not necessarily have ADHD. The primary reason,
however, that parents oppose the use of medication
is because of possible side effects. Some children ex-
perience weight loss, lose their appetite, or have diffi-
culty falling asleep. Together, parents and doctors
should consider the benefits and concerns when mak-
ing a decision about medication.
The Impact of ADHD on Families
Children with ADHD may have significant im-
pairments that can have a profound impact on their
families. Children often forget what they have been
told or defiantly oppose what is requested of them.
They tend to be demanding, unpredictable, restless,
quick tempered, forgetful, inconsistent in their school
work, and socially immature. These experiences lead
to increased levels of parental frustration. Many par-
ents struggle with deciding on the best methods for
disciplining their child. They may question if they are
being too strict or too permissive. Parents may feel
guilty and at fault for their child’s problems. Fair and
consistent disciplinary practices can help change be-
havior in a positive way. When the condition is identi-
fied early and adequate treatment plans are
implemented, children with ADHD can have success-
ful school experiences and can develop positive rela-
tionships with peers and adults.
See also: ACTIVITY LEVEL; MENTAL DISORDERS
Bibliography
Barkley, Russell. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook
for Diagnosis and Treatment, 2nd edition. New York: Guilford
Press, 1998.
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(CHADD). Available from http://www.chadd.org; INTERNET
Rief, Sandra. How to Reach and Teach ADD/ADHD Children. West
Nyack, NY: Center for Applied Research in Education, 1993.
Sandra J. White
ATTENTION SPAN
Attention span is the degree to which a child demon-
strates sustained focus on designated tasks and activi-
ties, especially in school. During the preschool and
early elementary school ages, attention span varies
with age, gender, and type of activity. A longer atten-
tion span is generally found in older children than in
younger children, and in girls more often than in
boys. Children are usually able to maintain a longer
attention span when performing tasks that match
their abilities and interests.
An adequate attention span is an important part
of learning in a classroom setting, enabling children
to organize and consolidate important features of the
subjects being studied. Most children develop the ex-
pected level of concentration in the course of ordi-
nary school experience. But for those with short
attention spans, learning problems sometimes devel-
op, including over-attention to irrelevant details of
tasks and general restlessness and overactive move-
ments that distract them from their focus. Attention
span problems are frequently reported in children
with learning disabilities, such as those diagnosed
with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).See also: ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY
DISORDERBibliography
Guevremont, David, and Russell Barkley. ‘‘Attention Deficit Hyp-
eractivity Disorder in Children.’’ In Stephen Hooper, George
Hynd, and Robert Mattison eds., Child Psychopathology: Diag-
nostic Criteria and Clinical Assessment. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum,
1992.
Hunt, Earl. ‘‘Verbal Ability.’’ In Robert Sternberg ed., Human Abili-
ties. New York: Freeman, 1985.
Thompson, Ross. ‘‘The Individual Child: Temperament, Emotion,
Self, and Personality.’’ In Marc Bornstein and Michael Lamb
eds., Developmental Psychology: An Advanced Textbook, Mahwah,
NJ: Erlbaum, 1999.
Nathan W. GottfriedAUTISM
Autism, a condition more precisely referred to as au-
tistic disorder, is a lifelong developmental disability
affecting social and communicative functioning. In
the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV, autistic
disorder is the main pervasive developmental disor-
der (PDD), with other disorders in the PDD classifica-
tion including pervasive developmental disorder, not
otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger’s dis-
order.Diagnosis
DSM-IV describes autistic disorder as consisting
of twelve possible symptom areas in three areas of de-
velopment. These include social—marked impair-
ment in nonverbal behaviors, failure at peer relations,
impaired sharing of pleasure and lack of socioemo-
tional reciprocity; communication—delay in commu-
nication without gesture compensation, impairment
in conversational ability, stereotyped and repetitive
language, and lack of imaginative play; atypical activi-
ties and interests—restricted interests, nonfunctional
routines and rituals, and preoccupation with parts of
objects. To be diagnosed with autistic disorder, an in-
dividual must exhibit at least six out of the twelve40 ATTENTION SPAN