Nursing Assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

According Videbeck (2008) Assessment for children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), among others:

1. Assessment of disease history.

• Parents may report that the child is fussy and having problems during infancy or hyperactive behavior disappear unnoticed until the child is old toddler or go to school or daycare.
• Children may have difficulty in all major areas of life, such as school or play and showed overactivity or even dangerous behavior at home.
• Being out of control and they find it impossible to face the child's behavior.
• Parents may report their efforts to discipline a child or change the behavior of children and all of it was largely unsuccessful.

2. The general appearance and behavior of the motor.

• Children can not sit quietly in a chair and wriggled and jiggled when trying to do so.
• Children may run around the room from one object to another with little purpose or without a clear purpose.
• Disturbed child's ability to speak, but can not do a conversation, interrupted, answering questions before ending questions and failed to pay attention to what has been said.
• Conversations children skipping suddenly from one topic to another. Children may seem immature or late developmental level.

3. Mood and Affect.

• Mood child may be unstable, even angry or temper tantrums.
• Anxiety, frustration and agitation are common.
• Children seem compelled to keep moving or talking and seemed to have little control over the behavior.
• Attempt to focus the child's attention can lead to resistance and anger.

4. The process and content of thought

• In general, there is no interruption in this area although it is difficult to study the child based on the child's activity level and age or level of development.

5. Sensorium and intellectual process.

• Child alert and oriented, and no sensory or perceptual changes such as hallucinations.
• Children's ability to pay attention or concentrate significantly disturbed.
• Child's attention span is 2 or 3 seconds on ADHD heavy, 2 or 3 minutes on a lighter form of interference.
• It may be difficult to assess the child's memory, often said, I do not know, because it can not give attention to the question or can not stop thinking thing.
• Children with ADHD are very easily distracted and rarely are able to complete the task.

6. Assessment of self.

• Children with ADHD typically show poor judgment and often do not think before they act.
• They may fail to sense danger and impulsive actions, such as running into the street or jumping from a high place.
• Although it is difficult to study the power ratings and look at small children.
• Children with ADHD showed less able to judge when compared with age.
• Most children who have ADHD are not aware at all that their behavior is different from the behavior of others.
• Older children might say, "no one likes me at school", but they are not able to connect the less friends with their own behavior.

7. The concept of self.

• This may be difficult to assess in very young children, but in general the self-esteem of children who have ADHD are low.
• Because they do not succeed in school, can not have a lot of friends, and have problems in doing at home, they usually feel isolated there feel themselves badly.
• Negative reactions of others that arise because of their own behavior as the poor and ignorant.

8. Roles and relationships

• Children usually do not succeed in school, both academically and socially.
• Children are often intrusive and disruptive at home, which led to disputes with siblings and parents.
• Parents often believe that their deliberate and stubborn and behave badly with the specific intent to children who are diagnosed and treated.
• In general action to discipline children have limited success in some cases, children are not physically controlled, even hitting a parent or damage the goods have families.
• Parents feel chronically tired both mentally and physically.
• Teachers often feel the same frustration as parents and caregivers or babysister may refuse to care for children with ADHD are increasing rejection of the child.

9. Consideration of physiological and self-care.

• Children with ADHD may be skinny if they do not take the time to eat properly or they can not sit down for a meal. Appeasement for sleep problems and difficulty sleeping is also a problem that occurs. If children make careless or risky behavior, there may be a history of physical injury.