| Children and ADHD are not synonymous with one | | | | future educational and life success; reading, writing, and |
| another but enough children are being diagnosed to | | | | math. These deficiencies likely account for the 80 |
| foster a great deal of concern. Most estimates have | | | | percent academic underachievement rate seen in |
| the frequency at about 10 percent with some | | | | ADHD kids. Children and ADHD symptoms looks |
| estimates placing it as high as one in four. The number | | | | different in every child but a few basic characteristics |
| of boys diagnosed with the condition is somewhere | | | | of inattention and distractibility are commonplace. They |
| between 3 and 5 times greater even though only a | | | | are: being able to focus sometimes but not other times, |
| few years ago this number was ten to one. So more | | | | poor concentration, ability to focus on some things but |
| and more girls are being diagnosed and treated than | | | | not on others, being easily distracted by external stimuli, |
| ever before with many experts believing the gap | | | | being easily distracted by one's own thoughts, |
| between boys and girls will continue to narrow. | | | | daydreaming, forgetfulness, chronic lateness, tendency |
| Children and ADHD symptoms is one that garners | | | | to make careless mistakes, lack of attention to detail, |
| some confusion due to the assumption that | | | | procrastination and struggling to complete tasks. |
| hyperactivity is the primary symptom. There actually | | | | The second primary symptom is impulsivity. A child |
| are three primary symptoms: inattention/distractibility, | | | | who is impulsive will act without considering the |
| impulsivity, and of course hyperactivity. While | | | | consequences, blurt out answer before the question is |
| hyperactivity is the poster child for primary ADHD | | | | completed, say inappropriate things, is exceeding |
| symptoms it is not required for a diagnosis. That job | | | | impatient, and wants things immediately. |
| falls to inattention/distractibility which must have been | | | | In children and ADHD the third primary symptom is of |
| present for at least six months, interfere with social or | | | | course hyperactivity. Children who are hyperactive |
| academic functioning, and must be present in two or | | | | tend to have parent with large bags under their eyes |
| more settings. | | | | from no sleep and stress but besides that they are |
| To have inattention is not to be able to control or | | | | unable to sit still, are always on the go, may talk |
| regulate how and when you focus on something. This | | | | nonstop (often seen in girls), and move or fidget |
| is where distractibility comes in. Both internal and | | | | constantly. |
| external stimuli impact children with ADHD much | | | | Certainly it is easy to see how certain combinations of |
| stronger than people without it. The result is they | | | | symptoms could negatively impact both parents and |
| struggle with focusing on one thing. | | | | children in many different settings. Perhaps the biggest |
| Why is inattention so important? There are many | | | | problem of all is that these behaviors cannot be |
| reasons but perhaps the most troubling is that it gets in | | | | changed simply through parenting because of their |
| the way of a child learning the basic building blocks for | | | | biological roots. |