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Studien analyserar vad arbetsgivare har för uppfattningar beträffande personer med ADHD på en arbetsplats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har använts som datainsamlingsmetod. Urvalet består av sju arbetsgivare inom den privata sektorn. Studien har inspirerats av den fenomeno-grafiska ansatsen, där olika uppfattningar om ett fenomen står i centrum. Teoretiska analysbe-grepp för den här studien är social kategorisering och den medicinska och sociala modellen kopplat till funktionsnedsättningar. Resultatet presenteras i fem teman. Viktiga slutsatser är att informanterna ansåg att ADHD är ett svårfångat fenomen. Personer med ADHD anses kräva mycket tid, tolerans och tålamod av arbetsgivaren. Det ansågs finnas en lägsta gräns för hur mycket vinstdrivande verksamheter kan och bör anpassa sig efter de anställdas behov. Eko-nomiskt stöd ansågs vara nödvändigt för att kunna anpassa arbetsplatsen. Informanterna ansåg att det kan gagna arbetsgivaren och personen själv om personen berättar om sin diagnos. Sam-tidigt trodde informanterna att det kunde finnas svårigheter i att få ett jobb om en person be-rättar att denne har en diagnos innan denne är anställd. Genomgående för studien är att ar-betsgivarna anser att det är viktigt att se personen och inte diagnosen. Informanterna utgick mestadels från den medicinska modellen i studien och hade en tendens att kategorisera perso-ner med ADHD. / The purpose of this study is to analyze what kind of perceptions employers have regarding ADHD in the workplace. Semi-structured interviews were used as data-collection-method. The selection consist seven interviews with employers within the private sector. The study has been inspired by the phenomenographic approach. The medical and social model in relation to disability as well as social-categorizations is the analytical tools. The results are presented in five themes. Our study shows that employers thought that ADHD is a phenomenon which is difficult to define. According to the informants ADHD requires much time, tolerance and pa-tience. For the employers there seemed to be a limit regarding how much the workplace can adapt to the individual, and financial support was considered necessary to adapt the work-place. Employers felt that it is beneficial if the person with ADHD is open about his diagno-sis. However, they also thought it could be more difficult to get a job if the person talked about his diagnosis before he is employed. Throughout the study employers considered it to be important to see the person behind the diagnosis. The employers regarded mostly disabili-ties from the medical model and had a tendency to social-categorized people with ADHD.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a very common disorder that affects 8% to 10% of South African children. It is thus prevalent in the classroom, and with the advent of inclusive education in South Africa, educators have to facilitate and support the needs of learners with ADHD. Educators play an integral role and provide essential information with regards to the identification, diagnosis and referral of ADHD. It is the responsibility of the educator to create an environment where every learner has the opportunity to succeed. However, uncertainty exists as to whether South African educators have an appropriate and adequate understanding of the disorder. This study therefore aimed to examine the knowledge and perceptions of ADHD held by foundation phase educators in a township in Gauteng. A sample of 100 female educators was used in the study and a mixed methods approach using a questionnaire was administered to the educators. Their knowledge and perceptions in the three content areas of ADHD (Associated Features, Symptoms/Diagnosis and Treatment) was explored. Data analysis reflected that the educators in the sample had inadequate and insufficient knowledge and understandings of ADHD. Educators seemed to know the most about the symptoms of the condition, less about the associated features and the least about treatment approaches. The implications of these research findings are discussed, within the South African context.

Extensive research on Theory of Mind (ToM) development in various clinical groups has shown that the ToM deficits evidenced in individuals with autism is variable and not specific to this population. With the often noted positive associations between ToM and ; a/.executive functioning, b/.social relationships, and c/.language development, a clinical group requiring investigation of the ToM development is children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), as they generally experience significant difficulties in these areas. Currently, however there is only a very limited and generally disparate body of knowledge about these children’s ToM functioning gleaned from small sample sizes with broad age ranges, typically consisting of unidentified AD/HD Subtypes and mainly utilising traditional ToM tasks. The purpose of this study was to address these issues by a/. examining Tom development in young children diagnosed with AD/HD Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type (AD/HD-HI) or AD/HD Combined Type (AD/HD-C) only; b/. utilising a larger sample size than previous research in this area, specifically around the critical age periods of first and second order ToM development; c/. examining the developmental progression of ToM development in young children with AD/HD; and d/. utilising a comprehensive range of traditional first and second order tasks and ToM related narrative tasks. Strengths and limitations of the present study are identified, the clinical implications coming from the present study’s findings are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Svårigheter med uppmärksamhet, impulsivitet och överaktivitet är vanliga bland ungdomar. Förstahandsbehandlingen vid ADHD är farmakologisk, men den hjälper inte alla och flera bieffekter rapporteras. Denna studie undersökte om en åttaveckorskurs i mindfulness för ungdomar med ADHD skulle vara genomförbar, påverka deras grad av mindfulness samt påverka deras grad av ADHD-symtom. Sju ungdomar (14-18 år) deltog i studien som hade en multiple case design. Resultaten visade att interventionen kan betraktas som genomförbar och att en deltagare ökade sin grad av mindfulness. Avseende grad av ADHD-symtom var resultaten varierande. En slutsats som dras är att interventionen inte har haft en tydlig effekt på grad av mindfulness eller grad av ADHD-symtom. / Problems with attention, impulsivity and hyperaktivity are usual amongst adolescents. The first treatment of choise for ADHD is pharmacological, but the treatment doesn’t help everyone and several side effects are reported. This study examined if a mindfulness-based eight-week class for adolescents with ADHD would be feasible, if it would have effect on state of mindfulness and if it would have effect on ADHD-symptoms. Seven adolescents (14-18 yrs) participated in a multiple case design study. The results showed that the intervention was feasible and that one participant showed an increase in state of mindfulness. Regarding ADHD-symtoms the results were more variable. One conclusion is that the intervention hasn’t had a distinct effect on state of mindfulness or ADHD symptoms.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2010.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka vilka stöd det finns för barn med ADHD i skolan. Studien bygger på intervjuer med två klasslärare, en speciallärare, två rektorer samt en observation av en elev med diagnosen ADHD. Skolorna i undersökningen har varit en kommunal f-5 skola samt en f-9 friskola. För att belysa detta ämne ur en ny synvinkel har jag valt att undersöka lärarnas erfarenheter av sambanden mellan språkutveckling och ADHD. Intervjuerna visar att lärarna underströk att barn är olika och att man därför måste arbeta utifrån den enskilde individen. Lärarna menar att de inte har sett något samband mellan ADHD och försvagning av den språkliga utvecklingen. Vidare menar även lärarna att elever med ADHD är i behov av struktur och rutiner. Klasslärarna menade dock att detta inte var unikt för elever med ADHD utan att alla elever är i behov av det. Båda rektorerna anser att det är svårt att få ekonomiskt stöd för elever med enbart en ADHD diagnos. Den ena rektorn menade till och med att det är omöjligt. Undersökningen visar att det finns viss avsaknad av kunskap hos verksamma lärare om ADHD samt om kopplingen, som enligt forskare finns, mellan språkförsvagning och diagnosen. Därmed brister även kunskapen om hur man på bästa sätt kan stödja elever som har denna diagnos. Behovet av vidareutbildning är stor framförallt eftersom det ständigt kommer ny forskning inom området.

The corpus callosum (CC) is the largest fiber¹ tract in the brain and connects homological regions of the two cerebral hemispheres. Research with split-brain patients, whose CC has been surgically severed, and neurologically intact groups has shown that the CC is important for sustained and divided attention. Due to its role in attention, the CC is of interest to clinical conditions in which attention is affected, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although the size of the CC has been examined in children and adolescents with ADHD, the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, the first of three studies in this thesis synthesized the current research in a metaanalysis, which analyzed the data from 13 studies that examined CC area in children and adolescents with ADHD, when compared to healthy controls. This study found that the splenium, the most posterior region of the CC, was smaller in ADHD and the rostral body, an anterior region, was smaller in boys with ADHD compared with controls. Thus, there is evidence for differences in area in both the anterior and posterior regions of the CC in ADHD. It was not known whether these differences persist into adulthood, however, because CC size had not been examined in adults with ADHD. Therefore, the second study examined CC area and structural integrity in young adults with ADHD compared with healthy controls using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), respectively. The difference in the size of the splenium was not present in this adult sample, although the genu (an anterior region of the CC) was smaller and two midposterior regions were larger in adults with ADHD when compared with controls. In addition, a reduction in the integrity of the genu and greater integrity in the splenium was found in ADHD. The relationship between CC morphology and measures of attention and IQ was also examined in young adults with ADHD and controls in order to assess the functional significance of differences in the CC. The integrity of the splenium was correlated with performance on the Stroop task, which requires attentional control. Hence, this study indicated that the morphology of the CC is atypical in young adults with ADHD and that these differences in the CC may impact on cognitive functioning. Interestingly, an estimate of performance IQ was negatively correlated with CC area in controls. This result conflicts with previous research on the relationship between IQ and the CC in healthy adults although the literature has yielded inconsistent findings. The third study, therefore, examined the relationship between IQ and both CC area and integrity in more detail in a larger sample of young adults. A negative correlation was found between the area of posterior regions of the CC and an estimate of performance IQ, while an estimate of verbal IQ was associated with decreased structural integrity in the genu. This study supports the hypothesis that differences in CC size and or integrity may have cognitive consequences. In summary, this thesis confirms the view that the development of the CC is atypical in children and young adults with ADHD. In addition, differences in CC integrity were associated with cognitive functioning in young adults with ADHD. Finally, the morphology of the CC is related to cognitive performance in healthy adults. ¹ American spelling is used throughout the thesis in order to be consistent with the published papers which have been published or prepared using American spelling. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1367349 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2009

The corpus callosum (CC) is the largest fiber¹ tract in the brain and connects homological regions of the two cerebral hemispheres. Research with split-brain patients, whose CC has been surgically severed, and neurologically intact groups has shown that the CC is important for sustained and divided attention. Due to its role in attention, the CC is of interest to clinical conditions in which attention is affected, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although the size of the CC has been examined in children and adolescents with ADHD, the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, the first of three studies in this thesis synthesized the current research in a metaanalysis, which analyzed the data from 13 studies that examined CC area in children and adolescents with ADHD, when compared to healthy controls. This study found that the splenium, the most posterior region of the CC, was smaller in ADHD and the rostral body, an anterior region, was smaller in boys with ADHD compared with controls. Thus, there is evidence for differences in area in both the anterior and posterior regions of the CC in ADHD. It was not known whether these differences persist into adulthood, however, because CC size had not been examined in adults with ADHD. Therefore, the second study examined CC area and structural integrity in young adults with ADHD compared with healthy controls using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), respectively. The difference in the size of the splenium was not present in this adult sample, although the genu (an anterior region of the CC) was smaller and two midposterior regions were larger in adults with ADHD when compared with controls. In addition, a reduction in the integrity of the genu and greater integrity in the splenium was found in ADHD. The relationship between CC morphology and measures of attention and IQ was also examined in young adults with ADHD and controls in order to assess the functional significance of differences in the CC. The integrity of the splenium was correlated with performance on the Stroop task, which requires attentional control. Hence, this study indicated that the morphology of the CC is atypical in young adults with ADHD and that these differences in the CC may impact on cognitive functioning. Interestingly, an estimate of performance IQ was negatively correlated with CC area in controls. This result conflicts with previous research on the relationship between IQ and the CC in healthy adults although the literature has yielded inconsistent findings. The third study, therefore, examined the relationship between IQ and both CC area and integrity in more detail in a larger sample of young adults. A negative correlation was found between the area of posterior regions of the CC and an estimate of performance IQ, while an estimate of verbal IQ was associated with decreased structural integrity in the genu. This study supports the hypothesis that differences in CC size and or integrity may have cognitive consequences. In summary, this thesis confirms the view that the development of the CC is atypical in children and young adults with ADHD. In addition, differences in CC integrity were associated with cognitive functioning in young adults with ADHD. Finally, the morphology of the CC is related to cognitive performance in healthy adults. ¹ American spelling is used throughout the thesis in order to be consistent with the published papers which have been published or prepared using American spelling. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1367349 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2009

Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-46).