Tobin Heath

Professor Covington

Lit 123

28 October 2013

Dangers of undiagnosed ADD/ADHD in adolescents

ADD/ADHD is a common behavioral disorder that often goes undiagnosed in adolescents. Warning signs of ADD/ ADHD consist of difficulties concentrating, impulse control, forgetfulness, procrastination, and hyperactivity. Many parents don’t recognize the signs of ADD/ADHD in their children leading to difficulties later on in life. ADD/ADHD in adolescents can result in complications in the classroom, Social life, and productivity in everyday task.

ADD/ADHD in the classroom can be mistaken for other problems and, disregarded as behavioral issues causing it to go unnoticed. Many teachers are ill equipped to deal with the ADD/ADHD students they encounter. Some teachers may not even know how to identify the condition (Buchoff, 1990) When ADD/ADHD goes undetected in schools it can be extremely difficult for children to learn in a distracting classroom full of other young kids. Learning can be difficult because of the traits associated with the disorder such as hyperactivity, excessive movement, unexpected action, short attention span, lack of social skills, insubordinate and disruptive behavior, easy frustration, variability in behavior, and coordination difficulties (Beugin, 1990). When these traits are not detected a child’s overall school performance will decrease causing depression, and frustration leading to problems in their social life. Children who struggle with ADD/ADHD may find it hard to get along with others or make friends. They are often impatient, disruptive, lack restraint in showing their emotions, and act without regards for consequences. Those hyperactive traits can alienate other children from the child and make them less likely to be accepted by their peers. This causes a lack of social skills, and can hinder social development. According to Dr. Vidya Bhushan Gupta Most children with ADD/ADHD have problems understanding social context and mood (poor social cognition) and are unable to match their behavior to them (poor social adaptability). In other words, they are socially inept: they do not understand whether the social mood is grim or jovial, they speak and act without understanding the social situation, they lack social grace, they are awkward and tactless, and they are intrusive and inopportune. These behaviors cause