Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood psychiatric disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Current theories of ADHD cite evidence from neuropsychological and brain imaging studies suggesting that abnormalities in the structure and function of the frontal lobes and connected brain regions are associated with impaired behavioural inhibition, constituting the primary deficit in ADHD. While most reviewers conclude that neuropsychological studies have failed to find specific deficits in various aspects of attention in ADHD, poor performance on attentional tasks, including the continuous performance task (CPT), is a common finding and previous electrophysiological studies suggest evidence of impaired attentional processing. This study aimed to investigate the cortical activity associated with attentional processes in children with and without ADHD, using steady-state probe topography (SSPT). Seventeen boys diagnosed with ADHD and seventeen age matched control boys participated. Changes in the amplitude and latency of the steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) associated with correct responses to targets in the �X� and �AX� versions of the CPT were examined. At critical time points in both tasks, the control group demonstrated SSVEP changes suggesting increased activation and increased speed of neural processing. These effects occurred predominantly in medial frontal, right prefrontal, right parietal and occipital regions, suggesting enhanced activity in regions previously shown to be involved in attentional processes. The ADHD group demonstrated much smaller increases in activation and processing speed in frontal regions and predominantly reduced activation and slower processing in parieto-occipital regions. Group differences suggesting reduced activity in the ADHD group were observed in response to the presentation of both cues and targets, as well as in the intervals leading up to target presentation, especially in the cued CPT-AX. These results suggest that processing of task relevant stimuli as well as preparatory and motor processes may be associated with dysfunctional activation of brain networks of attention in ADHD, involving deficits in both frontal and parietal cortical regions. These regions may also be involved in the maintenance of information required for correct task performance and the results also suggest possible deficits in these processes in ADHD. The findings are consistent with others of reduced activation and cognitive deficits in ADHD involving these brain regions and networks, and with the idea that ADHD may be associated with a diminished ability to regulate levels of arousal and activation appropriate to task demands.

Thesis (PhD) - Swinburne University of Technology, Brain Sciences Institute, 2003. / Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy, Brain Sciences Institute, Swinburne University of Technology - 2003. Typescript. Bibliography: p. 191-239.

Thesis (M.A.)--Cleveland State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-52). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.A.)--Cleveland State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-52).

Through employing a two-faceted approach to the sociological study of Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), this thesis seeks to further the study of this mental illness and also to elucidate new methodological directions for the sociology of similar phenomena. Past approaches in the sociology of mental disorder have considerable merit, but may also be limited in the type of analyses they offer. One particular limitation concerns sociological accounts of mental illness that portray the meaning of such illnesses as unified and that this unification results from the collusion of special interests. Sociologists who address mental illnesses as social problems, for example, appear wont to portray such illnesses as social constructions which arise from specific agents of labeling. With regard to ADHD, previous sociological accounts often make a case for the rhetorical and political power of government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies. Though such agents are certainly influential in shaping public conceptions of ADHD, this thesis demonstrates that ADHD is interpreted in various ways. These assertions are supported through the analysis of two different data sources: 1) textual data; and 2) interview data. The textual data for the first part of the thesis comprises the subject matter for a genealogy of ADHD. Through examining past and contemporary texts that frame this disorder, including medical journal articles, medical manuals, popular writings, and parental guidebooks, the author argues that the historical and current discussions of ADHD are replete with differing interpretations of the causes and treatments for ADHD. These ADHD discourses, as they are seen through written accounts, offer a variety of perspectives towards the disorder, drawing from many opposing schools of thought. Most notable in this regard are psychodynamic and neurological approaches to ADHD. I argue that even though the neurological perspective towards ADHD appears to be the most dominant in diagnosing and treating the disorder, it is far from monolithic. ' The second part of the thesis draws upon interview data from sixty-two respondents associated with cases of ADHD: twenty clinicians, twenty parents, and twenty-two teachers. Each of these groups of respondents were asked questions designed to solicit their subjective experiences with the disorder, including how they perceived ADHD children and their sources of ADHD knowledge. The analysis of such data is placed against the backdrop of the genealogical part of the thesis. Responses from participants are examined as reflecting ADHD discourses. Some respondents, for example, demonstrate a commitment to neurological perspectives towards ADHD, while others gravitate towards psychodynamic or combined understandings of the disorder. Through combining these two data sources, this thesis analyzes ADHD discourses that give rise to conceptions of the disorder and shows how these discourses influence attitudes and actions towards ADHD. By giving less salience to the collusive relationships between government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies, and by putting more focus on the relationship between the three major groupings directly involved in the ADHD experience—clinicians, teachers, and parents—this thesis furthers the sociological study of ADHD.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2323. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-60).

Through employing a two-faceted approach to the sociological study of Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), this thesis seeks to further the study of this mental illness and also to elucidate new methodological directions for the sociology of similar phenomena. Past approaches in the sociology of mental disorder have considerable merit, but may also be limited in the type of analyses they offer. One particular limitation concerns sociological accounts of mental illness that portray the meaning of such illnesses as unified and that this unification results from the collusion of special interests. Sociologists who address mental illnesses as social problems, for example, appear wont to portray such illnesses as social constructions which arise from specific agents of labeling. With regard to ADHD, previous sociological accounts often make a case for the rhetorical and political power of government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies. Though such agents are certainly influential in shaping public conceptions of ADHD, this thesis demonstrates that ADHD is interpreted in various ways. These assertions are supported through the analysis of two different data sources: 1) textual data; and 2) interview data. The textual data for the first part of the thesis comprises the subject matter for a genealogy of ADHD. Through examining past and contemporary texts that frame this disorder, including medical journal articles, medical manuals, popular writings, and parental guidebooks, the author argues that the historical and current discussions of ADHD are replete with differing interpretations of the causes and treatments for ADHD. These ADHD discourses, as they are seen through written accounts, offer a variety of perspectives towards the disorder, drawing from many opposing schools of thought. Most notable in this regard are psychodynamic and neurological approaches to ADHD. I argue that even though the neurological perspective towards ADHD appears to be the most dominant in diagnosing and treating the disorder, it is far from monolithic. ' The second part of the thesis draws upon interview data from sixty-two respondents associated with cases of ADHD: twenty clinicians, twenty parents, and twenty-two teachers. Each of these groups of respondents were asked questions designed to solicit their subjective experiences with the disorder, including how they perceived ADHD children and their sources of ADHD knowledge. The analysis of such data is placed against the backdrop of the genealogical part of the thesis. Responses from participants are examined as reflecting ADHD discourses. Some respondents, for example, demonstrate a commitment to neurological perspectives towards ADHD, while others gravitate towards psychodynamic or combined understandings of the disorder. Through combining these two data sources, this thesis analyzes ADHD discourses that give rise to conceptions of the disorder and shows how these discourses influence attitudes and actions towards ADHD. By giving less salience to the collusive relationships between government agencies, medical practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies, and by putting more focus on the relationship between the three major groupings directly involved in the ADHD experience—clinicians, teachers, and parents—this thesis furthers the sociological study of ADHD. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar är idag lättare att diagnostisera och det är vanligare att barn och ungdomar i skolan vet om att de lever med en diagnos som till exempel Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (mer känt som ADHD), eller Aspergers syndrom. Trots att dessa diagnoser blir allt vanligare, finns det ett ökat behov för kunskapen om dem. Syftet med denna uppsats var att studera barn och ungdomar med neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar, och framförallt studera deras liv i skolmiljö. Att få mer förståelse för hur barn och ungdomar har upplevt skolan och relationen till sina lärare, men även hur de upplevt de hinder och möjligheter deras neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättning medfört var i fokus. Metoden i denna studie var semistrukturerade intervjuer med 6 ungdomar, deras föräldrar och lärare. Frågorna har handlat om hur ungdomarna sett på diagnosen, livet med den och även hur de klarat av skolgången med sin funktionsnedsättning. Resultatet visar att lärare behöver mer utbildning när det kommer till neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar Studien visar att barn och ungdomar med neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar har lättare att lära sig om de får göra praktiska saker. Att ta in mer praktiska moment i undervisningen skulle kunna förenkla för många av dessa barn och ungdomar. Informanterna har varit eniga om att kunskapen om neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar överlag är för låg. Familjen är en viktig del i ett barns säkerhet, men det betyder att föräldrar och syskon måste få veta hur de ska bemöta ett barn som lever med en neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning. Det är inte enbart i skolan kunskapen bör vara hög.

This portfolio thesis comprises three parts: a systematic literature review, an empirical study and a set of appendixes. Part one is a systematic literature review, in which the empirical literature relating to interventions for siblings of children with chronic illness and developmental disorder is reviewed. Siblings of children with such conditions have not been extensively studied within research and the review aimed to identify what interventions exist to support siblings in this area, to provide an overview of how rigorously these have been evaluated and to synthesise what findings have been documented with regards to the effectiveness of such interventions. An introduction to family and sibling research in this area is presented, followed by a rationale for why a review of intervention based literature in this area is considered to be a useful addition to the field. The paper goes on to specify the methods and search strategies used to identify suitable articles to meet the research aims and which satisfied set criteria for inclusion. Main findings are presented, conclusions made, and areas for further research identified. Part two is an empirical study of siblings of children with ADHD. Part one highlighted the paucity of research in the domain of siblings and developmental disorder. The cross-sectional study examines the level of empathy, self-esteem, and the sibling relationship quality factors of warmth/closeness and conflict reported by a sample of siblings of children with ADHD, and compares these variables to a sample of children who have siblings with no diagnosed disorders. The paper reports the between groups outcomes for these variables, along with an examination of whether children�s individual characteristics such as empathy and self-esteem predict reports of warmth/closeness and conflict, based on Furman and Buhrmester�s (1985) model of the determinants of sibling relationship quality. This is followed by an explanation of the clinical implications, the limitations of the study and consideration of further areas of research. Finally, part three is a set of appendixes to support the work in the previous parts of the portfolio thesis. It contains a reflective account of the research process and documents the experiences and lessons learned in planning, implementing and writing this document.

The purpose of this study was to functionally define and empirically test a model of psychological distress for mothers of children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This model delineates characteristics of the child, the parent, and the environment that may affect mothers' psychological symptomatology.