gained from educational, medical, as well as allied health practitioners.

Dealing with Cases of ADHD

Statistics obtained from several studies indicate that approximately 5% of school-age children live with ADHD, which is a common behavioral disorder that leads to lack of concentration in children (LDonline, 2010). Children having this disorder are hyperactive, inattentive and impulsive and mostly act without thinking (National Institute of Mental Health, 2008). When a child happens to live with the condition, the parent should consult various information sources from different areas so as to address the child’s problem. Such information and approaches used include educational, medical, and allied health professionals as discussed in the following paragraphs.

Educational Professionals

Various studies have established that teachers have a strong influence in the development of children’s behavior; therefore, it is vital that they monitor children suspected to have the disorder (WebMD, 2005). Educational professionals can assist in detecting early cases of the disorder because they can establish weird behavior in children such as hyperactivity, restlessness, or lack of concentration.

Parents can utilize this advantage to help their children by taking them to medical professionals, special schools, or carry out correctional activities where appropriate. Teachers may also use inclusion strategies to improve the leaning of ADHD children; for example, by individualizing the curriculum (Graham, 2008). As such, educational professionals will help parents get the required feedback about their children’s behavior so as to introduce early treatments for the disorder.

Medical Professionals

Medical professionals are an inescapable source of information for parents whose children live with ADHD. These professionals can establish the stage of the disorder in children and advice parents on various approaches to use for treatment. Some benefits of using this approach include the issuance of appropriate medications and prescriptions for the child by health practitioners (WebMD, 2005). In addition, parents can be advised whether their children are responding well to drugs, or where they need other treatment methods. On the contrary, parents that focus on the individualized models of disability prefer to select distinct educational facilities, while those focusing on learning barriers prefer taking their children to mainstream educational facilities (Graham, 2008).

Allied Health Professionals

Parents will also get expert guidance from this category that provides essential information on the disorder, as well as its management including exceptional guiding and counseling (National Institute of Mental Health, 2008). More so, parents will get effective behavioral intervention techniques that they can implement at home so that their children can start focusing on necessary daily activities. With their assistance, parents can obtain effective ADHD management involving some combination of drugs, behavior replacement, lifestyle alterations, as well as counseling sessions (WebMD, 2005; Graham, 2008). For that matter, parents must take utmost precautions while searching for appropriate measures for addressing their children’s medical conditions.

Conclusion

As established from the research, ADHD is a medical problem that requires urgent attention so that affected children can learn to live with, as well as manage their symptoms. In conclusion, it is fundamental that parents monitor their children’s behaviors with the help of professionals in order to address cases of the disorder in affected children.

References

Graham, L. (2008). From ABC to ADHD: The Role of Schooling in the Construction of Behavior Disorder and the Production of Disorderly Objects. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12(1), 1-27.

LDonline: ADHD Basics: What is ADHD? (2010). Web.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2008). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (NIH no. 08-3572). New York, NY: Author.

WebMD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What is ADHD? (2005). Web.