| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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| | Feeling restless, often fidgeting with
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| (ADHD), is a condition that becomes
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| | hands or feet, or squirming while seated
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| apparent in some children in the
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| | Running, climbing, or leaving a seat in
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| preschool and early school years. It is
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| | situations where sitting or quiet
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| hard for these children to control their
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| | behavior is expected Blurting out answers
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| behavior and/or pay attention.
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| | before hearing the whole question Having
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| It is estimated that between 3 and 5
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| | difficulty waiting in line or taking
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| percent of children have ADHD, or
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| | turns.
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| approximately 2 million children in the
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| | Inattention Children who are inattentive
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| United States. This means that in a
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| | have a hard time keeping their minds on
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| classroom of 25 to 30 children, it is
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| | any one thing and may get bored with a
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| likely that at least one will have ADHD.
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| | task after only a few minutes. If they
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| ADHD was first described by Dr. Heinrich
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| | are doing something they really enjoy,
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| Hoffman in 1845. A physician who wrote
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| | they have no trouble paying attention.
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| books on medicine and psychiatry, Dr.
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| | But focusing deliberate, conscious
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| Hoffman was also a poet who became
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| | attention to organizing and completing a
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| interested in writing for children when
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| | task or learning something new is
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| he couldn't find suitable materials to
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| | difficult.
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| read to his 3-year-old son.
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| | Homework is particularly hard for these
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| The result was a book of poems, complete
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| | children. They will forget to write down
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| with illustrations, about children and
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| | an assignment, or leave it at school.
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| their characteristics. "The Story of
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| | They will forget to bring a book home, or
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| Fidgety Philip" was an accurate
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| | bring the wrong one. The homework, if
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| description of a little boy who had
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| | finally finished, is full of errors and
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| attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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| | erasures. Homework is often accompanied
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| Yet it was not until 1902 that Sir George
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| | by frustration for both parent and child.
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| F. Still published a series of lectures
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| | The DSM-IV-TR gives these signs of
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| to the Royal College of Physicians in
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| | inattention:
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| England in which he described a group of
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| | Often becoming easily distracted by
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| impulsive children with significant
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| | irrelevant sights and sounds.
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| behavioral problems, caused by a genetic
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| | Often failing to pay attention to details
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| dysfunction and not by poor child
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| | and making careless mistakes.
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| rearing-children who today would be
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| | Rarely following instructions carefully
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| easily recognized as having ADHD. Since
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| | and completely losing or forgetting
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| then, several thousand scientific papers
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| | things like toys, or pencils, books, and
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| on the disorder have been published,
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| | tools needed for a task.
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| providing information on its nature,
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| | Often skipping from one uncompleted
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| course, causes, impairments, and
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| | activity to another. Children diagnosed
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| treatments.
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| | with the Predominantly Inattentive Type
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| A child with ADHD faces a difficult but
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| | of ADHD are seldom impulsive or
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| not insurmountable task ahead. In order
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| | hyperactive, yet they have significant
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| to achieve his or her full potential, he
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| | problems paying attention. They appear to
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| or she should receive help, guidance, and
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| | be daydreaming, "spacey," easily
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| understanding from parents, guidance
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| | confused, slow moving, and lethargic.
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| counselors, and the public education
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| | They may have difficulty processing
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| system. This document offers information
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| | information as quickly and accurately as
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| on ADHD and its management, including
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| | other children. When the teacher gives
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| research on medications and behavioral
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| | oral or even written instructions, this
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| interventions, as well as helpful
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| | child has a hard time understanding what
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| resources on educational options.
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| | he or she is supposed to do and makes
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| Because ADHD often continues into
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| | frequent mistakes. Yet the child may sit
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| adulthood, this document contains a
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| | quietly, unobtrusively, and even appear
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| section on the diagnosis and treatment of
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| | to be working but not fully attending to
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| ADHD in adults.
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| | or understanding the task and the
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| Symptoms
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| | instructions.
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| The principal characteristics of ADHD are
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| | These children don't show significant
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| inattention, hyperactivity, and
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| | problems with impulsivity and
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| impulsivity. These symptoms appear early
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| | overactivity in the classroom, on the
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| in a child's life. Because many normal
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| | school ground, or at home. They may get
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| children may have these symptoms, but at
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| | along better with other children than the
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| a low level, or the symptoms may be
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| | more impulsive and hyperactive types of
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| caused by another disorder. It is
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| | ADHD. They may not have the same sorts of
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| important that the child receive a
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| | social problems so common with the
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| thorough examination and appropriate
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| | combined type of ADHD. So often their
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| diagnosis by a well-qualified
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| | problems with inattention are overlooked.
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| professional.
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| | But they need help just as much as
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| Symptoms of ADHD will appear over the
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| | children with other types of ADHD, who
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| course of many months, often with the
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| | cause more obvious problems in the
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| symptoms of impulsiveness and
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| | classroom.
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| hyperactivity preceding those of
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| | Is It Really ADHD?
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| inattention. Which may not emerge for a
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| | Not everyone who is overly hyperactive,
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| year or more. Different symptoms may
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| | inattentive, or impulsive has ADHD. Since
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| appear in different settings, depending
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| | most people sometimes blurt out things
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| on the demands the situation may pose for
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| | they didn't mean to say, or jump from one
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| the child's self-control. A child who
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| | task to another, or become disorganized
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| "can't sit still" or is otherwise
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| | and forgetful, how can specialists tell
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| disruptive will be noticeable in school,
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| | if the problem is ADHD?
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| but the inattentive daydreamer may be
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| | Because everyone shows some of these
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| overlooked.
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| | behaviors at times, the diagnosis
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| The impulsive child who acts before
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| | requires that such behavior be
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| thinking may be considered just a
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| | demonstrated to a degree that is
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| "discipline problem," while the child who
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| | inappropriate for the person's age. The
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| is passive or sluggish may be viewed as
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| | diagnostic guidelines also contain
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| merely unmotivated. Yet both may have
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| | specific requirements for determining
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| different types of ADHD.
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| | when the symptoms indicate ADHD.
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| All children are sometimes restless,
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| | The behaviors must appear early in life,
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| sometimes act without thinking, sometimes
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| | before age 7, and continue for at least 6
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| daydream the time away. When the child's
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| | months. Above all, the behaviors must
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| hyperactivity, distractibility, poor
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| | create a real handicap in at least two
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| concentration, or impulsivity begin to
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| | areas of a person's life such as in the
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| affect performance in school, social
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| | schoolroom, on the playground, at home,
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| relationships with other children, or
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| | in the community, or in social settings.
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| behavior at home, ADHD may be suspected.
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| | So someone who shows some symptoms but
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| But because the symptoms vary so much
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| | whose schoolwork or friendships are not
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| across settings, ADHD is not easy to
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| | impaired by these behaviors would not be
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| diagnose. This is especially true when
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| | diagnosed with ADHD. Nor would a child
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| inattentiveness is the primary symptom.
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| | who seems overly active on the playground
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| According to the most recent version of
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| | but functions well elsewhere receive an
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| the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
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| | ADHD diagnosis.
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| Mental Disorders2 (DSM-IV-TR), there are
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| | To assess whether a child has ADHD,
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| three patterns of behavior that indicate
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| | specialists consider several critical
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| ADHD. People with ADHD may show several
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| | questions: Are these behaviors excessive,
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| signs of being consistently inattentive.
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| | long-term, and pervasive? That is, do
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| They may have a pattern of being
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| | they occur more often than in other
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| hyperactive and impulsive far more than
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| | children the same age?
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| others of their age. Or they may show all
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| | Are they a continuous problem, not just a
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| three types of behavior.
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| | response to a temporary situation? Do the
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| This means that there are three subtypes
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| | behaviors occur in several settings or
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| of ADHD recognized by professionals.
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| | only in one specific place like the
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| These are the predominantly
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| | playground or in the schoolroom? The
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| hyperactive-impulsive type (that does not
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| | person's pattern of behavior is compared
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| show significant inattention); the
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| | against a set of criteria and
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| predominantly inattentive type (that does
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| | characteristics of the disorder as listed
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| not show significant
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| | in the DSM-IV-TR.
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| hyperactive-impulsive behavior) sometimes
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| | Diagnosis
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| called ADD-an outdated term for this
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| | Some parents see signs of inattention,
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| entire disorder; and the combined type
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| | hyperactivity, and impulsivity in their
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| (that displays both inattentive and
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| | toddler long before the child enters
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| hyperactive-impulsive symptoms).
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| | school. The child may lose interest in
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| Hyperactivity-Impulsivity
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| | playing a game or watching a TV show, or
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| Hyperactive children always seem to be
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| | may run around completely out of control.
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| "on the go" or constantly in motion. They
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| | But because children mature at different
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| dash around touching or playing with
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| | rates and are very different in
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| whatever is in sight, or talk
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| | personality, temperament, and energy
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| incessantly. Sitting still at dinner or
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| | levels, it's useful to get an expert's
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| during a school lesson or story can be a
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| | opinion of whether the behavior is
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| difficult task. They squirm and fidget in
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| | appropriate for the child's age. Parents
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| their seats or roam around the room. Or
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| | can ask their child's pediatrician, or a
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| they may wiggle their feet, touch
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| | child psychologist or psychiatrist, to
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| everything, or noisily tap their pencil.
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| | assess whether their toddler has an
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| Hyperactive teenagers or adults may feel
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| | attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
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| internally restless. They often report
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| | or is, more likely at this age, just
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| needing to stay busy and may try to do
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| | immature or unusually exuberant.
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| several things at once.
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| | ADHD may be suspected by a parent or
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| Impulsive children seem unable to curb
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| | caretaker or may go unnoticed until the
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| their immediate reactions or think before
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| | child runs into problems at school. Given
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| they act. They will often blurt out
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| | that ADHD tends to affect functioning
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| inappropriate comments, display their
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| | most strongly in school, sometimes the
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| emotions without restraint, and act
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| | teacher is the first to recognize that a
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| without regard for the later consequences
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| | child is hyperactive or inattentive and
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| of their conduct.
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| | may point it out to the parents and/or
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| Their impulsivity may make it hard for
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| | consult with the school psychologist.
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| them to wait for things they want or to
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| | Because teachers work with many children,
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| take their turn in games. They may grab a
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| | they come to know how "average" children
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| toy from another child or hit when
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| | behave in learning situations that
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| they're upset. Even as teenagers or
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| | require attention and self-control.
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| adults, they may impulsively choose to do
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| | However, teachers sometimes fail to
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| things that have an immediate but small
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| | notice the needs of children who may be
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| payoff rather than engage in activities
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| | more inattentive and passive yet who are
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| that may take more effort yet provide
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| | quiet and cooperative, such as those with
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| much greater but delayed rewards.
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| | the predominantly inattentive form of
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| Some signs of hyperactivity-impulsivity
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| | ADHD.
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| are:
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