ADHD in Middle Childhood: An Education Program for Parents
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is neurodevelopmental brain disorder often diagnosed during middle childhood that can persist throughout the lifespan (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). Symptoms of ADHD include on-going patterns of inappropriate hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness for the child’s developmental stage (CDC, 2016). The etiology of ADHD is unknown, but research shows that children with ADHD show reduced activity in brain regions that control executive processing (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013; Brown, Reichel, & Quinlan, 2011). Executive processing is responsible for self-regulation of emotional and behavioural
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Several rating scales are administered to gather information, including the Child Behaviour Checklist to identify potential disorders, the ADHD Impact Module (children), completed by parents to ascertain quality of home life and the Vanderbilt ADHD Teacher Rating Scale to assesses academic performance and functioning (ADHD Educational Institute [AEI], n.d.; Tools for Screening, n.d.). In addition to rating outcomes, a comprehensive clinical evaluation is essential; for a positive ADHD diagnosis, DSM-V requires that symptoms must interfere in at least two settings, such as home and school, and is on-going for at least six months (AEI, n.d.; APA, 2013) ADHD consequences include poor academic performance, low self-concept, increased risk of injuries and comorbidity, difficulty maintaining positive relationships and reduced quality of life (Brown, et al., 2011; Mayo Clinic, n.d.; Wehmeier, Schacht, & Barkley, 2010). ADHD management requires additional consideration and a supportive family structure; parents are encouraged to participate in this proposed educational program to learn effective strategies in reshaping and managing their child’s ADHD behavioural problems.
Framework for the program is drawn from Bandura’s social learning/cognitive theory (SLCT). According to Bandura (1977), influences on environment, behaviour and personal factors (such as cognition) interact reciprocally leading to learning
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In this experiment, children observed multiple models behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll; Bandura later noticed the children replicating the same behaviour they had observed in the adults. This experiment highlights modelling and imitation, the act of learning behaviour through observation and then reproducing the behaviour as it was seen, remembered and understood (Bandura, 1977, 1997). Characteristics of the observer and the model determine if the observed behaviour will be reproduced; children are more likely to imitate someone they can compare themselves to, or someone they admire and respect (Bandura, 1977, 1997). Bandura (1977) states that the incentive for repeating a behaviour must also be considered. If a child values a specific reward and upon performing a behaviour receives it, they are likely to reproduce the behaviour again in the