Jack, an 8-year-old White male, was referred to the local guidance clinic by his physician. He has a history of school problems and poor social relations, and he has struggled with an illness in his family. His mother reported that Jack was overly active as an infant and toddler, and once he started school, his teachers found him difficult to control. He was described as extremely impulsive and distracting, moving about a lot from one activity to the next. At the time of the evaluation, he knew only the alphabet and a few words on sight-he could not read a full sentence. His math skills were assessed as minimal at that time. Due to his learning and behavioral difficulties, Jack was placed in a small, self-contained class for learning-disabled children at the start of the current school year. His teacher reported that he was immature and restless and responded best in a structured one-on-one situation, but he was considered the class pest because he continually annoyed the other children and was disobedient to the teacher's requests.
Since the start of the school year, he has soiled his pants on numerous occasions (in the absence of constipation), did not seem to have any special friends, and on several different occasions was reported by the school bus driver for hitting other children and throwing things at the bus. His mother reported that Jack had responded somewhat to discipline, but then he started to sass back and swear at her. He reportedly frequently throws temper tantrums, especially when she asks him to do something or denies his requests. His constant badgering and whining are particularly irritating for her, especially since her husband had been in and out of the hospital for the past 6 months with a terminal illness. Because of his illness, the father has been minimally involved with Jack's discipline for the past 2 years.
Assignment (2 pages)
For this Assignment, consider your suggestions for treating Jack. Write a 2-page summary of the case study. Your analysis should:
Determine whether Jack meets criteria for an ADHD.
Explain your rationale for your decision.
Explain whether a diagnosis of ADHD would benefit Jack in the development of a treatment plan and how?