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NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL INSIGHTS INTO ADHD By Jasmine Chan
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in childhood. In the US alone, around 6.1 million children suffer from it. Children with ADHD are typically impulsive, have poor concentration and high levels of activity, although some are predominantly attention deficit, some hyperactive, and the others a mixture of both. The disorder greatly hinders students’ academic, social and emotional development, and leaves countless parents and schools frustrated.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, otherwise known as ADHD
ADHD is usually diagnosed by mental health professionals or other specialists through procedures like physical assessments, interviews and listening to the reports of significant people such as parents and teachers, with accordance to the guidelines in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth edition (DSM-5). However, this psychological method of diagnosis is inevitably subjective as it often includes self-reporting assessments. For instance, if parents believe their child has ADHD and needs medication, they will likely say that he or she can never pay attention and is always overly active, when in reality, it might not be the case. Hence, it is suspected that there are misdiagnoses for the disorder.
