Rocky Truscello
Informative Speech Outline
Speech Topic: ADHD
Purpose: To inform the audience on ADHD.
Thesis Statement: ADHD is a common disorder that affects the daily lives of those who suffer its many symptoms, but with help of medications the symptoms can be overcome
I. Introduction:
According to the CDC in 2011 11% of children were diagnosed with ADHD in America (Data 1). Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, is one of the most common mental disorders that develop in children. ADHD is a common disorder that affects the daily lives of those who suffer its many symptoms, but with help of medications the symptoms can be overcome. But to fully understand what ADHD is a person should know: the history of ADHD and how it has been around for so
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II. Body of Speech A. History of ADD
1. PBS states that ADHD was founded by Dr. George Fredrick Still in 1903 (Hallowell 1).
a. He first named it the “defect of moral control.”
2. Though Dr. Still was the first to diagnose ADHD, in 1798 Dr. Alexander Crichton recorded a child having what he described as “mental restlessness.”
a. He recorded “mental restlessness” as any child without the ability to constantly attend to any one object.
3. In 1944, the first major drug was created for the treatment of ADD/ADHD.
a. This drug was named methylphenidate or more informally known as Ritalin.
b. The first tests of Ritalin on lab rats revealed Ritalin’s ability to increase focus and manageability
4. Though treatment was already synthesized it wasn’t until the 1980s until it became considered ADHD Attention Deficit Disorder.
Transition: After ADHD was diagnosed as a disorder the symptoms were then studied.
B. According to WebMD there are three main symptoms to ADHD (What 1).
1. Inattention
a. Easily distracted
b. Doesn’t follow directions or finish tasks
c. Doesn’t pay attention and makes careless