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Study requires a student’s undivided attention. It is impossible to acquire a complex skill or absorb information about a subject in class unless one learns to concentrate without undue stress for long periods of time. Students with Attention Deficit Disorder (A. D. D.) are particularly deficient in this respect for reasons which are now known to be neurobiological and not behavioural, as was once believed. Of course, being unable to concentrate, and incapable of pleasing the teacher and oneself in the process, quickly leads to despondence and low self-esteem. This will naturally induce behavioural problems.

It is estimated that 3-5% of all children suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder. There are three main types of Attention Deficit Disorder: A. D. D. without Hyperactivity, A. D. D. with Hyperactivity (A. D. H. D.), and Undifferentiated A. D. D.

The characteristics of a person with A. D. D. are as follows:
a. has difficulty paying attention
b. does not appear to listen
c. is unable to carry out given instructions
d. avoids or dislikes tasks which require sustained mental effort
e. has difficulty with organization
f. is easily distracted
g. often loses things
h. is forgetful in daily activities

Children with A. D. H. D. also exhibit excessive and inappropriate physical activity, such as constant fidgeting and running about the room. This boisterousness often interferes with the educational development of others. Undifferentiated A. D. D. sufferers exhibit some, but not all, of the symptoms of each category.

It is important to base remedial action on accurate diagnosis. Since A. D. D. is a physiological disorder caused by some structural or chemically-based neurotransmitter problem in the nervous system, it responds especially well to certain psychostimulant drugs, such as Ritalin. In use since 1953, the drug enhances the ability to structure and complete a thought without being overwhelmed by non-related and distracting thought processes.

Psychostimulants are the most widely used medications for persons with A. D. D. and A. D. H. D. Recent findings have validated the use of stimulant medications, which work in about 70-80% of A. H. D. D. children and dults (Wilens and Biederman, 1997). In fact, up to 90% of distractibility in A. D. D. sufferers can be removed by medication. The specific dose of medicine varies for each child, but such drugs are not without side effects, which include the reduction in appetite, loss of weight, and problems with falling asleep.

Not all students who are inattentive in class have Attention Deficit Disorder. Many are simply unwilling to commit themselves to the task at hand. Others might have a specific learning disability (S. L. D.). However, those with A. D. D. have difficulty performing in school not usually because they have trouble learning, but because of poor organization, inattention, compulsion and impulsiveness. This is brought about by an incompletely understood phenomenon, in which the individual is, perhaps, best described as “tuning out” for short to long periods of time. The effect is analogous to the switching of channels on a television set. The difference is that an A. D. D. suffers is not “in charge of the remote control”. The child with A. D. D. is unavailable to learn — something else has involuntarily captured his or her whole attention.

It is commonly thought that A. D. D. only affects children, and that they grow out of the condition once they reach adolescence. It is now known that this is often not the case. Left undiagnosed or untreated, children with all forms of A. D. D. risk a lifetime of failure to relate effectively to others at home, school, college and at work. This brings significant emotional disturbances into play, and is very likely to negatively affect self-esteem. Fortunately, early identification of the problem, together with appropriate treatment, make it possible for many victims to overcome the substantial obstacles that A. D. D. places in the way of successful learning.

The number of main types of A. D. D. is ________.

Attention Deficit Disorder ________.

Wilens and Biederman have shown that ________.

Children with A. D. D. ________.

Psychostimulant drugs can be given to A. D. D. sufferers to assist them ________.