Moves 6 & 7: Theories and Causes
The final stage of my research was to read select chapters of Dr. Barkley's book Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete Authoritative Guide for Parents. "A New Theory about ADHD" and "What Causes ADHD?" addressed the theories about ADHD and the different ideas about the causes of the disorder in a way that was geared towards teaching parents about the situation in which they find themselves.
"A New Theory about ADHD"
"What Causes ADHD?"
*Russell A. Barkley, Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents, (New York: The Guilford Press, 1995), 44.
**Ibid, 43.
***Ibid, 46.
****Ibid, 56.
*****Ibid, 58.
******Ibid, 64.
“It is the problem with behavioral inhibition that seems to be unique to ADHD- its hallmark symptom.”**
“Problems with attention seem to be problems with inhibiting behavior- inhibiting the urge to do something the child would rather be doing.”**
“All three problems thought to be the primary symptoms of ADHD- inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity- can be reduced to a delay in the development of inhibition of behavior.”*
“The commonly held view of ADHD as a problem with attention and hyperactivity has, over the years, failed to explain many of the findings about ADHD children.”*
THE OLD
THE NEW
"In essence, holding them [people with ADHD] responsible for their problem with anticipating and planning for the future is like holding the deaf person responsible for not hearing us or the blind person accountable for not seeing us- it is ridiculous and serves no constructive social purpose."***
“The most probable causes for which there is convincing evidence of association with ADHD are: (1) various agents that can lead to brain injury or abnormal brain development, such as trauma, disease, fetal exposure to alcohol and tobacco, and early exposure to high levels of lead; (2) findings of diminished activity in certain brain regions; (3) heredity.”****
Neurology
Heredity
“The social behavior of many ADHD children resembles that of younger, non-ADHD children, and a neurological exam…often shows these children are somewhat delayed in motor coordination and development as well.”*****
There is “evidence that the biological relatives of ADHD children have more types of psychological problems- particularly depression, alcoholism, conduct problems or antisocial behavior, hyperactivity- than relatives of children who do not have ADHD.”******
“ADHD may be viewed as…traits that are largely (but not wholly) genetically determined: The trait of behavioral inhibition or self-control represents a dimension or continuum of a human ability, and we differ in how much of it we inherit.”******
There are “similarities in behavior problems between children with ADHD and people who had suffered damage by injuries to the front part of the brain…known as the orbital- frontal region…[which] is believed to be responsible for inhibiting behavior, sustaining attention, employing self-control, and planning for the future.”*****
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