1. Chapter 5: Learners
with Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
Jason Cumming
TECP 50
Dr. Dunn
31 July 2013
2. History of ADHD
1798: Sir Alexander Crichton defines attention and
inattention in “On Attention and its Diseases.”
• Distinguishes abnormal inattention as
“oppositional poles of pathologically increased or
decreased “sensibility of the nerves”
1865: Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann composes “The Story of
Fidgety Philip” in his book, Struwwelpeter. It is the
first work of literature that alluded to observation of
behaviors similar to today’s definition of ADHD
3. 1899: Psychiatrist Thomas Smith Clouston writes on the “state
of excitability and mental explosivness in children”
1902: Dr. George Frederic Still presents the concept of
psychical conditions with “abnormal defect of moral control” in
children during the “Goulstonian Lectures” at the Royal College
of Physicians of London, calling for his colleagues to
scientifically investigate the condition.
1932: Dr. Franz Kramer and Dr. Hans Pullnow provide their first
reference to the disorder, “Über eine hyperkinetische
Erkrankung im Kindesalter“ (Hyperkinetic Disorder in Children).
1934: Eugene Kahn and Louis Cohen publish Organic Driveness
in the New England Journal of Medicine from observations of
hyperkinesis in children who had encephalitis that affected
parts of the brain, and left resulting characteristics that are
now the basis for diagnosis of ADHD.
4. 1940s: Heinz Werner and Alfred Strauss conduct study
on children with Minimal Brain Damage, leading to
the diagnosis of the Strauss Syndrome.
1957: William Chuickshank conducts a study using
children with Cerebral Palsy to discover that children
without Mental Retardation can still display
distractability and hyperactivity characteristics.
1957: Dr. Leon Eisenberg summarizes prominent
Clinical Features in the Psychiatric Journal with his
article, Psychiatric Implications in Brain Damaged
Children.
5. 1957: Laufer and Denoff define as “Hyperkinetic Impulse Disorder
in Children’s Behavior Problems” in Psychosomatic Journal
1958: APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-II) establishes first diagnostic criteria for
professionals/practioners.
1970: Canadian Virginia Douglas writes “Specific Disabilities of
Hyperactive Children”, naming the condition we currently know
as “Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without hyperactivity”.
1980: APA’s DSM-III first uses “Attention Deficit Disorder, with or
without hyperactivity” in the APA’s DSM.
2000: DSM-IV-TR provides the Contemporary Concept of ADHD
and establishes the diagnostic criteria currently in use.
6. Identification of ADHD: Ruling out all
other options
Medical Examination
Is there a medical reason (tumors, thyroid
condition, seizures) for
inattentiveness/hyperactivity?
Clinical Interviews
Interview is conducted with parents and child
(separately)
Provides information on physical and psychological
characteristics, family dynamics and home life, and
social skills
Ratings Scales
Completed by teachers, parents, and children
Based upon 18 criteria set forth by DSM-IV
7. Identification of ADHD: Ruling out all
other options (con’t)
Behavioral Observations
Continous Performance Test
Stimuli flashing on the screen; Measures reaction to
stimuli and attentive ability.
Tracks correct and incorrect
responses, omissions, and responses to wrong
stimulus
Classroom Observations
May have student brought into specially designed
classroom to observe tasks completed and the
manner/time tasks are completed.
8. Diagnostic Criteria
Either one of the following:
• Inattention
• At least 6 of 9 criteria set forth by DSM-IV must have
persisted for at least 6 months.
• Hyperactivity-Impulsivity
• At least 6 criteria of the 6 Hyperactivity and 3
Impulsivity (combined) must have persisted for 6
months
• All Behaviors must exist to a degree that hinders the
ability to function and learn consistently at the
developmental level expected of age and normal
capability.
9. Other Criteria for Diagnosis of ADHD
Any symptoms that caused impairment prior to age 7
Any symptoms cause impairment in two or more
settings (home, work, school, social settings)
Clear evidence of significant impairment on ability to
function in settings such as social, academic, or
occupation.
The symptoms do not occur during the presence of or
are accounted for in other mental disorders
10. Diagnosis of ADHD: Coding the Condition
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type
Both conditions for Diagnosis are met
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly
Inattentive Type
“Inattention” conditions are met, but “Hyperactivity-
Impulsivity” conditions are not met
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly
Hyperactive-Impulsive
“Hyperactivity-Impulsivity” conditions are met, but
“Inattention” conditions are not
“In Partial Remission” when some symptoms are no longer
met
11. What Causes ADHD?
Neurological Dysfunction -Consistent Abnormalities found in
areas of the brain.
Prefrontal and Frontal Lobes – Controls the functions to
regulate behavior.
Basal Ganglia – Controls coordination and motor behavior.
Caudate and globus pallidus; present in the brain
behind the frontal lobes.
Cerebellum – Assists in control of motor skills, contains
half of all neuron’s in the brain.
Corpus Callosum – Connects the brain’s hemispheres for
cognitive functions.
12. What causes ADHD? (con’t)
Heredity
Parents of ADHD children have a greater chance of also
having ADHD
Siblings of children with ADHD have 32% chance of
having ADHD
Children of Adults with ADHD have 57% chance of
having ADHD
Twins: Identical Twins more likely to share disorder
than fraternal twins
Toxins and Medical Factors
Consumption and/or use of drugs and/or tobacco place
the unborn child at an increased risk of ADHD.
13. Characteristics of ADHD
Lack of Behavorial Inhibition
Inability to control responses in
social, academic, and/or occupational settings
Waiting in line or in turn
Response elicits interruptions of
class, situations, or settings
Hold normal level of attention on task when
subordinate distractions arise.
Evidence points to abnormalities in the caudate of the
basal ganglia.
14. Characteristics of ADHD (con’t)
Lack of Executive Functions
Inability/difficulty manipulating working memory
Forgetfulness, time management, thought processes
Inability/difficulty following rules, guidelines, and/or
instructions
Inability/difficulty managing emotions and reactions to
stimuli (positive or negative).
Overreactions, over-dramatizations
15. Characteristics of ADHD (con’t)
Time Awareness / Management
Diminished problem-solving ability
Inability to navigate or overcome obstacles in goals
Diminished ingenuity
Tendency to give up when tasks become more difficult
Diminished flexibility
Greater tendency to react on impulse because of
inability to control emotions
Inability to assemble thoughts in an organized and
coherent manner, taking longer or unable to complete
goals.
Lack of
16. Characteristics of ADHD (con’t)
Lack of Persistent Goal-Directed Behavior
Problematic manipulation of executive functions lead
to inability or difficulty navigating, participating,
and/or completing goal-directed activities
High variability in progression and production rates
during work strategies.
Inconsistent accuracy, performance, or quality of work
Lack of ability for Adaptive Behavior
17. Characteristics of ADHD (con’t)
Problems Socializing with Peers
Negative Social Status
Long-lasting reaction to peer rejection
Stemming from the inability to control emotions
18. Educational Consideration
Effective Educational Programming
Classroom Structure / Direction
Reduce irrelevant stimulus in the classroom
Bright colored posters, shining objects near or
opposite windows
Clear, defined routines
Concrete directions, expectations, and guidelines
Loose timelines to reduce the distraction of tight
deadlines.
Displayed schedule and timetables for easy
reference by students
19. Educational Considerations (con’t)
Classroom Structure / Direction
Introduction of Lessons
Provide an organizer and help them to use it
Working towards establishment of independence
with self-monitoring
Review lessons
Set Expectations and Needed Materials/Resources
Simple directions, choices, scheduling
20. Educational Considerations (con’t)
Classroom Structure / Direction
Conducting Lessons
Consistent structure and routine
Encourage participation with cues for tasks, calling
upon, etc. (Teach like a Champion is a great book for
strategies on this subject)
Keeping tasks in smaller units to allow for evaluation
and self-monitoring
Eliminate Timed Tests
Students won’t be preoccupied with time elapsed
or time remaining; reduce stressors/pressure
21. Educational Consideration (con’t)
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
Know the antecedents to undesired behavior
Confirm the consequences for undesirable behavior
Develop strategies for maximizing occurrence of
positive/desired behaviors
Contingency-based self-management
Student tracks own behavior, receive rewards and
consequences based upon behavior
Use together for maximum awareness and performance
independence
22. Educational Considerations (con’t)
U.S. Department of Education doesn’t recognize ADHD as
a special education category.
Actual statistics relating to diagnosed
students, actual students, and students receiving
services is a giant disparity in number from the
students who should be receiving services.
While some students respond well with inclusion
(mainstreaming), others respond better in self-
contained environments with other ADHD students
23. Medicating ADHD
History
Benzadrine (1932)
Originally thought disorder was to be a result of
encephalitis
Charles Bradley’s “The Behavior of Children Receiving
Benzadrine” documents the increased performance of
students taking Benzedrine sulfate; also discusses
dosage, side effects, unfavorable responses, and
duration effects. (1937)
Methylphenidate
Trademarked as “Ritaline” in 1954
Helps to control the neurotransmitters, dopamine
and norepinephrine
Most common medication prescribed;
psychostimulant
24. Effectiveness of Medicating ADHD
Psychiatry Journals have been documenting the success of
medicating disorder patients since 1937:
Charles Bradley, “The Behaviour of Children Receiving
Benzedrine” (1937)
Matthew Molitch and John Sullivan, “The Effect of
Benzedrine Sulfate on Children Taking the New Stanford
Achievement Test” (1937)
Maurice Laufer and Eric Denhoff: “Hyperkinetic Impulse
Disorder in Children’s Behavior Problems” (1956)
C. Keith Connors and Leon Eisenberg; “The Effects of
Methylphenidate on Symptomatology and Learning in
Disturbed Children (1963)
25. Cautions Regarding Medicating ADHD
Premature Medication Determination
Don’t prescribe at the first sign; go through full
diagnosis procedures, ratings, criteria, and tests.
Medicating doesn’t increase accuracy on achievement
tests. Behavior may improve, rate of task completion
may increase, but there has been very little increase in
the results of standardized achievement tests
There should be a level of responsibility for taking the
medications and reinforcement of taking self-
responsibility of the student’s actions and initiative.
Communicating dosage between
school, parents, physicians, and student, as well as the
26. Assessing Progress of the ADHD Student
Progress Monitoring
Students with ADHD commonly are diagnosed with learning
disabilities or intellectual disabilities.
Monitoring of all aspects of the student’s experiences
during the school day needs to be paramount to insure
strategies are working.
Curriculum-based measurement (CBM)
Minimal time and task-focused measurement caters
to the ADHD student in a positive way.
Monitoring Behavior
Rating scales
Direct observation
Can work with FBAs for Reward Consequence
27. Transitioning to Adulthood
Studies completed as late as 2008 have shown that about
50% of those diagnosed as children retain ADHD symptoms
into adulthood.
Prevalence Rate of 4 -5% of adult ADHD diagnosis (similar
to that of youth)
ADHD Coaching is very important for success in
employment, relationships, and personal triumphs.