Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The economic burden of ADHD

4/9/2010
DeVry University
Angela Cawein

Do you have trouble staying on task or completing projects you have started? Do you procrastinate to the point that things are not completed? Do you often lose or misplace items or have difficulty remembering appointments? Do you always run late to work or appointments and feel like you can never get caught up? Do you find that it is almost impossible to sit still? Do you get easily distracted by noises and forget what you were doing? Allen a first grade student at Triton Elementary School does not like school. He cannot sit in his seat for more than five minutes. He is always interrupting class with strange noises, getting out of his seat, throwing objects, sharpening his pencil and touching people around him. Allen has been noted by his teachers to blurt out answers to questions before they have been completed. He intrudes on other children’s activities, but seems to have adequate social skills. He has a history of not completing activities, being disorganized, easily distracted and has trouble paying attention to tasks or play activities. Allen has been motor-driven, defiant of rules, a poor sleeper, and inattentive to direction. He also has long been in trouble for disobeying authority. Allen and over four million children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD. The economic burden of ADHD to society, medical costs, employment and work related costs, crime, incarceration, and has tremendous financial burden to families. What is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? “Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD} is a multifactorial and clinically heterogeneous disorder that is associated with tremendous financial burden, stress to families, and adverse academic and vocational outcomes. Attention-deficit