Child Behavioral Disorder

            Young people can have mental, emotional, and behavioral problems that are real, painful, and costly (psychology.com). These are sources of stress for children and their families, schools, and communities. All child behavioral disorders are different and they all have different effects on children. They involve a pattern of hostile, aggressive, or disruptive behaviors for more than six months (nih.gov). I am going to talk about one particular child behavior disorder called ADHD.

            Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobiological condition affecting five to eight percent of school age children with symptoms persisting into adulthood in as many as 60 percent of cases (help4adhd.org). In addition, approximately two thirds of children with ADHD have at least one other coexisting condition (help4adhd.org). Any disorder can coexist with ADHD, but certain disorders such as the disruptive behavior disorders seem to occur more commonly (help4adhd.org).

            How are coexisting conditions identified? I did a personal interview with my brother. His name is Bret Hayes and he is 21 years old.

Questionnaire

        Q: When did the symptoms begin?

A: The symptoms begin when he was about two years old.
Q: How long did the symptoms last?

A: The symptoms lasted his whole life so far. He does know how to control himself so he doesn’t have to take his medication all the time.

3.      Q: How severe were the symptoms?

A: They were severe at times but for most of the time they were controlled by medicine.

4.      Q: How did it affect day-to-day functioning?

A: It was hard to concentrate and at times I would flip out for no reason and I had a loss of appetite.

This is Bret!

            The high co-occurrence of ADHD with disruptive behavior disorders necessitates that all children with ADHD symptoms and disruptive behaviors need to be assessed with a view to exploring the possibility that ODD or CD may be present in addition to ADHD. Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) refers to a recurrent pattern of negative, defiant, disobedient and hostile behavior toward authority figures (help4adhd.org). Approximately one-third to one-half of all children with ADHD may have coexisting oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). These children are often disobedient and have outbursts of temper. Males have a greater incidence of ADHD and ODD (help4adhd.org). Most children are not diagnosed with both of these together and they can be mistaken as one or the other. My brother and three of my little cousins were all diagnosed with ADHD. They all are hyper, they don’t listen, they do get angry really easily, and it is hard for them to concentrate on one thing without getting distracted.

                                                                                                

These are my three little cousins Jayson, Gabriel, and Loran, they were diagnosed with ADHD. They look like three normal little kids. They don’t look like they have a disorder of any kind.

Parents should be aware that looks can be deceiving. Just because their child doesn’t look like they have a problem doesn’t mean that they don’t. Children aren’t just gonna come up to their parents and tell them things that are going on with them. Also parents should be aware of risks of having ADHD. Children with ADHD are often at higher risk for getting into trouble than children without a disorder. These children usely lie or steal and tend to disregard the welfare of others. In addition, they risk getting into serious trouble at school or with the police. There is treatment for ADHD. Children with symptoms of ADHD need to be assessed so that both types of problem behaviors can be treated. These children are difficult to live with and parents need to understand that they do not need to deal with their ADHD child alone. Interventions such as parent training at home and behavioral support in the school can make a difference and parents should not hesitate to ask for assistance. Also, parents can put their child on medication to control how they behave. For any parents who want more information on ADHD, you can go to www.help4adhd.org.

Work Cited

"ADHD and Coexisting Conditions: Disruptive Behavior Disorders (WWK 5B)." ADHD and Coexisting Conditions: Disruptive Behavior Disorders (WWK 5B). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"Children Behavior Disorders." Children Behavior Disorders. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"Child Behavior Disorders: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.