A Rise in ADHD Diagnosis Must Lead to Changes in the Classroom

 

In “Top-Down Attention Modulates Auditory-Evoked Neural Responses in Neurotypical, but not ADHD, Young Adults,” Kwasa et al tested a combination of forty-five patients, 20 neurotypical and 25 with ADHD. The research team set up their experiment with a “challenging auditory task that required strong top-down attention” consisting of layered syllables: ‘ba’, ‘da’, and ‘ga’. In order to record data, electroencephalography (EEG) was conducted in tandem with the auditory task. It was hypothesized that those with ADHD would show weaker neural signaling as well as poorer performance in comparison to the control group under these auditory tasks. There were two auditory tests, one to study the ability of the listener to switch their attention (a task that would likely be very difficult to those with ADHD) and another to focus solely on attention. Results showed that “ADHD listeners demonstrate weaker top-down modulation of neural responses evoked by an unpredictable interrupting sound”.

            According to research gathered in the article (published in the Washington Post in 2018) “ADHD Numbers are Rising, and Scientists are Trying to Understand Why” by Rachel Bluth, there has been a rise in patients diagnosed with ADHD. This increase is likely as a combination of advances in healthcare leading to more premature babies surviving and increased access to medical access via the Affordable Care Act. There has also been an expansion of the symptoms list as ADHD may present differently in females as opposed to males. With the rise in the diagnosis of ADHD across not only gender but race and ethnicity as well, it is imperative that educators can provide quality education to all their students no matter their diagnosis.

            Journal articles like Kwasa et al. about ADHD assist in establishing useful ways to help students afflicted with the condition not only better understand ADHD but also guide their guardians and instructors to improve their learning environment. For example, in interpreting the data collected in Kwasa’s experiment an instructor may suggest that students wear headphones when taking the listening portion of a language test or a parent may create a very quiet environment for their child when they must conduct a specific task like homework. As the child grows into an independent adult, they may make decisions that reflect the ideas of the research. Conducting meetings in small groups where people refrain from speaking over one another or abstain from switching between assignments and projects to keep their attention on one area of work. It is in the interpretation of research that allows society and science to move forward without leaving others behind.

 

Works Cited

Bluth, Rachel. “ADHD Numbers Are Rising, and Scientists Are Trying to Understand Why – The Washington Post.” Washington Post, The Washington Post, 7 Sept. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/adhd-numbers-are-rising-and-scientists-are-trying-to-understand-why/2018/09/07/a918d0f4-b07e-11e8-a20b-5f4f84429666_story.html.

Kwasa, Jasmine, et al. “Top-down Attention Modulates Neural Responses in Neurotypical, but Not ADHD, Young Adults.” The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, no. 4, Acoustical Society of America (ASA), Oct. 2021, pp. A64–A64. Crossref, doi:10.1121/10.0007633.