Research Paper On Adolescent Development

Submitted By mirandatillett
Words: 522
Pages: 3

ATTENTION DEVELOPMENT
When my son, Jayden, was in kindergarten his teacher asked me if I ever had him examined by a doctor or physiologist for ADD or ADHD. He was acting bad in class and not focusing on what he was learning. His grades never reflected his behavior in the classroom. I answered her very defensively with a no. My son never showed any signs for either disorder. At the time I worked as a medical assistant at a family physicians office. Through my experience I believe that parents are too quick to blame their children’s behavior on these disorders. Some of the parents that I came into contact with just did not have control of their children. However the doctors would see this behavior and assume that the child needed medication. They would not suggest that a change in their child’s diet and some parenting classes may resolve the issue.
I decided against taking Jayden to his family doctor because of the experience that I had observed. However, I did get a referral to a physiologist. He spoke with my fiancé Brad and me about ADD and ADHD. He observed Jayden and also spoke with him about random things. I made it very clear to him that I did not believe that my son was going to be diagnosed with any disorder. He gave a check list for Jayden’s teacher, Brad and me to complete and mail back to him. While we were waiting for the results I researched attention and attention disorders. I learned that there are six level of attention. Children who are a day old to a year old are extremely distractible. They fall into level one. Children who are at level two are one to two years old. They can concentrate on a concrete task. Their attention is single channeled which causes them to be easily distracted. Children who are at level three are two to three years old.
They cannot listen to a speaker and focus on a