Inattention

Inattention

I believe that Colby has Attention-Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). According to DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing ADHD, Colby presents the following symptoms that are consistent with ADHD. Colby presents with predominantly inattentive presentation (ADHD-PI).

Colby is unable to

remain on task. He gets easily distracted by almost everything, including ring

phone and outside noise. Once

he is off the task, it is difficult to bring him back to continue concentrating

on the task.

According to Colby’s

mother, the child tended to lose pencils which are necessary for task

completion. Colby has a challenge trying to organize his work unless organized

for him. When Colby was asked to write a brief paragraph during the Written

Expressive Subtest, Colby had a challenge trying to organize his ideas. He

changed the topic several times before he finally wrote a well-organized

passage after almost 10 minutes.

Colby is reported to

show enthusiasm when starting tasks but quickly loses focus, and his old habits

return (Mash & Wolfe,2012). Moreover, Colby has difficulties engaging in

activities that require mental effort. Homework is a source of frustration to

him. However, he is concentrating on conversations related to activities that

are of interest to him.

Hyperactivity and

Impulsivity

According to DSM -5

criteria for diagnosing Colby does not meet symptom criteria for

hyperactivity-impulsivity (Mash &Wolfe,2012). For instance, he does not

answer questions before the teacher finishes asking them. He does not have

difficulty waiting for his turn. He does not intrude on other people’s

conversations. Colby can engage in activities that interest him, such as

cycling. He does not tend to fidget. The mother has not reported him talking

excessively. In Short, he does not present with hyperactivity and impulsive

symptoms.

Causes of ADHD

Colby’s mother was

exposed to high levels of stress during pregnancy due to marital issues.

According to Mash & Wolfe (2012), p psychological stress is a risk factor

for ADHD development.

Colby’s mother also

reports occasionally drinking and smoking during the pregnancy. Alcohol and

cigarette consumption during pregnancy can negatively affect the unborn child.

Studies have shown that mothers with ADHD children reported having smoked heavily

during the pregnancy period (Mash &Wolfe,2012).

Colby’s birth weight was

6 pounds 2 ounces. Low birth weight presents a risk of Attention-Deficit

/Hyperactivity Disorder later in life. Colby’s mother had a difficult delivery

which lasted for 12 hours and led to forceps delivery (Mash &Wolfe,2012).

Complications during delivery present a risk for developing ADHD in life.

According to Mash &

Wolfe (2012), family conflicts are also a risk factor for developing ADHD later

in life. Colby’s parents are reported to have separated six months ago.

However, they have been having marital issues the entire time while married.

Colby has a strained relationship with the father. Children who grow witnessing

family risk have the potential of developing ADHD.

Mash & Wolfe(2012)

affirm that Attention-Deficit /Hyperactivity Deficit is likely to develop in

children whose family reports a history of ADHD. If a family member has ADHD,

the likelihood of giving birth to a child who will later develop ADHD

symptoms is increased.

The chance is even higher if the parent has ADHD because a 60% chance the child

will develop the disorder.

Treatment

Psychological treatment

The first choice

psychological treatment that I would recommend is PMT (parent management

training). Parents of ADHD children have difficulties managing their children.

Standard discipline approaches such as warning, reasoning, and scolding are

usually successful. This may make the parent frustrated.PMT emphasizes teaching

effective parenting strategies and practices to cope with parenting challenges

in children with ADHD (Mash & Wolfe,2012). The skills taught include;

management of oppositional and non-compliant behavior of the child, coping with

emotional demands associated with raising an ADHD child, problem containment to

prevent the situation from being worse, and ensuring that the problem does not

negatively affect other members of the family.

The parents are taken

through the biological basis of ADHD. This helps alleviate the guilt the

parents may feel for thinking they are to blame for their children’s condition.

The parents are given guiding principles to assist in parenting an ADHD child,

such as applying immediate, powerful, and frequent consequences, aiming for

consistency (Mash & Wolfe,2012). Parents are taught on identifying

behaviors they would like to encourage and behaviors they need to be

discouraged. Using rewards and noticing improvements in their child’s behavior.

Parents are taught to deny privileges to the children in case of non-compliant

behavior in public places. The parents are taught planning activities to

enhance the child’s success and limit failures, such as breaking tasks into

small manageable tasks and congratulating them for completing every small task.

PMT will be effective in

helping Colby’s condition. If Colby’s mother is taught the biological reasons

behind the cause of ADHD, she will not blame herself and instead strive to

improve her child’s behavior. Colby tends not to complete tasks and easily gets

distracted; dividing the tasks into small steps can help him complete the

tasks. The mother should applaud him for task completion. Teaching the mother

how to identify behavior that she would like to discourage and behaviors he

would want to discourage would appropriately provide rewards and punishments.

Medical Stimulants

The treatment I would

recommend to Colby is stimulant medication. Stimulant medications have been

used in treating ADHD symptoms since their effectiveness was discovered in

1930. Examples of stimulants are dextroamphetamine and

methylphenidate. These medications act by altering the frontostriatal region’s

activities(Mash & Wolfe,2012). It affects neurotransmitters that are

significant for the frontostriatal area. According to studies, stimulants aid

in normalizing the functional connection and structural abnormalities within

the frontostriatal region. Among 80 % of children with ADHD, stimulants have

produced tremendous results by increasing the attention span, reducing

task-irrelevant activities, increasing impulse control, and work effort

persistence. Moreover, stimulants have also been reported to enhance the

academic productivity of the child.I believe that Colby has Attention-Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). According to DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing ADHD, Colby presents the following symptoms that are consistent with ADHD. Colby presents with predominantly inattentive presentation (ADHD-PI).

Inattention

Colby is unable to

remain on task. He gets easily distracted by almost everything, including ring

phone and outside noise. Once

he is off the task, it is difficult to bring him back to continue concentrating

on the task.

According to Colby’s

mother, the child tended to lose pencils which are necessary for task

completion. Colby has a challenge trying to organize his work unless organized

for him. When Colby was asked to write a brief paragraph during the Written

Expressive Subtest, Colby had a challenge trying to organize his ideas. He

changed the topic several times before he finally wrote a well-organized

passage after almost 10 minutes.

Colby is reported to

show enthusiasm when starting tasks but quickly loses focus, and his old habits

return (Mash & Wolfe,2012). Moreover, Colby has difficulties engaging in

activities that require mental effort. Homework is a source of frustration to

him. However, he is concentrating on conversations related to activities that

are of interest to him.

Hyperactivity and

Impulsivity

According to DSM -5

criteria for diagnosing Colby does not meet symptom criteria for

hyperactivity-impulsivity (Mash &Wolfe,2012). For instance, he does not

answer questions before the teacher finishes asking them. He does not have

difficulty waiting for his turn. He does not intrude on other people’s

conversations. Colby can engage in activities that interest him, such as

cycling. He does not tend to fidget. The mother has not reported him talking

excessively. In Short, he does not present with hyperactivity and impulsive

symptoms.

Causes of ADHD

Colby’s mother was

exposed to high levels of stress during pregnancy due to marital issues.

According to Mash & Wolfe (2012), p psychological stress is a risk factor

for ADHD development.

Colby’s mother also

reports occasionally drinking and smoking during the pregnancy. Alcohol and

cigarette consumption during pregnancy can negatively affect the unborn child.

Studies have shown that mothers with ADHD children reported having smoked heavily

during the pregnancy period (Mash &Wolfe,2012).

Colby’s birth weight was

6 pounds 2 ounces. Low birth weight presents a risk of Attention-Deficit

/Hyperactivity Disorder later in life. Colby’s mother had a difficult delivery

which lasted for 12 hours and led to forceps delivery (Mash &Wolfe,2012).

Complications during delivery present a risk for developing ADHD in life.

According to Mash &

Wolfe (2012), family conflicts are also a risk factor for developing ADHD later

in life. Colby’s parents are reported to have separated six months ago.

However, they have been having marital issues the entire time while married.

Colby has a strained relationship with the father. Children who grow witnessing

family risk have the potential of developing ADHD.

Mash & Wolfe(2012)

affirm that Attention-Deficit /Hyperactivity Deficit is likely to develop in

children whose family reports a history of ADHD. If a family member has ADHD,

the likelihood of giving birth to a child who will later develop ADHD

symptoms is increased.

The chance is even higher if the parent has ADHD because a 60% chance the child

will develop the disorder.

Treatment

Psychological treatment

The first choice

psychological treatment that I would recommend is PMT (parent management

training). Parents of ADHD children have difficulties managing their children.

Standard discipline approaches such as warning, reasoning, and scolding are

usually successful. This may make the parent frustrated.PMT emphasizes teaching

effective parenting strategies and practices to cope with parenting challenges

in children with ADHD (Mash & Wolfe,2012). The skills taught include;

management of oppositional and non-compliant behavior of the child, coping with

emotional demands associated with raising an ADHD child, problem containment to

prevent the situation from being worse, and ensuring that the problem does not

negatively affect other members of the family.

The parents are taken

through the biological basis of ADHD. This helps alleviate the guilt the

parents may feel for thinking they are to blame for their children’s condition.

The parents are given guiding principles to assist in parenting an ADHD child,

such as applying immediate, powerful, and frequent consequences, aiming for

consistency (Mash & Wolfe,2012). Parents are taught on identifying

behaviors they would like to encourage and behaviors they need to be

discouraged. Using rewards and noticing improvements in their child’s behavior.

Parents are taught to deny privileges to the children in case of non-compliant

behavior in public places. The parents are taught planning activities to

enhance the child’s success and limit failures, such as breaking tasks into

small manageable tasks and congratulating them for completing every small task.

PMT will be effective in

helping Colby’s condition. If Colby’s mother is taught the biological reasons

behind the cause of ADHD, she will not blame herself and instead strive to

improve her child’s behavior. Colby tends not to complete tasks and easily gets

distracted; dividing the tasks into small steps can help him complete the

tasks. The mother should applaud him for task completion. Teaching the mother

how to identify behavior that she would like to discourage and behaviors he

would want to discourage would appropriately provide rewards and punishments.

Medical Stimulants

The treatment I would

recommend to Colby is stimulant medication. Stimulant medications have been

used in treating ADHD symptoms since their effectiveness was discovered in

1930. Examples of stimulants are dextroamphetamine and

methylphenidate. These medications act by altering the frontostriatal region’s

activities(Mash & Wolfe,2012). It affects neurotransmitters that are

significant for the frontostriatal area. According to studies, stimulants aid

in normalizing the functional connection and structural abnormalities within

the frontostriatal region. Among 80 % of children with ADHD, stimulants have

produced tremendous results by increasing the attention span, reducing

task-irrelevant activities, increasing impulse control, and work effort

persistence. Moreover, stimulants have also been reported to enhance the

academic productivity of the child.