ADHD Classification Essay

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), causes ongoing inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. The disorder can be chronic and interferes with functioning and development. The percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD is rising every year. Males are more than two times more likely to have been diagnosed than females. The cause is unknown, but it is believed to involve interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Inattention and hyperactivity are key behaviors of the disorder, but some individuals with ADHD only exhibit problems with one of the behaviors. Thus, the history of the classification of ADHD is controversial. In the past, some argued that ADHD and conduct disorders were different disorders. Others felt that ADHD and conduct disorders …show more content…
Balentine, and Donald R. Lynam explain issues with ADHD classification. Before the introduction of ADHD in the DSM-III in 1980, literature had not raised the possibility that children may have significant attention problems without the overactivity and impulsivity (Milich et al., 2001, 463). Since 1980, many studies have shown that the inattentive and combined subtype could be classified as a different diagnostic disorder. For example, studies show that children with ADHD/I perform more poorly in academic achievement than children with ADHD/C, particularly in math (Milich et al., 2001, 474). This finding suggests that the processing deficits in the combined and inattentive groups may be qualitatively different, with the inattentive group showing more deficits in right hemispheric functioning (Milich et al., 2001, 474). The current DSM-5 classification has not changed the subtypes, but there is a minor change in the language. The word “presentation” is used instead of “type” to better reflect the fluidity and change that the disorder can have on an individual over