ADHD and Autism

ADD and Autism I chose this topic of ADD and autism because I had heard of these two disorders many times before and had always wondered what they were. The subject of why children act differently than others had always interested me since I was little. I have experienced and interacted with a young boy that had autism before and I found that the way he interacted with me and others around him was fascinating. Before researching, I knew that ADD and autism weren't sicknesses like the flu or a cold. Some are born with it, you can't catch or spread it.I knew it had something to do the brains and its genes. I knew that if you had ADD or autism, it would affect the way you learn and behave. Going into this topic, I knew I was most interested in knowing how children act when they are diagnosed with these disorders. How they act compared to children without ADD or autism. I also wanted to know what it was like when they become adults. Does the disorder â€Å"go away'? Or are there ways to cure or calm the symptoms down? I also wanted to research this topic because I wanted to know the difference between the two.I was always confused between ADD and autism and if someone asked me what the difference was, I don't think I loud be able to give a good answer. My thesis going into this research paper is that ADD and autism seem very similar, almost the same, but as I go deeper into the topic, you will see that they are quite different. When we think of ADD and autism, we Just think of it as problems or disorders that make children not â€Å"normal†. My argument is that though these two disorders bring difficulties, they are very different.Different in the way they are caused, how they are diagnosed, what symptoms each ones possesses, and how each one is handled. How they are handled by parents, teachers and doctors. Before researching, I wrote some questions to help me stay focused on what I wanted find out. Some questions that were most helpful dealt with the symp toms in a child with autism or ADD, how parents should deal with their children, how you can detect children with autism/ADD and the difference between the two. These were helpful because there was the most information about those questions.It gave me the opportunity to write more about my topic. Some of my questions weren't as helpful as others. There was only little information I could find about that particular subject so I couldn't write about it as much as the others. When I began to research about ADD and autism I chose three sources for each one. Each one was different. I chose one that talked about what ADD/autism was and how it is caused. Another one explained what the symptoms are when children have these disorders. I also used a source with a real life story about parents and their child who had ADD.This helped me so I could see from a real life perspective, what it was like to live with someone who had ADD. There wasn't a specific order in which I wanted to research, lik e ADD or autism first, so randomly, I started with ADD. I started with the basics. What it was and how it was caused. Then I moved onto the symptoms of a child with ADD and how to can detect and treat disorder. Then I did the same for autism. After I researched about what each one was, I found an article comparing the two. That was very helpful because that was what my research was about: comparing ADD and autism.For this project, I had some struggles getting all my thoughts collected and organized. At times I felt lost and unprepared. I tried to read all my sources as thoroughly as I could in order but I felt like time was rushing against me so I stopped at parts and went and read other resources and went back to the previous one, so it got kind of disorganized. I still was able to label and take notes on each source well and correctly so that was a plus. The research paper outline was a big help for me because it Just made everything much more organized and clear so I knew how I w as going to write and present my paper.What ADD? We all know that ADD is something that kids have sometimes which causes them to act differently but not all people know what it is exactly. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADD is a common condition affecting children, teenagers ND even sometimes adults (WebMD). About four million children suffer from ADD. This condition comes with learning disorders causing the children to have a hard time during school (Quietist: Children). Over the years, experts have questioned whether kids outgrow ADD.That made them come to the conclusion that the disorder may be more common in adults than thought otherwise (WebMD). Studies show that children with the disorder generally have problems concentrating or paying attention. They get easily bored, frustrated with the tasks at hand or have difficulty following directions. I feel bad for children with the disorder because it wasn't their fault they act like that. People like teacher s and parents get frustrated and annoyed at these children because they can't sit still or listen the first time.They know that the children are diagnosed with the disorder but they don't fully understand. Another problem that children mainly tend to have with ADD is that they move constantly and are impulsive. They don't have the control to stop and think before they act. This interferes with the child's ability to function at school and home. Even though kids that don't have ADD sometimes have learning and behavioral disabilities, these symptoms are more prominent in a child with the disorder. Adults with ADD don't have the exact same symptoms as a child with the disorder. They may have difficulty with time management, organizational skills, goal setting, and employment. † The problems they face aren't all dealing with work and profession. Adults might also face problems with personal subjects like relationships, self-esteem, and addictions. The symptoms of children with ADD are normally categorized into three groups: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Inattention has to deal with when the child gets easily distracted or has difficulty following directions. When someone is talking they don't seem to be listening.Hyperactivity symptoms are like when he or she can't sit still. They squirm or fidget constantly and talk excessively. Lastly, impulsively says it in its name. The children don't have control basically. It's hard for them to wait their turn and constantly interrupt others (WebMD). I can understand how dealing with children with ADD can be difficult and frustrating but I think if more people were aware of what the hillier are going through, they could be more understanding. How ADD is caused There is no specific scientific explanation for how ADD is caused.