"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
...h orthopedic impairments; children with autism; children with traumatic brain injury; children with other health impairments; and children with specific learning disabilities. [20 U.S.C. Sec. 1401(3); 34 C.F.R. Sec. 300.7; Cal. Ed. Code Sec. 56026(a).] These policies were established to assist children with special needs in attaining and retaining information. Given the symptoms that individuals with ADHD express, programs should be readily available. There has been much debate over what constitutes “other health impairments” as ADHD is labeled. With so much turmoil over this issue, advocacy groups have become necessary. CHADD (www.chadd.org), Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is one such group that seeks to bring justice for those with ADHD. According to their website, the mission of CHADD is stated as "CHADD CARES." Specifically, CHADD works to improve the lives of people affected by AD/HD through: • Collaborative Leadership • Advocacy • Research • Education and • Support CHADD also states that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)* is known to affect approximately 7.5% of school-aged children in the United States.1,2 Studies show that more than 70% of children with AD/HD will continue to experience the symptoms of AD/HD into adolescence, and almost 65% will exhibit AD/HD characteristics as adults. In addition, as many as two-thirds of children with AD/HD have at least one co-existing condition.3 The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Center for Mental Health Services, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Surgeon General of the United States, the U. S. Department of Education, and the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education have all recognized AD/HD as a condition that can significantly impair an individual’s functioning at home, at work, at school, and/or in society. If untreated or inadequately treated, AD/HD can have serious consequences, increasing an individual's risk for school failure, unemployment, interpersonal difficulties, mental health disorders, substance abuse, injury, contact with law enforcement, and shortened life expectancy. Appropriate services and treatment, however, can help individuals with AD/HD to avoid negative outcomes and lead successful lives. CHADD also have goals in assisting persons with ADHD in the criminal justice area in the following ways 1. Promoting greater awareness and understanding by the public and policymakers of the impact of AD/HD on behavior and its relation to co-existing disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and other forms of mental illness) that may increase an individual s risk for contact with the justice system. 2. Promoting greater awareness and understanding by law enforcement, corrections, and justice personnel about AD/HD, its impact on behavior, and related disorders, through increased funding for personnel training, development and dissemination of written materials and best practice models, and highlighting of existing effective programs. 3. Expanding current efforts by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Pr...