Emotional and Behavioral Disorders - Attention Deficit Disorder

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Teachers have historically recognized the presence of troubled students in their classrooms. The stress these children are under, if sustained, intensifies their anxiety and thus negatively affects teacher performance. Eventually, the negative effect pervades the entire educational program. Troubled students fall generally into three categories:

those who experience stress primarily in school;
those who experience stress at home or in the community but not in school; and
those who experience stress both within and out of school

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) is defined by the law as:

The term means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree, which adversely affects educational performance:
- an inability to learn which cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors;
- an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers;
- inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances
- a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
- a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems
The term includes children who are schizophrenic. The term does not include children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they are seriously emotionally distrubed.

Attention Deficit Disorder

Students with specific learning disabilities often have behavioral problems. They may be unable to control their behavior and may have difficulty remaining still and paying attention. Attention deficits become a particularly serious problem as students get beyond the second grade. Such children may be labeled impulsive or hyperactive and are sometimes treated with behavior-control drungs. A general term used to designate children who have difficulty focusing their attention long enough or well enough to learn is attention deficit disorder (ADD).

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a syndrome which is usually characterized by serious and persistent difficulties resulting in:

poor attention span
weak impulse control
hyperactivity (not in all cases)

ADD also has a subtype which includes hyperactivity (ADHD). It is a treatable (note not curable) complex disorder which affects approximately 3 to 6 percent of the population (70% in relatives of ADD children). Inattentiveness, impulsivity, and often times, hyperactivity, are common characteristics of the disorder. Boys with ADD tend to outnumber girls by 3 to 1, although ADD in girls is under-identified.

Symptoms

Symptoms:
Some of the common symptoms of ADD are:

Excessively fidgets or squirms
Difficulty remaining seated
Easily distracted
Difficulty awaiting turn in games
Blurts out answers to questions
Difficulty following instructions
Difficulty sustaining attention
Shifts from one activity to another
Difficulty playing quietly
Often talks excessively
Often interrupts
Often doesn't listen to what is said
Often loses things
Often engages in dangerous activities

Please check our section on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Syndrome (ADHD) for further information.