Free Case Study on Matt Essay Sample

There have been cases of children being affected by Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This is a term used to refer to a disorder that is characterized by child's either continued inability to keep a focused attention in a persistent manner or acting in an spontaneous manner of shifting from one task to another. The children possessing this disorder have a difficulty in focusing their concentration on a particular task up to the point of effective accomplishment (Meyer, Chapman & Weaver, 2009). This essay is a case study on Matt who was a child diagnosed with ADHD. We will examine Matt's general growth since childhood to the moment when the disorder was discovered and the appropriate treatment offered.

 
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The Case of Matt

According to Meyer et al. (2009), Matt was a normal child without any sign of disorder in his early childhood. Before joining school his parents had never considered him to have any problem. In fact his family encouraged independence among all the children and there were minimal restrictions on his behavior. Matt was not closely monitored by his parents allowing him to develop his own interests and character thus making it hard for the parents to notice any abnormal behavior. However, it became clear that he was not attentive and lacked concentration towards the end of his first grade. The school readiness tests that had been administered on Matt had indicated that he was a bright child capable of great achievements. It was found that Matt had a continuous problem of failing to understand new ideas and his inability to complete daily lessons. His teacher had assumed from the onset that he was more active than other children attributing his lack of focus on a task to the curiosity of discovering new ideas.

The problem of Matt was not discovered at home because he had four siblings who acted differently making his behavior to go unnoticed by his parents. When at school it became apparent that he could not concentrate on his work. He manifested a behavior of being restless and physically disturbed working only on his interests under his own terms and finding it hard to meet his teacher's conditions. Although he was not disturbing in class, his attention was easily diverted making it impossible to finish his assignments as scheduled. The behavior continued and when he did his exams he passed but it was not satisfactory making his parents to wonder how he could improve his work. A meeting with the teacher and his parents did not resolve any matter making his parents to look back at his initial developments before joining school. It was indeed confirmed by his mother that Matt had been more active but his attention could be easily diverted from one activity to another which she did not view as a problem. Thus the school conducted physical examination and found out that Matt's problem could warrant an ADHD condition although they recommended further tests before any medication (Meyer et al., 2009).

Despite the reservations about the condition of Matt, his parents went ahead to carry out psychological tests as recommended. The clinical psychological tests were carried out from the point of family unit to the school level. The results of the psychological tests confirmed that he actual had a problem of attention and failure to sustain concentration unlike other children. Moreover, evidence suggested that he was more active as compared to his colleagues. The several tests administered on Matt suggested that he was above average intellectually but seemed not to be in a position to concentrate to a completion of a specific task. The psychologist observations combined with the tests administered data lead to the conclusion that Matt's condition fitted the criteria for children possessing ADHD (Meyer et al., 2009).

With the discovery of the disorder on Matt, the treatment began with the psychologist designing programs for Matt's teachers and parents that was targeted to help him of focusing his attention. In addition to the programs, the use of Ritalin in conjunction with the programs would be appropriate. The developed programs were designed to capture the attention of Matt and engage him to participate effectively. The therapist could take Matt through a process and a process slowly requiring him to learn all steps without rushing. The process would require that Matt had to talk himself through an entire process and make sure each step is followed. The program paid off and soon Matt managed to work in a systematic manner. A reward scheme was developed for Matt as a motivating factor to complete tasks as required. The program enabled Matt to become active in planning and monitoring his work, to be more productive and independent and ultimately improved his grades. Moreover, the use of Ritalin reduced his hyperactivity to calm condition unlike his past behavior (Meyer et al., 2009).

The effective method of treatment as used in Matt's case is a blend of medical Ritalin as well as programs that influence the behavior as well as cognitive approaches. The techniques were helpful especially the biofeedback procedure of talking to himself thus enabling him to pay attention to a particular task. The Ritalin made him calm thus being able to concentrate on tasks and ignore the surrounding environment. Most of the cases of children with ADHD use Ritalin, Methylphenidate, Dexmethylphenidate hydrochloride, or Atomoxetine all of which may be effective. However, it is absolutely necessary to note that medication alone may not resolve the ADHD problem in a long-term. Thus it is important that treatment of this disorder among the young be a combination of both psychological and medical procedures just like Matt's case. Therefore the problem of ADHD should be considered from a wide point of view as well as several intervention procedures. This will help in resolving the disorder at the earliest stages leaving the children to live normal lives (Meyer et al., 2009).

 

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