Description of Learners Type - Paper Example

The learner, a boy, is a pupil aged 8 years and is currently enrolled in primary school. Based on his age, the child is in the fourth stage of Erikson's psychosocial development. This stage is known as Industry vs. Inferiority and occurs between the ages of 6 years and 12 years. During this stage, a child learns to see the relationship between persistence and the pleasure of having a job done. The most significant event during this phase is attendance at school. As a pupil, a child needs to be industrious and carry out tasks on their own. A child is both physically and mentally prepared for various tasks at this stage. It is also important that a child interacts with his or her peers at this stage if he or she is to have normal development. Moreover, for the first time, the child has many events to accomplish, including making friends, academics, and group activities. Any difficulty encountered in achieving any of these events leads to a feeling of inferiority (Eriksons Stage 4, n.d.).

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A description of the context and setting

The child manifests behavioral problems both at home and school. At home, he is hyperactive, restless, and has difficulty going to bed. At school, he is experiencing challenges with listening and following instructions, is in constant conflicts with fellow pupils, has been avoided by fellow students due to his behaviors, displays frequent outbursts, rarely completes tasks, and gets overloaded with information.

Etiology

The child is likely to be suffering from attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The etiology of ADHD is multifaceted. Some of the possible explanation for the presence of ADHD in an individual include neurological factors (brain damage, delayed brain maturation, and brain dysfunction), genetic factors, and environmental factors (Demeneix, 2014).

Neurological factors

Brain injuries, such as hypoxic and anoxic injuries, have been linked to ADHD (Barkley, 2014). ADHD symptoms have also been reported to be manifested more in children having seizure disorders. Another neurological cause of ADHD is delayed brain maturation. Delayed development in central nervous system maturation is presented in an individual as social immaturity, decelerated neuromaturation, impaired self-regulation, and lack of impulse control. Brain dysfunction and imbalanced neurotransmitters have also been identified as a neurological cause of ADHD (Possible etiologies of ADHD,' n.d.).

Comorbidities

The prevalence of ADHD in the United States population is 3-5% (Sherman & Tarnow, 2013). There is high risk for comorbidity in ADHD, with the presence of comorbid conditions calling for special consideration in the treatment of individuals with ADHD. For instance, ADHD and depressive disorders are manifested in about 20-30% of patients while ADHD and anxiety disorders are found in 25% of patients (Sherman & Tarnow, 2013). The presence of ADHD presents an increased risk for anxiety and depression. Moreover, ADHD shows high comorbidity with mood disorders, conduct disorders, addictive behavior, sleeping disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attachment disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorder, attachment disorder, and specific learning disorders (Masi, 2015).

Because of the presence of comorbid disorders, it is imperative that screening is conducted for the presence of comorbidities once a child is diagnosed with ADHD. Additionally, the psychopathologies related to ADHD may make clinical manifestations of ADHD to be complicated and thus can present a diagnostic challenge. Therefore, it is important to carry out a stringent initial assessment to eliminate the possibility of differential diagnosis (Masi, 2015).

Symptoms of ADHD

An individual suffering from ADHD has difficulties remaining seated without fidgeting, lack concentration, and have poor control of impulsive behavior (Fristad, Arnold, & Leffler, 2011). These problems are persistent in children with ADHD and can have adverse effects on the everyday lives of the victims, including academic, home, work, and social lives. The prevalence rate of this disorder is 11% in a population of school-going children. In 75% of the affected children, the symptoms may persist up to adulthood (About ADHD | CHADD,' n.d.)

People with ADHD can lead successful lives if the condition is identified at a young age and proper treatment administered. However, failure to carry out early diagnosis and treatment can have detrimental consequences on the individual. Some of these consequences include poor academic performance and achievement, depression, familial stress, relationship problems, drug abuse, delinquent behaviors, and job failures (About ADHD | CHADD,' n.d.).

The symptoms of this disorder start showing in early childhood. Based on the DSM-5 criteria, various symptoms have to be exhibited by the child before attaining age 12. Many parents of children with ADHD complain of intense motor activity of these children during toddler age. However, there is no clear-cut distinction between excessive motor activity, impulsivity, inattention, and intense activity that is characteristic of children below four years of age (About ADHD | CHADD,' n.d.).

For a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, he or she must show six or more symptoms associated with the disorder (Faraone, 2012). In adolescents and adults, an individual should present at least five symptoms of the disorder (Matson, 2016). According to DSM-5, ADHD is presented in three different ways. First, it can be presented as predominantly inattentive ADHD whose symptoms include: failure to pay attention to details, inability to sustain attention, impaired listening skills, difficulty following instructions, forgetfulness, and avoidance of mentally demanding tasks (About ADHD | CHADD,' n.d.).

Educational Problems

Past studies have revealed that working memory deficiency in children with ADHD (Maehler & Schuchardt, 2016). Children with ADHD have working memory problems with respect to executive functioning (Schiltz, Schonfeld, & Niendam, 2011). Holmes et al. (2014) conducted a study aimed at comparing academic ability, behavioral problems in the classroom, academic ability, and executive function of children between the age of 8 and 11 with low working memory and those diagnosed with ADHD. Findings from this study revealed that both ADHD children and those with low working memory had comparable working memory and executive functioning. Specifically, both groups showed deficits in visuospatial sketchpad and impaired executive control. Additionally, the researchers reported an association between impairment of executive control aspect of working memory and inattentiveness of the two groups. This suggests that working memory deficiency of these children is the cause of inattention and distractive behaviors (Holmes et al., 2014).

In children with ADHD and those with deficits in working memory, limited working memory leads to short attention spans and distractive behaviours as a result of inability to sustain task goals in working memory causing the attentional focus to move away from the activity currently being handled to other activities in the environment or other thoughts (Holmes et al., 2014).

Working memory is a term used to describe an individuals capacity to store and manipulate information for a short period (Weinstein, 2012). Working memory deficits in school children often go unnoticed. Poor working memory affects children's behavior and academic attainment. Classroom behavior of pupils with deficits in working memory is characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and overactivity (Kothare & Kotagal, 2011). This type of memory has been associated with essential learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy. Most of these children have been reported by teachers to have problematic behaviors and poor academic achievement in both numeracy and literacy. Working memory training has, however, been reported to improve childrens reading comprehension development (Connor, 2016). Overall, working memory is a major factor in academic attainment (literacy, numeracy, and comprehension), and interventions to enhance working memory help improve childrens academic achievement (Titz & Karbach, 2014). Because of the adverse effects of poor working memory on academic performance, it is important to conduct early screening to avoid subsequent learning difficulties.

Working memory has practical applications in school settings. First, learning progress of children having a deficiency in working memory can be greatly enhanced by lowering the working memory demands in the classroom. It is also recommended that childrens failures in classroom learning activities as a result of deficits in working memory can be minimized through effective classroom management. An example of good classroom management practice is ensuring that the affected pupil remember what he or she is doing. Children having poor working memory are forgetful. In many instances, they forget what they are supposed to do and move to another thing, resulting in failure to finish tasks. To improve childrens memory, teachers should keep their instructions brief and simple. Additionally, their memory can be enhanced through constant repetitions of instructions or frequent reminders. Moreover, teachers can ask children to repeat information taught as a way of improving their memory (Alloway, 2006).

In psychological of learning, deep learning and surface learning are the essential characteristics of learning. In surface learning, the learner scraps the surface of the learning material without conducting in-depth processing of the material. Students who employ this strategy concentrate only on the requirements of the assessment, take information and ideas in a passive manner, are involved in memorization of facts, and disregard rules and procedures. On the other hand, learners who utilize a deep method of learning are involved in deliberate efforts to turn other individuals ideas and incorporate in their individualized structure of knowledge. Their learning is characterized by the following: they attempt to understand the material on their own, they associate current information with previously learned ones, they use organizational skills when integrating ideas, they argue logically, and can easily link evidence to conclusions ("How students learn: what learning involves," 2017).

Development theory on the case

Erikson theory

According to Erikson, each phase of human development is characterized by a crisis which must be resolved by a person so as to have a healthy development. In ideal cases, all people must resolve the crises. However, this does not usually take place in real life. Erikson pointed out that interactions between biological developments and societal demands help in shaping personalities. The crisis found at every stage of the Eriksons developmental theory asks a person to adjust to stressors and conflicts. Erikson may be helpful in getting to know the developmental experiences of individuals with ADHD because it explains how people develop their self-representations (Schott, 2012).

Eriksons fourth stage of development, Industry vs. Inferiority, can help account for the onset of childrens ADHD. This stage takes place when a child is aged six to twelve. At this stage, a child in school will be learning reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. Teachers play an important role of teaching the child these skills. Additionally, a childs socialization (peer group) play a critical role in shaping the childs self-esteem. This stage is also characterized by a childs need to get approval by exhibiting certain competencies treasured by the society. The accomplishment of these competencies makes the child and re...