From: Kristin Emmett
Email:
Course: Child Development 169: Motivating children and adolescents in educational
contexts
College: San Jose State University
Instructor: Eugene Matusov
ClassWeb: http://www.ematusov.com/cd169
ChildrenObservations: No
Date: 23 May 1997
Time: 16:41:59
Remote Name: pax-ca12-18.ix.netcom.com
What is a normal child? What is a hyperactive child? There are many differences that exist between the normal and hyperactive child. However, the children should be treated equal and their needs should be met which will vary from child to child. I have researched hyperactive children and have had the opportunity of working with a child I think falls under the category of a hyperactive child. After watching the child and researching, I have tried to find the best ways to cope with his differences. All my ideas have not worked and I am still learning. Some of the techniques can be applied to "normal" children as well. I hope those becoming teachers can learn from my research and find the best ways to give them a higher level of motivation.
"Hyperactivity is one of the major childhood behavior disorders of our time" (Ross, ix). Hyperactive children have specific characteristics to identify their disorder. The following characteristics include, excessive body movement, short attention span, impulsivity, and excitability. These characteristics can cause problems for the child's school performance or behavior problems. "Children with this hyperactivity disorder have a delay in acquisition of fundamental academic skills of reading and spelling" (Piazza, 10).
Since these children have a short attention span and attention is important in the learning process it makes the learning process much more difficult for them. AD/HD children tend to have more social problems because they tend to come on too strong towards other children their own age. Hyperactivity can be a result of many factors, such as heredity, prenatal problems, food additives, emotional turmoil in the family, neurological abnormality and environmental factors involving parental acceptance and socioeconomic status. "One serious flaw in a purely quantitative concept of hyperactivity is its lack of validity: there are no activity level norms for children" (Ross, 3). Sometimes hyperactivity is misdiagnosed and it can possibly be signs of autism or childhood schizophrenia.
Although not all kids suffer later in life who are hyperactive, there are a great percentage of children who end up as juvenile delinquents or have other behavior problems. There are various forms of treatment for hyperactive children. These treatments include, family counseling, psychologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapy, and medication. Amphetamine and Ritalin are two types of common medications used to help children with the hyperactivity disorder. The forms of treatment are supposed to "lessen the tendency toward impulsive behavior" (Piazza, 13). The medication has some side effects like anorexia, sleep disturbance and growth retardation. Medication as a treatment also takes a couple of weeks to get into the child's system, therefore it is not the quickest solution. No matter which form of treatment is used, the child's progress should be examined and watched closely.
Children who are hyperactive have a more difficult time in school than "normal" children. Preschoolers tend to get up out of their seats more frequently and leave the table while the teacher is conducting his/her class. In studies the teachers gave more negative feedback to children who were hyperactive than those who were "normal". This is actually very detrimental to the child and they lack self-confidence and self-esteem.
It is important that parents and teachers watch the child's performance in settings like school to see what the child's needs are and not just assume the child should be placed in a special education classroom. I do not think children should be placed in a separate classroom just because they may lack some of the qualities that "normal" children have. It could possibly be more beneficial mainstreaming the child, but not in all cases. Also, the "presence of a hyperactive child in the classroom may influence interaction patterns within the classroom as a whole" (Piazza, 31) which must be taken into consideration. While growing up, kids tend to follow patterns of behavior from others around them so if others misbehave the other children are likely to follow the same pattern. "Series of failures and rejections helps to establish a basis for poor self-esteem" (Ross, 32). I think the motivation of the child also depends a great deal on how their needs are being met and dealt with. A teacher that gives negative feedback the majority of the time is likely to lower the child's self- confidence, therefore the child will have low motivation. On the other hand, a child whose needs are met and the child is treated like everyone else, their motivation will be much higher. Also, if the children look at the child as being different rather than a student like themselves, this may also be a component that will effect the motivation of the child in a classroom.
I think there are many other elements as well the communication of the teacher and peers that need to be taken into consideration. The same problems that occur in a preschool classrooms also continue on into the elementary school years. I work in a Childcare Center and have one child who I will name Paul that is three years old and is very different from the other children. He comes into the childcare most often in the evenings while his mother works out or goes swimming for about an hour. Paul runs back and forth, door to door and repeatedly opens the door without permission. He also goes into the bathroom a number of times within ten minutes or less and claims, "I have to go potty", even though he is not potty trained. I try to sit him down to color, play with the toys or play games, but he can not sit down for more than a few minutes. Then he gets up and is constantly biting and throwing the toys around the room. He does not walk around the room, rather jumps and sometimes moves about in a flying motion. He is a very intelligent child and never hurts the other children. I have had a couple of the other children say, "What is Paul doing? Why is Paul doing that?" Paul would rather play by himself than with the other children and the other kids tend to move away from where Paul is. I have talked with his mother on numerous occasions and she tries to help me to figure out the best solutions for taking care of her child. She knows he is not like other children, but she says, "The Pediatrician says children go through stages like this and he will outgrow it".
My question is, will he or is it something more serious that is being ignored? It is not my position to say anything, so I have tried to figure out the differences in Paul from other children and want to find the best and safest solutions possible while he is in the Childcare Center. After having the chance observing Paul on numerous occasions, I have done research on my own to find out what I could do to help him. I have tried so many different ways to deal with Paul while he is in the Childcare Center. The best way I know how is by letting him choose what he wants to do. I reward him with stickers for every accomplishment and being on his best behavior. I try not to tell him "No" too many times, rather divert his attention in another direction. It is frustrating because he knows when he is being a bad boy, but he can not do anything to stop his behavior on his own. He has very poor problem solving ability.
Communication with his mother and father helps tremendously. Every time they come in to pick up their son, I talk with them and let them know things he did well and also goals we tried working on. They are very open with me about their son, but notice when there are other parents or other employees in the room, they are not as responsive. I think the parents are still denying the fact that their son is different than other children. I hope they learn to accept their son's abilities and behavior and accumulate more knowledge to understand why their son has differences.
Paul is a wonderful child with a heart of gold, but yes he is different. I think teachers as well as anyone dealing with a hyperactive child understands what is going on so they can meet the child's needs. We should not shun hyperactive children away, rather learn from them. They have so much to offer and by helping them sometimes we can learn how to deal with other children that do not have as severe of differences. After, researching about hyperactive children, I understand more and hope I can pass on this information to everyone becoming teachers.
References
Piazza, Robert. Hyperactivity. Special Learning Corporation: Connecticut, 1980.
Ross, Dorothea and Sheila Ross. Hyperactivity: Research, Theory, and Action. John Wiley and Sons: New York, 1976.