Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorders: Cognitive Disorders from the Information Processing Viewpoint

PREFACE

Adolescence. Such a pivoting time in the lives of youth is known for manifestations of rebellion, struggles for autonomy, and self-advocacy by teens worldwide. Careful scrutiny and research are necessary because one may be prone to discard the characteristic of the normal descent into adulthood as symptoms of social and cognitive abnormalities (Armstrong, 1995). According to Santrock (2001) psychologists are continuously studying adolescent thinking and social matters.

The writer of this research works in the high school environment; thus, witnesses first-hand accounts of the continuum of emotions, identity crises, and social commotions of this age group. This comes from just observing the "average" teen. The reader sees these conditions heightened for individuals with learning exceptionalities. These are the students who parents quote, "Well, my child does have this condition...", to offer a suggestion for their child's failures or their own shortcomings. These are often the same frustrated adults that confess they, themselves, had the same social or learning condition of which their child struggles.

Having a learning deficit in adolescence may still cause frustration for the individual in adulthood. Many adults remember the learning gap opposing their desire to learn as a frustrating part of their growth process. Exploring these frustrations and impairments to guide future research and practices, proves a beneficial adventure for researchers, concerned parents, professionals, and the individuals themselves (Orenstein, 2001).
The Information Processing Process

How information is stored, retrieved, and processed are essential elements to adolescent information processing (Santrock, 2001). Santrock states information processing is "...both a framework for thinking about adolescent development and a facet of that development" (p. 114). According to Thomas (2000) the process seeks to explain the happenings from the moment the child receives the stimulus from the environment, to the moment the child responds with visible actions to the environment.