| Inflexibility | | | | This lack of self-esteem leads to unease and |
| ADHD children often display an inflexible or dogmatic | | | | awkwardness when mixing with their peers, particularly |
| nature and things are usually either black or white, with | | | | in a group situation. It is usually easier to deal with only |
| no shades in-between. Once they have made a | | | | one or two friends at a time. This means that it is |
| decision or taken a particular attitude, they find it very | | | | often difficult to build up a circle of friends in the normal |
| difficult to change it, even if the circumstances have | | | | way and this is exacerbated as the child grows older |
| changed. A change in the plans for the day, which | | | | & reaches adolescence. By this stage their |
| may result from circumstances outside the control of | | | | self-confidence may be virtually non-existent & they |
| the parents', can result in a tantrum which is quite | | | | feel quite inadequate socially. |
| disproportionate to the actual event. | | | | In order to gain acceptance by their peer group, they |
| These children seem to have a lower frustration | | | | need to find ways of making themselves attractive to |
| threshold than other children and are more easily upset | | | | them. This means that they are much more easily |
| than others. Their problems with adjustment to | | | | influenced & led astray by other children, who are |
| changes seem to also lead to great problems in | | | | quick to recognise when they are dealing with |
| handling choice. Offered a choice of sweets, after | | | | someone who is inherently weaker than themselves & |
| much deliberation, the child will choose one, only to | | | | exploit this. The ADHD child is often 'set up' by others |
| demand a different one when he is actually given the | | | | because of his desire to gain acceptance & because |
| original choice. This may appear to be a disciplinary | | | | of his relative naivety & impulsiveness. They are much |
| problem but in a child with ADHD, it is part of the child's | | | | more likely to end up in trouble than their peers. |
| poor ability to make a decision and stick with it. | | | | Social Immaturity |
| Self-esteem | | | | Children with ADHD tend to be significantly more |
| This is a major problem for anyone with ADHD. As a | | | | immature in their behaviour & social interaction. This is |
| child grows, developments in the brain allow him to | | | | the case both at home & at school, but will be |
| develop an awareness of himself, & the value of | | | | particularly obvious at school where they often act the |
| himself, in relation to his environment & to other children | | | | class clown to gain the approval of their peers. They |
| of his own age in particular. Because of a dysfunction | | | | also seem to experience emotions differently or |
| in the central part of the brain in children with ADHD, | | | | inappropriately, displaying an emotional immaturity. |
| they do not develop an appropriate self-concept. | | | | |