ADHD: Inattentive Hyperactive Impulsive Disorder

Phillip Kmetz
LA365 General Psychology
May 8, 2016

Module 11 Case Study 1.

“Kevin is a cheerful nine-year-old third grader who is brought to the outpatient clinic after the teacher at the private school he attends repeatedly called his mother about his worsening classroom behavior. His teacher described him as a likable and friendly youngster who always obeyed when spoken to but also repeatedly disrupted the class by his antics and could no longer be tolerated in the classroom. The teacher reported that he hummed and make noises under his breath, blurted out answers without raising his hand, and always tried to be first when the teacher asked a question, even though he often did not have the answer when called upon. The teacher had to remind

ADHD is very common and the symptoms our patient, Kevin, is experiencing are in line with the symptoms used to diagnose it. More specifically, Kevin’s symptoms are matching the combined classification of ADHD. As a general diagnosis, ADHD is a very common disorder, and can be classified into three types- Inattentive, Hyperactive-Impulsive, and Combined.
Inattentive ADHD is the type where the patient is easily distracted, a common stereotype (albeit true) of ADHD patients. This type is generally associated with lack of attention to detail, careless mistakes, failure to keep on task (being easily distracted), and being forgetful. Patients with this type of ADHD generally avoid tasks that involve more than minimal effort, have the inability to understand or follow instructions or don’t listen to them, and are forgetful. Kevin has trouble with other children, as he is very easily distracted. We can see how he doesn’t get picked for sports often because while playing, he will be distracted by clouds or other things. He plays games with other children, and his antics entertain them, but he has a tendency to lose focus, make up his own rules, or stop paying attention to the game

In this case, there’s not enough information to accurately identify the specific etiology, but there are a few likely factors. Firstly is genetics, the most common cause. When close relatives have had ADHD, or perhaps ADHD runs directly in the family, there is a very likely chance that it will be passed down. My father has ADHD, and as a result, I do as well. ADHD is generally diagnosed in the first 12 years of their lives, when symptoms are at their worst and many of them may occur in the first few years of life. Other causes include drinking or smoking during the mother’s pregnancy, exposure to toxic chemicals or substances such as lead, or extreme child abuse, neglect, and lack of social interaction. As shown above, some things can cause ADHD to develop early through genetics, or later on in life after certain environmental factors are experiences. It’s also theorized that food additives such as food coloring can cause ADHD, or at least amplify the disorder in patients with