I read an article call New Attention to ADHD Genes. The article noted that it was in 1980 that ADHD was defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. ADHD is defined as a person that has been severely inattentive (forgetful,careless & distracted) or hyperactive, impulsive (restless, impatient, aggressive) for at least 6 months. The symptoms must emerge before age 7. Skeptics still question whether ADHD is real or not just a label for normal if exasperating childhood behavior.
Over the past 10 years studies on twins suggest a strong genetic component. More twins both have ADHD then other disorders. They scanned genomes of 270 siblings pairs with ADHD and found hints of ADHD on chromosomes 5,6,16 and17. These gene regions overlap with those that are implicated in autism and dyslexia. This neurological glitch disrupts the brains executive function. This is very promising research. They feel that there may also be environmental risks, smoking during pregnancy, chronic family conflict and diet.
This article was of interest to me because I have two children with ADHD and we often wonder if genetics or something else caused this condition. My husband feels that he although undiagnosed also suffers with ADHD. He had a hard time in school and still has a hard time focusing on work especially if he finds it difficult or boring. I hope that further research will be able to find things other then medicine to help make this a more manageable issue. I also found that is article was presented in such a way that the information presented was straightforward and not to difficult to understand.
I think that this article was useful for me. It gave me some history of this disability, and insight into how the medications prescribed work to help manage this disability. This article would also be good to share with people who still think ADHD is an excuse for poorly behaved children and parents who do not want to discipline them.
Kathryn Brown (2003) New Attention to ADHD Genes. American Association for the Advancement of Science, p160-161
Sounds like a very interesting and applicable article for you. My older brother also has undiagnosed ADHD, and struggled all through school. He is amazing at hands-on work, and now builds and repairs truck engines for a major trucking company. However, his son has ADHD also, and it is hard for him to see his son struggle in school like he did. Research continues to show that genetics are involved in ADHD; so I think studies and articles like this are important.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note: thanks for including your citation. Remember that when using APA format, you only capitalize the first word in the title of article (unless it is a proper noun or a word follows a colon. You also need some punctuation. It should read:
Brown, K. (2003). New attention to ADHD genes. American Association for the Advancement of Science, pp. 160-161.
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article review. It is interesting to see how genetics can be a huge factor in showing symptoms of ADHD. I know of a close friend of mine who has a sister with ADHD and it is also likely that the father also has ADHD but has developed coping strategies to help manage it. Although ADHD can be burdensome for those who have it, it can be redeeming that individuals can seek help from other family members in the form of behavior strategies that work for them. It will be interesting to see what other factors have been shown to influence the development of ADHD in the next few years.
Thank you for the information on ADHD. I know it is close to your heart as you mentioned 2 of your children have been diagnosed with ADHD. It is interesting to me how research can pinpoint certain chromosomes that may factor into this behavior. I know children do not want to intentially act out or become emotional in their classrooms. This is why it is so important to create a classroom environment that is structured and organized for the students.
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