Collection of Experiences

Mackenzie Mitchell

Hope College

EDUC 225 - The Exceptional Child

Professor Susan Cherup

October 6th, 2017

 Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Introduction

In the United States, there are more than 3 million cases of Attention-Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) each year. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is an

extremely common disorder and can affect someone for years or for an entire lifetime. This

disorder affects people of all ages, and can be diagnosed at any age. Personally, I was diagnosed

with ADHD when I was fifteen, and have experienced firsthand what life is like for someone

with the disorder. Throughout this paper I will be giving examples and explaining what ADHD

is, as well as sharing a few of the personal experiences Ive had throughout my ADHD

experience. In addition, I will talk about how this may affect my future career and how I can help

to make a difference for my future patients.

Definition

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder falls under the definition of other health

impairment in The Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education. MARSE describes

other health impairment and its determination as:

1. "Other health impairment" means having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including

a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, which results in limited alertness with

respect to the educational environment and to which both of the following provisions

apply:

a. Is due to chronic or acute health problems such as any of the following:

i. Asthma.
 ii. Attention deficit disorder.

iii. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

iv. Diabetes.

v. Epilepsy.

vi. A heart condition.

vii. Hemophilia.

viii. Lead poisoning.

ix. Leukemia.

x. Nephritis.

xi. Rheumatic fever.

xii. Sickle cell anemia.

b. The impairment adversely affects a student's educational performance.

2. A determination of disability shall be based upon a full and individual evaluation by a

multidisciplinary evaluation team, which shall include one of the following persons:

a. An orthopedic surgeon.

b. An internist.

c. A neurologist.

d. A pediatrician.

e. A family physician or any other approved physician.

Experience & Reaction

Personally, I experience on a daily basis what life is like for someone who has limited

strength, vitality, or alertness. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was fifteen years old, which

is a bit older than the average age of diagnosis. Due to the fact that I wasnt diagnosed with the

disorder until so far into my schooling, my whole life prior to the diagnosis was very difficult at

times. Someone who has ADHD may have a difficult time paying attention, controlling

impulsive behaviors, or being overly active. Throughout my childhood, I always noticed that I

was more hyper than most of my friends, and had a much more difficult time controlling my

behaviors and paying attention. Looking back now, I have a hard time remembering a report card

that didnt mention how I was always talking to others or that I could be easily distracted

from my schoolwork. Growing up, my parents and teachers always attributed these comments to

my social and outgoing personality, which is certainly true. However, those comments were also

pretty good indicators of ADHD, but were perhaps ignored or overlooked due to the fact that I

was still fairly successful academically.

Whether it was in the classroom or in the ballet studio, the majority of my time growing

up was spent feeling lost and unsure of what I was going to do next, while I was simultaneously

getting reprimanded for flitting around the classroom or talking to my friends too much.

Oftentimes during school, I would need to have the material repeated to me at least once, or

would need to have a friend explain an assignment to me because I would not remember what

had just been explained. Not being able to pay attention and remember information affected me

negatively in school. Even though I seemed very organized and on top of things, I would

constantly forget to complete or turn in assignments. There would be weeks where my binders
and planner were meticulously color coded and every assignment was perfectly filed or written

down in detail, and then there would be other weeks where I had not written a single thing down,

and loose papers littered my locker and backpack. My mom had to constantly nag me and check

in on me in order to keep me on task. All of this was so frustrating to myself, my parents, and my

teachers - we all knew that I was a smart kid who was fully capable of doing really well in

school, but I would get tripped up by little things that would eventually spiral into a huge mess of

missing and late assignments. This still happens, and is still so frustrating!

Unfortunately, my ADHD did not only affect me in an academic setting. At least four

times a week, I would find myself staring off into space while at dance practice, and I wouldnt

be able to recall anything that had just been shown or explained. I knew that it annoyed my

dance teachers, and even my friends! All I wanted was to be able to focus normally in class and

at dance like everyone else.

It took me almost two years of begging and pleading before my parents agreed to get me

tested for ADHD. My symptoms were easily masked by the fact that I naturally did pretty well in

school, along with my social and outgoing personality. I seemed like an anomaly, like many

teenage girls with ADHD do. In fact, in an article published by ADDitude magazine,

Massachusetts General Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Joseph Biederman, M.D.

shared research which found that girls with ADHD are only half as likely to exhibit aggression

as are boys with the condition. Disruptive behavior is often what drives parents to seek a

diagnosis. Girls are less likely to present these problems, which is another reason why they are

not diagnosed. ADDitude magazine goes on to state that even the most experienced clinicians
and diagnosticians can struggle to distinguish normal developmental woes from true ADHD

characteristics.

The process of being tested for ADHD is long and extensive. Prior to meeting in person,

the psychologist asked for letters from my teachers, and I filled out a lengthy questionnaire with

my mother. When we finally went into the office, I was interviewed by the doctor, and then

taken to complete the tests. The testing consisted of different computer assessments (CPTs),

verbal memorization, auditory processing tests, and small motor skills tasks like putting a peg

into a hole with both my dominant and nondominant hand that honestly seemed quite silly at the

time. Once all of the testing had been completed, the psychologist called my mother and I into

her office to go over the results. It was at this point that I was given an official diagnosis of

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I was also told that along with my ADHD, I had

troubles with Executive Functioning, which consists of eight skills - organization, impulse

control, task initiation, emotional control, working memory, flexible thinking, self monitoring,

and planning and prioritization.

Since receiving an official ADHD diagnosis and going on medication to control the

symptoms, simple everyday tasks have become much easier for me. For example, finishing a

homework assignment will only take me twenty minutes instead of an hour and a half. My

medication helps with any impulsivity and task initiation, as well as helping to calm me down,

which has resulted in me just being a happier version of myself.

Impact

Knowing what I know about ADHD on such personal, educational, and medical levels

will help me to connect with my patients as a Child Life Specialist. I will be better equipped to

care for the physical, mental, social, and emotional needs of a patient with ADHD, and will be

able to empathize with what they might be feeling. Communication is such an important aspect

in all situations, but especially so in medical and educational settings! I want my patients to feel

comfortable working with me and respected as individuals, no matter their age. To do this, I will

need to ask for feedback from my patients, see how they feel about their medical care or their

diagnostic education, and ask if they need help in any of these areas. Additionally, if I suspect

that a patient might have ADHD, I will contact their nurses to see if this is something they

suspect as well, and advocate for the child to see a doctor. A child with ADHD is just like any

other child, and deserves to be treated as such. As someone going into a helping profession, I

believe that my experience living with ADHD will allow me to expand my knowledge about a

diverse range of patients.

Assistive Technology

Another way to help patients with disabilities or disorders is

having assistive technologies available in the hospital playroom.

Noise-cancelling headphones/ear plugs would be a beneficial

assistive technology to have around. Children with ADHD have a

difficult time paying attention, and are easily distracted by noises of

any kind. By lowering the volume of any background sounds,

noise-cancelling headphones help to reduce the amount of distractions a patient may face, which

in turn helps them to remain focused on the task at

hand. Minimizing noise levels and maximizing

concentration levels can make a big impact in the life

of a child with ADHD.

Another assistive technology that would benefit

patients would be having computer softwares

available. A lot of kids have to spend multiple nights

in the hospital, depending on the reason for their hospital

admittance. Oftentimes, this means that students miss

multiple days of school in a row, but with computer softwares being available, students can work

on subjects like reading, writing or math in a different way and from a different location. A great

software to use for students with ADHD is Learning Games for Kids. This website has a

multitude of different keyboard games that teach children how to properly use a keyboard, but

also has speed and accuracy tests disguised as fun games. This is a fun way to teach younger

children basic computing skills, but for children with ADHD it also helps keep them engaged

and focused in a fun way.

Finally, having a childrens talking calculator that

has a built-in speech synthesizer to read numbers,

symbols, or operation keys out loud would be extremely

beneficial for children that have ADHD. The calculator

can also vocalize the the answer to each problem. This

auditory feedback can help the student to check the accuracy of the keys they are pressing and

verify the answers before they write it down on paper. This is helpful for children with ADHD,

because they are more likely to become easily distracted and forget what they typed.

Someone who has ADHD lives everyday struggles that those without the disorder may

not understand. Living with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has often resulted in me

having to work a lot harder to accomplish things than my peers do. However, just because a child

struggles with ADHD does not mean they cannot succeed. There are many treatments to this

disorder and a variety of assistive technologies that can be helpful to the child. Overall, I have

learned so much about ADHD throughout my personal experiences and how life can be different

for those who are diagnosed with this disorder. In the future, I hope that my experiences can

assist me as a Child Life Specialist, no matter what impairment my patient might face.
 Works Cited

Kingsley, Ellen, and Maureen Connolly. Why ADHD in Girls Is Often Overlooked.

ADDitude,

New Hope Media, 17 Sept. 2017,

www.additudemag.com/the-truth-about-girls-adhd/?src=test.

Learning, Integrated. 8 Executive Functioning Skills: Why My Child Can't Complete Tasks and

Stay Organized in School. Integrated Learning Strategies, Mediavine Publisher

Network, 5 July 2016,

ilslearningcorner.com/2016-07-8-executive-functioning-skills-child-cant-complete-tasks-

stay-organized-school/.

Seay, Bob, et al. Your Complete ADHD Diagnosis Guide. ADDitude, New Hope Media, 7

Aug. 2017, www.additudemag.com/adhd-testing-diagnosis-guide/.