ADHD

During this week, the two other stages of Piaget’s cognitive development theory (concrete operation and formal-operational periods) were explored. On top of that, other cognitive development theories were mentioned as well school system and educational development.

It was interesting to me the discussion about ADHD. I think I don’t agree with most of what I read in chapter 6 about that. First, ADHD is portrayed as a negative behavior and, thus, called disorder. According to hunter vs farmer hypothesis, proposed by Thom Hartman, ADHD might have been an adaptive behavior for hunters; this hypothesis is corroborated by a studied conducted with a group of Kenyan nomads ( BMC Evolutionary Biology, 2008). Furthermore, throughout history, many outstanding people such as Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, and Abraham Lincoln, have displayed traits of ADHD or similar learning disorders.

The book addressed the growth of ADHD diagnosis as a concrete fact other than a misdiagnosis. Personally, I think “attention” is subjective enough to lead to misdiagnosis. Furthermore, sitting in a chair for hours to be lectured sounds to be more abnormal to human behavior than driving attention to what is more interesting. Maybe the problem is not about attention, but about discipline (being able to follow orders and having self-control).

Schools are standardized institutions that try to level understand and information. That is quite a challenge, in my view, as each one of us is different and has specific ways to learn. According to an article in smithsonian.com website, Finland’s schools have the most successful results with students because teachers are trusted to do whatever it takes to get student to learn (Hancock, 2011). In another study, conducted among the population of northern Finland, researchers found out that “half of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, exhibit the cognitive defects commonly associated with the condition” (Wheeler, 2008). The study was published first in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Curiously, the study also examined the efficacy of medication for ADHD comparing children in United States (normally receive medication) and Finland (rarely treated with medicine). The results about progress and improvement were relatively the same in both groups, which raises important issues about efficacy of this type of medication.

Finally, my husband has been diagnosed with ADHD when he was a kid. He was hyperactive and had difficult to self-control his impulses. Medication was available, but his mother decided to have a different approach and put him in a private tutoring that provided one on one interaction. It worked for him – he finished high school.

After 10 years out of school, now he is in College, and he can actually pay attention for a long period of time while he is studying (something I can’t do). He can pay attention in two different things at the same time (watching TV and reading something else). It’s almost annoying, but he can actually pay attention on both – I have quizzed him extensively about what we were watching on TV and what he was reading; he answered everything correctly and very accurate. I found out that he is able to pay attention for a long period of time if he is listening to music at the same time. He “functions” better when multitasking. In this case I ask myself who has the disorder then?

 

I think ADHD is a problem especially if that causes social interaction impairment. But, as far as education, it's my opinion, that lots of children has been medicated when the long term solution was a non conventional teaching approach.

Works Cited

BMC Evolutionary Biology. (2008, June 10). Is ADHD An Advantage For Nomadic Tribesmen? Retrieved May 3, 2014, from ScienceDaily: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609195604.htm

Hancock, L. (2011, September). Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? Retrieved May 3, 2014, from Smithsonian magazine: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/why-are-finlands-schools-successful-49859555/?page=1

Wheeler, M. (2008, January 22). Study raises questions about diagnosis, medical treatment of ADHD. Retrieved May 3, 2014, from UCLA newsroom: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/new-thinking-revealed-about-adhd-43193