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New Research Unlocks Mysteries Of ADHD Study Results Could Help Students Learn Researchers are hoping their work will allow people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, to learn more easily. The learning disability is difficult to understand and often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. New research going on at the University of Maryland may help educators teach those with the disorder. "I'm interested in what makes life difficult for them and can we find ways to treat it to make life easier for them," Psychiatrist Julie Schweitzer says. She started her studies at Emory University in Atlanta, but is continuing them at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. She just finished a break-through study on adults with ADHD. "In general, we found people with ADHD do use different portions of their brain while performing working memory tasks," Schweitzer says. It's the first time a physiological difference has been proven, and brain scans are the key. They show what parts of the brain are being used. While people without ADHD use verbal sections, those with the disorder do not. Their brain activity concentrated on visual areas. The results help researchers and educators to better understand the thought process of those with ADHD. "So if they're in the classroom and the teacher is given verbal instructions, they have to think about what the teacher said and visualize what the teacher wanted," Schweitzer says. Schweitzer also found more activity in motor portions of the brain, which accounts for the fidgeting typical in those with ADHD. "I think in the long run, people with ADHD may have something to be hopeful about," Schweitzer says. Schweitzer says that her research has a long way to go. Her next study will focus on brain development for people with ADHD. "One question is are there developmental differences? What happens to a person with ADHD over time?" Schweitzer says. Educators will need to address the classroom needs of those with ADHD. Teachers like Marie Lefever in Lancaster, Pa. already use special techniques in the classroom. Further research will only help to further develop her special curriculum. For those with ADHD, the validation that comes with the study may be the most important lesson of all, both for them and the rest of society. "Their brain may have a different way of doing things, but that doesn't mean they're dysfunctional," Schweitzer says. . |
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| For some recent academic speeches made by leading ADHD researchers at the NIH Consensus Development Conference on Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, click here. |
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