Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Information from the "ADD ADHD Information Library"

Attention Deficit Disorder in School

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ADD ADHD in the Classroom

Often the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder child has special educational needs, though not always. Most Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids can be successful in the regular classroom with some help.

Identifying Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD - in the Classroom

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the phrase that is used to describe children who have significant problems with high levels of distractibility or inattention, impulsiveness, and often with excessive motor activity levels. There may be deficits in attention and impulse control without hyperactivity being present. In fact, recent studies indicate that as many as 40% of the ADD kids may not be hyperactive.

Research shows that there are several things happening in the brain of the ADHD child which causes the disorder. The main problem is that certain parts of the Central Nervous System are under-stimulated, while others may be over-stimulated. In some hyperactive kids there is also an uneven flow of blood in the brain, with some parts of the brain getting too much blood flow, and other centers not getting as much. Certain medications, or other forms of treatment can be used to address these problems.

As a teacher, ask yourself these questions:

1. Can the child pay attention in class?

Some ADHD kids can pay attention for a while, but typically can't sustain it, unless they are really interested in the topic. Other ADHD kids cannot pay attention to just one thing at a time, such as not being able to pay attention to just you when you are trying to teach them something. There are many different aspects to "attention," and the ADHD child would have a deficit in at least one aspect of it.

2. Is the child impulsive? Does he call out in class? Does he bother other kids with his impulsivity?

These kids often cannot stop and think before they act, and they rarely think of the consequences of their actions first. Impulsivity tends to hurt peer relationships, especially in junior high school years.

3. Does he have trouble staying in his seat when he's supposed to? How is he on the playground? Can he wait in line, or does he run ahead of the rest of the class? Does he get in fights often?

4. Can he wait?

Emotionally, these children often cannot delay gratification.

5. Is he calm?

They are constantly looking for clues as to how they are doing. They may display a wide range of moods, which are often on the extremes: they act too sad, too angry, too excited, too whatever.

6. Is the child working at grade level? Is he working at his potential? Does he/she stay on task well? Does he fidget a lot? Does he have poor handwriting?

Most ADHD kids have trouble staying on task, staying seated, and many have terrible handwriting.

7. Does he have difficulty with rhythm? Or the use of his time? Does he lack awareness about "personal space" and what is appropriate regarding touching others? Does he seem unable to read facial expressions and know their meanings?

Many children with ADHD also have Sensory Integration Dysfunctions (as many as 10% to 20% of all children might have some degree of Sensory Integration Dysfunction). SID is simply the ineffective processing of information received through the senses. As a result these children have problems with learning, development, and behavior.

8. Does he seem to be immature developmentally, educationally, or socially?

It has been suggested by research that children and teens with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may lag 20% to 40% behind children without ADHD developmentally.

In other words, a ten year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a seven year old to behave or learn. A fifteen year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a ten year old to behave, or learn.

HINTS FOR TEACHERS:

1. Don't buy into the line, "He'd behave if he wanted to." That may or may not be true. He may behave just fine from time to time, and if you encourage him, he may do well for periods of time. But his problem is not that he does not want to behave, rather his problem has a medical basis as described above.

2. Understand that of all kids with ADD, about 60% or so are hyperactive, and that 40% or so are not hyper at all. Also know that about 60% are male, and about 40% are female. Not all kids with ADD cause problems. Only one out of three with the disorder will ever get help from a professional.

3. Don't dismiss the behaviors as either poor parenting or poor classroom management.

4. Before talking to the parents get a second opinion from another teacher, the school psychologist, etc. Make a list of the behaviors that you are concerned about. Don't try to diagnose the child yourself, just report the observed behaviors.

5. Invite the parents to come in to your class and observe. More than one visit may be required, as often having the parent present the first time creates a "unique" situation which stimulates the child to do better than normal.

6. Be aware that the ADHD child often does very well in unique or novel situations, or in one-to-one situations. This would include a visit to a physician or a therapist to diagnose a problem. Also be aware that the worst place for an ADHD child is in the classroom setting. There are dozens of distractions, pressures, and rules that can be difficult for the child. Good luck with you and your ADHD kids!!!

This material may be reproduced for non-commercial uses. Please cite the author somewhere in the material: "The ADD/ADHD Information Library" at www.NewIdeas.Net, by Dr. Doug Cowan.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is not related to I.Q.

It's important to know that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and I.Q. are two different things.

Some parents are convinced that if their child has ADD ADHD it means that they are retarded. On the other hand, other parents say, "I've heard that ADD kids are really very, very bright. I think my child must have ADD," as if they wanted to wear a button that said, "My child is smarter than your child because he has ADD."

Well, that's ridiculous. Intelligence falls into a Bell Curve, even for those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Some Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids are below average I.Q., and some are even retarded. Other ADD ADHD kids are above average I.Q., and some are even quite brilliant.

But the awful truth for a parent to hear is that MOST kids (about 2 out of 3) are AVERAGE I.Q.

That's why they call it "average."

And most Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids have average I.Q. as well. They just have a real tough time in the classroom setting. We tend to see Lower academic achievement for I.Q. If they ought to be A students, they're getting C's instead. If they ought to be B students, they're getting D's instead.

ADHD Kids and "Hitting the Wall" at School

In fact, if you think about it, the classroom setting is probably the worst possible setting for these kids. There are a lot of distractions, yet they are told to sit still, don't move, don't talk, to pay attention to boring worksheets, and keep on task until the work is finished. None of these things come easily to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids.

Many Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids "hit a wall" in school as the school year progresses. Every week they just get a little farther and farther behind, until they're so far behind that it's impossible to catch up.

The disorder is most often recognized and referred for treatment in third grade. This is when kids most often hit the "academic wall." In third grade they are expected to do more and more work on their own, and they are given more homework to do as well.

We also see many referrals in seventh grade, or when the child leaves Elementary School for Junior High School, with several classes and several teachers. Many Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids who found ways to compensate in Elementary School are totally lost in Junior High School.

Here is an outstanding Web Site with over 500 Classroom Interventions to help your ADD ADHD Student succeed: ADDinSchool.com.

Will My Child Ever Out-grow His Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

If your child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD - then at some point you will be asking the question, "Will my child ever outgrow it?"

Studies indicate that 50% of those with ADHD will outgrow some of the symptoms by the time he or she is in their 20's. The old school of thinking was that once a child with ADHD reached puberty he no longer needed any help for his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but this is simply not true.

There is one final growth spurt of the brain, particularly in the frontal lobes, at about 19 or 20 years old. It is not much, but for those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder it just might make a big difference.

Hyperactivity may diminish in adolescence or adulthood, and may become more of a restlessness or fidgetiness, and be more socially appropriate.

The impulsivity may remain, and is often the biggest complaint of adults with the disorder. It causes a variety of problems from often interrupting others in conversations to quitting jobs for little reason and without other employment already lined up.

The problems staying focused may also persist into adulthood. It is often described as a constant "brain-fog" which makes tasks such as balancing check books and doing taxes very difficult.

Gladly, most adults with ADHD can find jobs where their strengths can shine, and can be successful.

For Others, a Ticket to Disaster.

We should also acknowledge that for many ADHD will turn out to be the ticket for disaster in their lives.

About half of all individuals with ADD will also develop problems with society, with authority, with the rules of life. These individuals will average about two felony arrests before the age of 20 unless they are properly treated as a child.

One study suggests that about half of all men in prison in the state of California carried the diagnoses of ADHD and Conduct Disorder as children, but went untreated, either because the families denied that there was a problem, or didn't have the financial resources for treatment, or because they just didn't know what to do about the problem.

It is extremely important that all children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, whether the inattentive space-cadets or the impulsive hyperactive ADHD children, it's important that all children with ADHD receive the help that they need.

These children need to tools to help them be successful.

We recommend TREATMENT. Either with medications, or we prefer trying ATTEND and its "brother" amino acid based products first. They can really make a difference.

Buy ATTEND Now!

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