Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder


Book Description

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioral disorder affecting 5–10% of children and adolescents and 3% of adults. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: From Genes to Patients aims to provide a comp- hensive, state-of-the-art overview of the critical aspects of ADHD, and hopefully will serve as a quick and up-to-date reference source for professionals with an int- est in ADHD. The book is divided into three major areas that follow an historical survey. The first group of chapters deals with current theories on the pathophysiology of ADHD, and focuses on neurotransmitters and the contributions and validity of animal m- els. The second section emphasizes the evaluation and treatment of patients with ADHD, from the day-to-day approach by the clinical psychologist to the more sophisticated anatomical and functional imaging strategies that have emerged in the last decade. In addition, chapters dealing with specific impairments, such as those pertaining to reading, social interaction, and working memory, are also included for more detailed analysis of these important aspects and their respective contributions to global functioning. The third and final section provides an expanded review on the pharmacotherapy of ADHD and the appropriate methods for selection of specific drugs for individual patients based on drug kinetics and gene expression. David Gozal, MD Dennis L. Molfese, PhD vii CONTENTS Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Contributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi 1 Historical Aspects of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Roscoe A. Dykman 2 Scanning the Genome for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .




The Development of Attention


Book Description

This volume presents an up-to-date review of developmental aspects of human attention by leading researchers and theorists. The papers included in the first section consider the ways in which newborns are pretuned to visual, auditory, linguistic, and social features of their environment, as well as how selectivity to these features changes in the first year of life. The following section examines properties of the visual and auditory world that are attention-getting for children. Developmental increases in capacity and strategy are also examined in this section through the study of perception, memory, problem-solving and language. Section III explores several ways in which selective processing can fail in development (e.g. autism, hyperactivity, and psychopathy) while Section IV reports on those aspects of selectivity that are lost (and preserved) in the aging process.




The Development of Memory in Infancy and Childhood


Book Description

Human memory is not only the repository of our past but the essence of who we are. As such, it is of enduring fascination. We marvel at its resilience in some situations and its fragility in others. The origin of this extraordinary cognitive capacity in infancy and childhood is the focus of vigorous research and debate as we seek to understand the record of our earliest beginnings. The first edition of this volume, The Development of Memory in Childhood, documented the state-of-the-art science of memory development a decade ago. This new edition, The Development of Memory in Infancy and Childhood, provides a thorough update and expansion of the previous text and offers reviews of new research on significant themes and ideas that have emerged since then. Topics include basic memory processes in infants and toddlers, the cognitive neuroscience of memory development, the cognitive and social factors that underlie our memory for implicit and explicit events, autobiographical memory and infantile amnesia, working memory, the role of strategies and knowledge in driving memory development, and the impact of stress and emotion on these basic processes. The book also includes applications of basic memory processes to a variety of real world settings from the courtroom to the classroom. Including contributions from many of the best researchers in the field, this classic yet contemporary volume will appeal to senior undergraduate and graduate students of developmental and cognitive psychology as well as to developmental psychologists who want a compendium of current reviews on key topics in memory development.




Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences


Book Description

This Encyclopedia provides a comprehensive overview of individual differences within the domain of personality, with major sub-topics including assessment and research design, taxonomy, biological factors, evolutionary evidence, motivation, cognition and emotion, as well as gender differences, cultural considerations, and personality disorders. It is an up-to-date reference for this increasingly important area and a key resource for those who study intelligence, personality, motivation, aptitude and their variations within members of a group.




Attention in Early Development


Book Description

1. Introduction. 2. Constructs and Measures. 3. Looking and Visual Attention: Overview and Developmental Framework. 4. Scanning, Searching, and Shifting Attention. 5. Development of Selectivity. 6. Development of Attention as a State. 7. Focused Visual Attention and Resistance to Distraction. 8. Increasing Independence in the Control of Attention. 9. Attention in Learning and Performance. 10. Individual Differences in Attention. 11. Early Manifestations of Attention Deficits. 12. Individuality and Development. 13. Recapitulation. References. Author Index. Subject Index




The Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development


Book Description

The Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development presents a comprehensive summary of research into child development from age two to seven. Comprises 30 contributions from both established scholars and emerging leaders in the field The editors have a distinguished reputation in early childhood development Covers biological development, cognitive development, language development, and social, emotional and regulatory development Considers the applications of psychology to the care and education of young children, treating issues such as poverty, media, and the transition to school A valuable resource for students, scholars and practitioners dealing with young children




Visual Attention in Children


Book Description

In typical child development, attention controls many aspects of learning, including memory, motor control, and problem solving. Attention organizes the constant influx of information that needs to be absorbed by children. Inside Visual Attention in Children: Theories and Activities, Dr. Kenneth A. Lane describes the positive aspects of attention that are needed for children to be successful in the classroom, such as concentration and vigilance, as opposed to negative aspects that can lead to failure, such as distractibility and confusion. This book is divided into two parts. The first eight chapters of the book explain attention and its relationship to vision and visual stimuli. The core topics discussed here include Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Executive Function, and Memory. The second half outlines a Vision Therapy program and consists of activities for improving visual attention in children. Over 100 activities are explained and illustrated. Visual Attention in Children: Theories and Activities is anchored on current theories in five areas of attention that shape child development. Theories Described Include: Focused Attention - The ability to respond discreetly to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli Selective Attention - The ability to maintain behavioral or cognitive abilities in the face of distracting or competing stimuli Shifting Attention - The ability to rapidly shift attention from one object to another Sustained Attention - The ability to maintain a consistent behavioral response during a continuous or repetitive activity Divided Attention -The ability to engage in more than one attention-focused task at one time Visual Attention in Children: Theories and Activities is the perfect tool for occupational therapy students and clinicians as well as other professionals specializing in child development and learning who are looking to enhance their understanding of this topic and who need unique ideas and activities to add to their visual therapy training programs.







Attention and Cognitive Development


Book Description

"My experience is what I agree to attend to," wrote William James (1890) nearly a century ago in his Principles of Psychology. Although certainly not the first to recognize the importance of attention in man's experience--poets and philosophers throughout history have touched upon the concept in one way or another-James deserves credit for having accorded attention a central role in the systematic study of the mind. With the advancement of psychology since that time, except during the behaviorist digression, the concept of attention has been an integral part of many prominent theories dealing with learning, thinking, and other aspects of cognitive functioning. Indeed, attention is an important determinant of experience from birth throughout development. This has been an implicit assumption underlying our view of cognition since the writings of Charles Darwin (1897) and Wilhelm Preyer (1888) as well as James, all of whom offered provocative insights about the developing child's commerce with the environment. Al though systematic research on attention in children was slow to pick up during the early part of this century, interest in the developmental study of attention has expanded enormously in recent years.




The Pre-K Debates


Book Description

Targeted or universal pre-K? Direct instruction or learning through play? These and other debates are heating up as more and more young children across the country gain access to pre-K programs. Now there's a single volume that spotlights today's most urgent pre-K debates, explores each one from all sides, and paves the way for sound, educated decision-making. Edited by a founder of Head Start and two other highly respected experts, this forward-thinking book gathers a who's who of more than 40 leading thinkers in early childhood education for a rigorous examination of the most-debated pre-K issues. In a clear and compelling point-counterpoint format, this book gives current and future decision-makers multifaceted perspectives on critical questions; Should pre-K be targeted or universal; what kind of teacher preparation should be required? When should pre-K services be provided and for how long? Whee should pre-K be provided? What should the primary focus of instruction be? Should pre-K be structured around direct instruction or learning through play? How can we ensure quality and accountability in pre-K programs? Readers will also get a helpful synthesis of the major themes of the pre-k debate, investigate lesson learned from model programs in 2 states, and identify ke issues for future research and debate, including polices for English Lanaguage learners and children with special needs.