Research Paper - Outline

I.                 Introduction

1.     Hook: A brief description of ADHD/ADD and their effects on people. Many people are actually diagnosed with ADHD, but there are many ways to mask the symptoms.

2.     Thesis: Deciding whether to place a child on ADHD medication may be difficult, but the benefits of using medication greatly outnumber the minor side effects that a child may feel while on the medication.

3.     Implications: What are the positive and negative effects on people of different ages taking ADHD medication, long-term and short-term? What age can a child be properly diagnosed with ADHD?

II.               The Background Behind ADHD Symptoms

1.     A brief description of the characteristics of the three main symptoms of ADHD.

      a.  Inattentiveness

      b. Hyperactiveness

      c. Impulsiveness

III.             ADHD Treatments (separated into multiple paragraphs)

1.     Description and positive effects of three types of ADHD medications: Vyvanse, Adderall, and Concerta.

2.     A brief description of a number of minor side effects.

3.     A brief description of a few more techniques used to treat ADHD symptoms.

Annotated Bibliography

     I have been researching some things about ADD/ADHD symptoms, medications, and research that has been done on people with ADD/ADHD. I have many sources that I have researched and cited and I have written an annotated bibliography of them below. Annotated bibliographies are good to show how relevant a source is to a paper and how credible the source is. Below is two annotated bibliographies I have done, one from the library and one other source.

Works Cited

Rief, Sandra F. How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD: Practical Techniques, Strategies, and Interventions. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2005. Print.      

                                                                                                                                                              --Sandra Rief (M.A.) is a credible resource because she is one of the top educators in the nation for teaching people about how to help children with learning, behavioral, and attention difficulties.

“ADHD Medications for Children”, Nutrition Health Center, accessed March 2, 2011, http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com/adhd_medication_information.htm.

      --This site is a credible resource because it has information compiled from multiple journals, research papers, and studies of ADD/ADHD and its effects on people. The information was researched by credible doctors who study the effects of ADD/ADHD.