Sociological Study of ADHD and Autism: Impact on Education & Learning

This essay provides an in-depth sociological analysis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism, examining their causes, symptoms, and ramifications within classroom learning environments. It highlights the challenges these conditions pose to student learning and development, including concentration problems, impulsivity, and awkward speech patterns. The essay emphasizes the importance of practical approaches over theoretical ones, advocating for teaching strategies that respond to socio-cultural contexts and the varying needs of students. Strategies such as multisensory teaching, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), hands-on learning, and differentiated instruction are discussed as effective methods for engaging children with ADHD and Autism in the learning process. The conclusion underscores the need for care and quality education for children with these conditions, advocating for the implementation of the discussed teaching strategies to ensure their educational success. This document is available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-powered study tools and a wealth of academic resources for students.

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Early childhood and primary-Education teaching
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Evidence in in-depth research/Investigation and critical analysis of ADHD and Autism
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that makes people have a control
impulsive behavior and also not be in a position to pay attention to anything they are told. In
most cases, it is accompanied by restlessness and the feeling of being constantly active yet not
doing anything constructive (Polanczyk eat al, 2014).
ADHD is often mistaken to be a childhood disorder but that’s not the case. In most known cases
ADHD symptoms begin at an infantry and childhood stage but can also progress to adolescence
and adulthood. In the teenage and adulthood period issues such as inattention and poor impulse
control persists.
Various causes of ADHD have been proposed but the most profound one is that its caused by
environmental factors (Iossifov et al, 2014). Here environmental factors may comprise of
exposure to various environmental toxins and heavy metals such as lead at extremely high
amounts and especially at young age, cigarette smoking and excessive use of drugs during
pregnancy, brain damages/injuries and others.
ADHD in children can be very damaging because it tends to kill their brain cells thus making it
completely difficult for them to pay attention, be overactive and impulsivity of the highest
degree where children tend to act without thinking. It’s also important to note that having all
these signs should not be taken as a conclusion that someone has ADHD, it’s often advisable that
one seeks medical attention and diagnosis’ In some cases, such signs could be as a result of
various issues such as depression.

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No cure for ADHD has been found yet, however, various medical research centers are working
on the same. The available treatment for ADHD is only temporary as it helps reduce the various
symptoms thus boosting a person's functionality.
Autism is a disorder that tends to establish various repetitive behavioral patterns in a person thus
greatly impairing their general social interactions (DuPaul, Gormley, Laracy, 2013). Autism is
basically an umbrella that constitutes of various neurological conditions. Autism is common in
young children and children suffering from autism tend to possess the following signs and
symptoms; late speech development, repeating certain phrases, have difficulties in expressing
feelings and also understanding feelings of other people, developing awkward speech patterns
among others (Di, et al 2014).
Just like ADHD, causes of autism have not been established yet but statistics and research that
underway links the cause of autism to environmental factors. Autism cannot be entirely treated,
it’s only managed. Various therapies have been suggested that helps in the reduction and
management of the symptoms. Some really important treatment interventions are being used to
manage autistic conditions. For instance, the applied behavior analysis ABA. ABA is very useful
as it helps in improving memory, focus as well as communication of an autistic child. Other
proposed interventions are early start Denver model, floor time and occupational therapy.
Ramifications in context to classroom learning and environment
ADHA and Autism have some really serious ramifications as far as learning is concerned. They
tend to paralyze learning activities in a classroom setting. Students affected by these conditions
often have concentration problems and their impulsive nature makes them disturb other students
in class and also give the educator a really hard time when dealing with them.

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Implications for student learning
ADHD and autism have serious effects in learning as well as development of a child. In learning
environments for instance, these two conditions tend to slow down the learning process. Children
suffering from these two conditions often have tendencies of inattentiveness and awkward
speech patterns that makes it difficult for learning to take place (Persico & Napolioni, 2013).
Children suffering from these conditions need to be taken good care of and it should be made a
priority that they have access to the right and quality education.
In doing so, then various mechanisms and techniques should be incorporated into their learning
systems so as to make it possible for them to learn.
Teaching strategies
Theory-practice nexus in teaching
Theory-practice nexus explains the importance of and need to put more emphasis on practice
rather than theory. There is a challenge in the teaching sector, children often have various
learning needs and therefore creative solutions should be provided so as to accommodate these
diverse students' needs. Theory-practice nexus emphasizes on the need to be more practical than
theoretical. It suggests that certain issues should be handled in a practical manner so as to make it
possible to solve them, Handling issues in a theoretical manner is somewhat absurd and does not
lead to any feasible results (Barkley, 2013).

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Like the sociological conditions identified above, it’s much more important when they are
addressed in a practical manner rather than a theoretical manner.
Teaching strategies that respond to social-cultural contexts and varying needs of students
Various teaching strategies have been proposed that respond to dynamic social-cultural contexts
as well as varying needs of children. Some of the proposed teaching strategies have been
outlined below;
a) Multisensory teaching/instruction-This is a mode of teaching that engages more than one
sense at a time. Here the teacher involves children in learning various aspects through the use of
senses such as touch, hearing, and sight but at the same time or two at a time. This teaching
strategy is very essential in helping children with varying needs.
For ADHD, multisensory teaching facilitates in handling certain symptoms especially in cases
where movements are involved.
b) Universal design for learning strategies (UDL)-This is a special type of teaching that provides
children with many flexible ways to learn and succeed. It also provides children with an avenue
to access various materials and engage with them at the same time thus showing their skills in
various ways depending on their varying needs (Bradshaw & Hultquist, 2016).
For autism as well as ADHD, this strategy enables students to work in flexible environments.
This is very evident especially in cases where students are allowed to wear headphones or
earbuds.
Teaching strategies that engage children

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There are various strategies that can be used by a teacher so as to enable maximum student
participation by engaging them in the actual learning process. Some of the strategies that can be
employed in achieving this are outlined below;
a) Hands-on learning-Refers to learning that enables students to use their hands. This can be
achieved in various ways. For instance, it may be through using cards while teaching (Schmeck,
2013). Another efficient way of achieving this is through ensuring that students explore their
senses while learning, this has the ability to create some new opportunities for students to learn
something new.
b) Differentiated instructions-This is where the teacher tailors learning instructions and
experiences to be different among the students in consideration of their various needs. This is a
very important teaching strategy that facilitates student engagement.
Conclusion
ADHD and Autism are conditions that mostly affect children. Children suffering from these
conditions should not be neglect6ed but rather should be taken good care of and also be provided
with a good education. The above teaching strategies can be employed to make sure that such
children get the best education.

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References
Barkley, R. A. (2013). Taking charge of ADHD: The complete, authoritative guide for parents.
Guilford Press.
Bradshaw, M., & Hultquist, B. L. (2016). Innovative teaching strategies in nursing and related
health professions. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Di Martino, A., Yan, C. G., Li, Q., Denio, E., Castellanos, F. X., Alaerts, K., ... & Deen, B.
(2014). The autism brain imaging data exchange: towards a large-scale evaluation of the intrinsic
brain architecture in autism. Molecular Psychiatry, 19(6), 659.
DuPaul, G. J., Gormley, M. J., & Laracy, S. D. (2013). Comorbidity of LD and ADHD:
Implications of DSM-5 for assessment and treatment. Journal of learning disabilities, 46(1), 43-
51.
Iossifov, I., O’roak, B. J., Sanders, S. J., Ronemus, M., Krumm, N., Levy, D., ... & Smith, J. D.
(2014). The contribution of de novo coding mutations to autism spectrum
disorder. Nature, 515(7526), 216.
Persico, A. M., & Napolioni, V. (2013). Autism genetics. Behavioural brain research, 251, 95-112..
Polanczyk, G. V., Willcutt, E. G., Salum, G. A., Kieling, C., & Rohde, L. A. (2014). ADHD
prevalence estimates across three decades: an updated systematic review and meta-regression
analysis. International journal of epidemiology, 43(2), 434-442.
Schmeck, R. R. (Ed.). (2013). Learning strategies and learning styles. Springer Science &
Business Media.

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