Should Students That Suffer With Add Be Placed In Specialized Classes?

Should Students that Suffer with ADD Be Placed in Specialized Classes?

Many adults and caregivers do not know what Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is and therefore do not know how to properly care for those children. They believe that because their children have ADD, they will not be able to learn or succeed in a normal class with other normal students. The truth is that only 1 out of every 35 students with ADD need additional help outside of the classroom because they are not sufficiently learning in it(Cowan). Many teachers and parents believe that putting children with ADD in specialized classes will help them to overcome their problems and become more successful in the classroom, but instead it will slow down their learning process, slow down their social skill development, and it will also teach them that they can use ADD as an excuse in other areas in their life(Child Development Institute).

Attention Deficit Disorder is a disorder that is growing daily. In the 1920's only one out of every eight children, since then that number steadily increasing by the year, now one in every three children suffers from ADD(Cowan). Attention Deficit Disorder is a condition that causes people to have problems learning, behaving and even getting along with others. People that are diagnosed with ADD usually struggle with one or more of these common symptoms. The first symptom is inattention, which is where they will have problems with focusing in on one thing at a time, or paying attention for any amount of time. People that are inattentive have serious problems with distractions. This can severely affect a student in a classroom. Every little thing that goes on in that classroom gets their attention, whether it is from a child talking, someone walking around, or even something going on outside of the classroom. They may even get distracted by decorations in the room, such as posters and charts. Hyperactivity is the second symptom which is where they will have trouble with sitting still in one place and it keeps them from being able to be quiet for a long amount of time. The third symptom is impulsiveness, which is where people have problems with thinking about things before they speak, or even thinking about their actions before they do something, regardless of how it may effect the people around them. Usually people that struggle with hyperactivity also struggle with impulsiveness, they go hand in hand. These types of people are always on the go, they have an abundance of energy, and they like to keep moving all the time. They also get bored very easily and usually very quickly(Baldwin).

If a child with ADD is placed in a specialized class it will hurt their learning process. The reason behind this is because if a child is placed in a special class, what they do is all of the same work, just at a slower pace. If they learn to do everything at a slower pace, they will never be able to finish any project unless they take it at a slow pace. This would not be a problem if our world was a slow paced world. This world has quickly become a world of convenience(Umansky). Everything is fast and easily accessible, which to a child who has learned to do everything slowly, would be like riding a tricycle in a world of motorcycles. This will also hinder their learning process because of the way that the teachers in specialized classes teach their students. Special Education teachers do not go to school to teach students that suffer with ADD, they specialize in students that are diagnosed with problems such as downs syndrome, mental retardation, and even some that struggle with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. They are not taught to help these students because ADD is not a recognized illness in today's education society, or even in local school systems. This is not a learning problem as much as it is just a discipline problem, whether it be at home or in the classroom, these students just need to learn to discipline themselves enough to be able to focus on the work they are trying to accomplish (Dunne pg. 37).

Another problem with separate classes for children that suffer with ADD is that they will not mature as fast as other kids their age. Dianne Dunn tells us in her book Behavioral Interventions for the Classroom: Implications for Students with ADHD:

Students that are separated from a normal classroom are separated from a lot more than just distractions. They are also separated from the children in their class that are maturing and developing right on time. When these students are together and interacting with one another, their bodies let off a certain hormone that helps them to be able to mature and develop on time rather than being one of the most immature students in the class. And by now you are probably thinking, if they are in their specialized classes, the other students will be suffering with the same problems so they will be able to mature at their own pace along with the rest of that class. This mentality is wrong. As they are separated, the only pace that is being set is a slow lifestyle(Dunne pg.45).

Statistics say that children that are diagnosed with ADD can do their work, finish it and actually have success in that work(Nadeau). It just comes down to parent and teacher involvement, it is statistically proven that the more that a parent is involved in their child's life, whether it be in school or at home, these children do remarkably better and are more successful in life.(Roseman) These children obviously have a problem, and the only way they will be able to face this problem is with help. George DuPaul said "Most cases of ADD would not be to the severity it is as long as the parents of the so called 'out of control' children would use the proper discipline and then that disciple would be consistent. In most cases these children never really learn how to deal with ADD so they stay in the mental state they are at home in the classroom."(pg.247) This being stated, it makes one wonder if ADD is preventable. DuPaul's thought that a child's ADD in the classroom is bad because they are