Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) struggle with keeping up with in-person school learning. Young individuals with ADHD are forgetful and easily distracted, which affects their focus and normal functioning. ADHD makes individuals struggle to organize their thoughts to impact communication affecting their social interactions, cognitive development, and learning. Effective management of ADHD demands a multidisciplinary approach that may include medication and psychosocial management strategies. Clinical and nursing practitioners need to acknowledge the causes of ADHD to tackle miscommunication in adolescents and create the foundation of intervention care. ADHD is a cognitive disorder that influences communication problems in children affecting their social life and learning that can be treated through behavioral therapy and environmental organization.
The first step of ADHD management is diagnosis screening to identify the major symptoms and severity. Abnormal allocation of attention and excessive and inappropriate emotional reactions are the main symptoms of ADHD (Bunford et al. 187). Effective and feasible treatments should further consider the developmental shift in ADHD symptoms, comorbidity, and psychosocial adversity, as well as family dysfunction (Bunford et al. 210). Genetics is the leading cause of ADHD in young children and adolescents (Grimm et al. 18). To decide if a child has this condition, medical practitioners can observe the presence of comorbid disorders, such as anxiety and depression (Riglin et al. 1892). Other assessments may include sleeplessness, poor learning, and hearing and vision tests.
Hyperactivity and impulsiveness in young children influence behavioral symptoms of ADHD. Hyperactivity is associated with low attention, impulsivity, learning problems, poor retention of information, and problems with social interactions (Bunford et al. 199; Colomer et al. 540). Apart from the physical symptoms, children with ADHD display difficulty learning and concentrating on tasks such as communication (Vacher et al. 3). Children with ADHD exhibit angry or hostile behavior and may feel compelled to verbally or physically attack other children (Vacher et al. 5). Inattention affects children’s working memory, which affects communication and social interactions (Bunford et al. 194). Thus, the symptoms of ADHD can significantly impact all spheres of one’s life.
Communication is a critical learning, cognitive development, and social interaction function significantly affected by ADHD. Delayed speech acquisition due to brain damage causes inaccurate responses and abnormalities in speech. According to Nasol et al., many children require continuity and coordination of interventions, including speech therapy, to improve communication skills (315). People with ADHD experience challenges with interpersonal relationships that could result in isolation, marginalization, stigmatization, and disconnection (Mueller et al. 103). As a result, one may also anticipate such outcomes as delayed speech acquisition and poor language structures.
Comorbidity in ADHD influences the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. Comorbid ADHD is associated with school dysfunction and social impairments in children and adolescents. The severe symptoms influence deficits in behavioral inhibition sustained attention and resistance to distraction. This can lead to increased peer conflict, including bullying and vulnerability to negative reactions (LauzĂ© 12). Some children may lack understanding of their peers’ medical conditions and respond with intolerance and impatience. Students with ADHD have a challenge taking turns, listening, and picking up on social cues in a social setting. They face the risk of isolation, boredom, stigmatization, and distractions (Mueller et al. 103). Additionally, the inability of children with ADHD to manage their emotions when interacting and playing with their peers can affect their social life.
Communication challenges posed by ADHD affect learning and development in young children. Children participate in learning through communication to express their ability to read materials and understand taught concepts. The difficulty of communication comprehension makes ADHD students miss out on important instructions and lessons (Erina et al. 2262). Additionally, ADHD students experience comprehension challenges and face difficulty reorganizing their thoughts and ideas (LauzĂ© 10). The comprehension and expression challenges posed by ADHD limit the children’s ability to engage educators affecting their learning and development.
Medical care practitioners should develop embracing interventions and therapies to adapt learners with ADHD to a classroom environment. People with ADHD may need therapy, behavior changes, and skill training to overcome communication challenges. Some school-based management techniques include making assignments clear, planning for ADHD students, using the environment to engage inattentive learners, and creating short, non-repeating assignments (CDC). Educators need to embrace teaching methods that are not overwhelming to the children through organizational training. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and social skills training are behavioral classroom management therapies that can be applied to improve communication among children with ADHD (Vacher et al. 3). Medical and education staff should have the skills to enhance the school environment, teaching programs, and placement to develop special education services that cover the needs of ADHD students.
Behavioral classroom management is a student-centered approach to developing children’s communication abilities. Communication is a behavioral challenge that does not respond to medication and can only be treated with behavior intervention strategies. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a scientifically approved method of limiting ADHD symptoms that can be applied to students (Vacher et al. 3). CBT offers therapy by reviewing and reworking unhelpful behavioral habits such as communication. However, the effect of CBT is moderated by age, severity, adaptive functioning, and comorbidity (Nøvik et al. 2). Lack of communication in childhood can result in resentment, low cognition, and failure. CBT improves students’ self-esteem by giving hope regarding the condition and using rational thought to improve communication (Vacher et al. 5). For instance, children are taught new thinking patterns to improve processing and communication by learning distortions in communication. Individual communication behaviors of children with hyperactivity and impulsivity can be enhanced through CBT.
Learning institutions can specially design study areas, programs, and techniques to encompass the communication needs of ADHD patients. An effectively active curriculum should feature high-interest activities that encourage children’s social interactions (LauzĂ© 11). Educators should have ADHD management skills to manage learning activities that address hyperactivity and impulsivity disorder (LauzĂ© 11). For instance, the educator can teach at a slow pace or break tasks into steps to not overwhelm ADHD patients. Furthermore, children with ADHD should be enrolled in special needs classrooms to avoid stigmatization, impatience, and intolerance from normal students. Children’s communication in a learning environment can be optimized by improving their skills and adopting a favorable environment.
In conclusion, ADHD is a cognitive disorder associated with brain injury and genetics that is debilitating communication. Hyperactivity and impulsiveness affect communication, attention, and learning and influence hostile behaviors. Students with ADHD are challenged by building social interactions and participating in a learning environment. Behavioral classroom management and organizational training are methods educators and health practitioners can apply in managing ADHD. On the one hand, CBT is a therapy to improve students’ classroom behavior to improve communication. On the other hand, organizational training is a teacher-based approach that focuses on educators and the environment.
Works Cited
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Nasol, Elisa, et al. “Unmet Need and Financial Impact Disparities for US Children with ADHD.”Academic Pediatrics, ver. 19, no. 3, 2019, pp. 315-324.
Nøvik, Torunn Stene, et al. “Cognitive–Behavioural Group Therapy for Adolescents with ADHD: Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial.”BMJ Open, vol. 10, no. 3, 2020, p. e032839.
Riglin, Lucy, et al. “ADHD and Depression: Investigating a Causal Explanation.”Psychological Medicine, vol. 51, no. 11, 2021, pp. 1890-1897.
Vacher, C., et al. “Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Aggressive Behavior in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.”Trials, vol. 23, no. 1, 2022, pp. 1-17.