1. ADHD Inattention Hyperactivity Impulsivity DSM-IV Criteria A.Either (1) or (2) 1.6 or more symptoms in Inattention 2.6 or more symptoms of Hyperactivity-Impulsivity –Symptoms present for at least 6 months B.Significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning C.Onset prior to 7 years of age D.Impairment in two or more settings

2. Comorbid conditions in ADHD Comorbidities% Range Anxiety Disorder Conduct Disorder Oppositional Defiant Disorder Tic Disorders Depressive Disorders Mania/Hypomania 8-30 8-25 45-64 8-34 15-74 0-22

3. Rothenburger et al., 2004 ADHD occurs in 2-5% of children 80% are boys Distractibility, hyperactivity, and agitation occur at all ages Forgetful, inpatient, disrupt others Difficulty with limits, impulsivity Rash decisions, don’t think before they act, silly, mood swings Do better in novel situations that involve interaction with others

4. Causes of ADHD? Brain areas affected –Cerebellum: coordination of movements –Frontal lobe: executive functioning Difficulty with neuronal information processing Lower levels of dopamine (emotion and behavior) Genetics: runs in families –80% can be traced to genetic factors –Genes involved in transferring information b/w neurons Environmental factors –Prenatal alcohol and nicotine exposure –Non-supportive school environment –Martial crisis and parental psychological problems –Poor attachment

5. Medication and ADHD Target neurotransmitter systems –Psychostimulants: Ritalin Medication most effective when combined with behavior therapy Large US study compared different treatments methods among 579 children with ADHD Significant improvements (normalized behavior): –Medication only: 25% –Behavior therapy only: 34% –Medication with counseling: 56% –Medication and behavioral theory: 68%

6. ADHD Important to teach children with how to handle tasks and their behaviors Count to 10, reminders etc. Children with ADHD have many positive traits: –Free-spirited, inquisitive, energetic, funny –Intelligent, creative, spontaneous, helpful, sensitive –Multi-tasking

7. Sherman et al., 2006 Some ADHD behaviors are adaptive Impatient, impulsive, distractible, energetic, emotionally needy, creative, innovative Many historical figures show ADHD characteristics –Einstein, Poe, Salvador Dali, Ford Hartmann (2003) refers to ADHD as a trait rather than a disorder (Edison gene) These traits were advantageous for hunter- gatherer societies and have been passed down over time

8. Short attention, poor planning, daydreaming, and impatience may be seen as adaptive Important for survival of hunter-gatherer societies –Agile, think quickly, monitor environment, act on impulse Farmer societies are more patient, organized, plan ahead, less impulsive However, North American classrooms favor farmer like traits –Children must sit in desks quietly, pay attention, work on projects for prolonged periods of time, keep hands still, information taken in by reading, listening, and seeing rather than by doing.

9. Children with ADHD seen as polyactive, they can work on numerous tasks Good brainstormers, eager to please, creative Suggestions for Classroom Interventions: –Allow children with ADHD to run class errands –Have quiet zones, one-on-one interaction –Call on students frequently, use immediate feedback –Teach to all different intelligences –Hands on lessons, experiments, visual media, arts –Break down instruction to smaller manageable tasks –Assist with organization, external structure –Avoid mundane tasks

10. Wang et al. (2004) Impact of teacher factors on performance of children with ADHD Participants: 45 7.5 yr old boys with ADHD –all on ADHD medication, from 12 different after school programs Children solved puzzles in 3 conditions/modalities: –Speech only –Gesture only –Speech and Gesture 12 trained male teachers (one from each program)

11. Condition order was random, and videotaped Dependent variables: (in each condition) –Freq. of children’s responses to teachers –How long children sustained their attention –Success on puzzles 5 coders independently coded the tapes, 90% agreement Also examined different types of gestures within the gesture conditions

12. Results Children in Gesture conditions (gesture-only or speech-gesture) were: –more responsive –focused longer –more successful on puzzles Conclude that hand gestures are important for use with children with ADHD. Children with ADHD have attention problems and are easily distracted, so speech alone may not be sufficient to get their attention.

13. Limitations? Confounds?