Russell Barkley's Theory of ADHD

ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects between two and ten percent of children, which is why it is important for all educators to understand (Barkley, 1998). The disorder is technically incurable, but it is manageable. Barkley (1998) frames ADHD in terms of its genetic, biological, and cognitive dimensions, helping educators understand how to best approach children with ADHD and help them reach their highest potential. Educators need to know that ADHD leads to a cluster of observable behaviors but that the child may not be able to master impulse control in the same way as his or her peers. Likewise, educators do need to be aware that ADHD is more common in boys than in girls. Educators need to be less concerned with potential causes of ADHD, less judgmental or biased about their students who have ADHD, and more proactive about changing their classroom environments and classroom management methodologies, as well as their teaching methods.

Defined as a "failure of behavioral inhibition," ADHD does relate directly to children's behavior (Barkley, 1998, p. 70). Barkley (1998) recommends that teachers create more structured environments for their students to facilitate their cognitive and emotional self-mastery. Although many parents may be wary about giving their children medications like Ritalin, Barkley (1998) points out that up to ninety percent of children taking medications like these have measured improvements in their behaviors. Therefore, educators working with students who have been diagnosed with ADHD, or who may be candidates for such a diagnosis, may want to speak with parents regarding the potential usefulness of pharmaceutical interventions. Educators also need to work with parents, or "train" them as he says, in applying effective behavior management strategies. Such strategies include immediate consequences for behaviors, including both rewards and punishments. Frequent external prompts and cues may also be helpful (Barkley, 1998). Effective strategies can complement what Barkley (n.d.) calls the "Wwiss army knife of mental faculties" for regulating mental behavior (Video 1).

There are five functions of self-regulation that are implicated in ADHD. Those functions include inhibition, the use of visual imagery and other types of nonverbal working memory, verbal working memory, emotional control, and the ability to plan and problem solve. Knowing this, both parents and educators can adapt their environments to promote mastery over these core executive functions. For instance, ensuring that all large tasks are broken down into smaller and simpler steps will prevent frustration and encourage children to engage in the types of mental play and information manipulation needed to solve the problem. Anticipating needs, parents and educators can use verbal and nonverbal cues to help the children internalize those cues. Using "artificial rewards" can help create new cognitive pathways in the child (Barkley, 1998, p. 71). Because the child has a weak sense of time internally, the educator and parent can make sure external markers of time are also present in the child's environment.