WHAT IS ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER?

ADHD often makes it very difficult for a child to achieve in the classroom since they are easily distracted, have difficulty sitting still, and are often very impulsive in their actions.

Also, ADHD is frequently accompanied by oppositional-defiant disorder where the child frequently loses his or her temper, often argues with adults and refuses to comply with their request or rules.

The child may deliberately annoy other people, and is often angry and resentful. In addition, children with ADHD often have difficulty paying attention to directions and instructions and may not complete schoolwork assignments or other assigned tasks.

Also, their work may be messy and performed carelessly. They may have a strong dislike for activities that require them to concentrate for any length of time such as school work or homework assignments.

Children with ADHD may appear to be constantly “on the go” or as if they are being “driven by a motor.” They may also have difficulty participating in activities that require them to sit still for any length of time such as listening to a story in Pre-K or working on written assignments in the higher grades. These children may also talk excessively and make excessive noise during quiet activities.

In addition, children with ADHD are often very impulsive in their behavior. For example, they may blurt out answers before questions have been completed or have difficulty waiting their turn. Also, they may frequently interrupt others, fail to listen to directions, grab objects from others, or be involved in accidents due to knocking objects over, running into people, etc.

The symptoms of ADHD typically become worse in situations that require mental effort or attention for any length of time or in situations that are not appealing or novel to the child. Examples might be listening to classroom teachers, doing class assignments, listening to or reading lengthy materials, or working on tasks that are monotonous and repetitive.

ADHD may also be accompanied by anxiety and depression, increased attention to physical problems (sometimes evidenced by not wanting to go to school or wanting to come home from school), the tendency to avoid social contact with others, and communication and learning problems.

In summary, it is very important to find out whether or not a child’s problems in school are related to ADHD since this will significantly affect their ability to succeed. Children with ADHD are sometimes helped by medication.