Sample APA Research Paper: Tutoring College Students with AD(H)D

We have all heard of the schoolboy who doesn't know how to stay in his seat at school; instead he climbs furniture and makes noise during work time. We have also all known a schoolgirl who looks out the window quietly daydreaming instead of paying attention to the teacher. We now know that the hyperactive boy has a neurological disorder called attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) (Hallowell & Ratey, 1994; Latham, 2000). Experts recently have agreed that the daydreaming girl also has ADHD - sometimes called ADD because it occurs without hyperactivity (Hallowell & Ratey, 1994). But what happens when the child with AD(H)D grows up? How can tutors work with college students who have AD(H)D?

What AD(H)D Is

College tutors need to understand what AD(H)D is before learning how to accommodate this condition. The three most important symptoms of AD(H)D are inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity (DSM-IV, 1994; Hallowell & Ratey, 1994; Latham, 2000). The Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Health (DSM-IV) explains that simply having these symptoms is not enough to diagnose AD(H)D because everyone sometimes has the same symptoms. These symptoms must be "persistent" and they must be "more frequent and severe" than they are for other people at about the same level of development (DSM-IV, p. 78).

It is possible to diagnose AD(H)D later in life, but only if the symptoms began before age 7. Also, symptoms should cause problems in two or more settings, for example at both work and home. Furthermore, AD(H)D can only be diagnosed if the symptoms make it hard for the person to learn how to function well socially, academically, and at work (DSM-IV, p. 78). Symptoms might not show up if the person is under "very strict control," is in a new

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APA Sample Term Paper 3

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