| The ADD Child: Challenging Parents, Teachers and | | | | form of trouble that a parent can name. |
| Friends | | | | Insatiability: The ADD child has an insatiable need for |
| | | | attention to be brought onto himself. While all children |
| The ADD child exhibits a series of behaviors that are | | | | thrive on adult attention, focus and concern, the child |
| common in most children. Most children misbehave, act | | | | with ADD can never seem to get enough. They act |
| silly and day dream. So what, then, is the difference? | | | | out, talk incessantly, joke around, monopolize |
| The child with Attention Deficit Disorder exhibits these | | | | conversations, demand the teacher's constant |
| behaviors in a constant and extreme manner, often | | | | involvement, show off to friends, and badger |
| interfering with their academic, social and family | | | | incessantly until they get their way. |
| interactions. | | | | Clumsiness and Poor Coordination: Many ADD children |
| Here are the variety of ways that a child may exhibit | | | | exhibit problems with fine motor control. This can be |
| ADD behaviors: | | | | seen in poor handwriting and in difficulty performing |
| Inattention: The most visible and well-known behavior | | | | other routine tasks such as buttoning buttons or tying |
| of a child with attention deficit issues is an inability to | | | | shoelaces. When combined with the child's inability to |
| maintain attention and focus over an extended period | | | | plan or organize a flow of activities, the resulting |
| of time. This behavior shows up in a variety of | | | | outcome (written paper, self-dressing, etc.) may |
| situations, such as forgetting or confusing instructions | | | | appear chaotic and disorganized. Many ADD children |
| that were just given, being inattentive when involved in | | | | also exhibit gross motor control clumsiness due to poor |
| a conversation, growing bored of activities within | | | | motor planning cognitive skills or other co-existing |
| moments, appearing to be in a daze or day dream, | | | | weaknesses in areas such as balance, |
| and being unable to complete tasks. | | | | depth-perception or eye-hand coordination. |
| Hyperattention: Paradoxically, the same ADD child who | | | | Disorganization: The ADD child is a study in |
| cannot stay focused enough to finish many common | | | | disorganization! Whether it is the state of the child's |
| tasks will have no problem whatsoever in focusing on | | | | room, the organization of a term paper, the set up of |
| a video game or TV show for hours. This ability to | | | | the child's school supplies and workspace, grooming, |
| hyper-focus on chosen activities is very common in | | | | dressing and hygiene skills, or any other aspect of the |
| the child with Attention Deficit Disorder. This behavior is | | | | child's life, the most probable outcome will be a |
| possible only because the child pursues the desirable | | | | disorganized mess. This results from the ADD child's |
| activity through a heightened level of excitement which | | | | impulsivity (jumping at any solution), distractibility |
| is a controlled form of hyperactivity. | | | | (stopping in the middle of any activity), hyperactivity |
| Distractibility: An ADD child can be easily distracted | | | | (pulling out and tearing apart everything in sight), and |
| from most activities by any form of stimulus in the | | | | inattention (they lose interest anyway!). |
| environment (movement, color, sound), as well as by | | | | Mood Swings: With an ADD child, everything is always |
| their own scattered, fast-moving thoughts. This results | | | | at extremes, and their range of emotions is no |
| in half-finished or poorly completed tasks, constant | | | | different. In some cases, they can be extremely |
| minor non-compliances with known rules, zig-zagging | | | | domineering and controlling as they seek to gain |
| from one activity to another, and the inability for the | | | | attention for themselves. In other cases, they can be |
| child to do well in group situations (such as school) | | | | unreachable, and no amount of discipline or parental |
| where compliance with the rules is important. | | | | intervention seems to have an effect. When an child |
| Impulsivity: An ADD child will often blurt out information | | | | with ADD is "stuck" in the emotions of the moment, |
| in inappropriate ways and make poor decisions relative | | | | there seems to be no way for reasonable discussions |
| to their actions. This child may risk his or her own | | | | to bypass the emotional whirlwind in progress. ADD |
| safety without a second thought, running into the | | | | children can be described as oppositional, stubborn, |
| street, climbing to the top of a tree or rock formation, | | | | overly-dramatic, flighty, ecstatically happy or |
| or jumping or diving into a pool without checking the | | | | excessively sensitive, just to name a few of the |
| depth. The child with ADD acts on impulse rather than | | | | extremes experienced by ADD children. |
| through logic or problem-solving. Impulsivity in many | | | | Poor Social Skills: Based on all of the issues discussed |
| ADD children can also be characterized by impatience | | | | so far, it's not surpising that ADD children don't fare |
| or temperamental (often oppositional) behavior since | | | | well with peer relationships. They speak and act |
| the ADD child often feels a driving need for something | | | | impulsively, show off and dominate conversations or |
| (anything!) to happen immediately. | | | | class time, clown around at inappropriate times, miss |
| Hyperactivity: Of all the characteristics of an ADD child, | | | | subtle social cues, may be physically clumsy and |
| the behavior that is most difficult for those around the | | | | awkward, and often irritate and annoy their peers in a |
| child to accept is the presence of hyperactivity. The | | | | thousand daily ways. |
| child with hyperactivity is always in motion -- touching, | | | | As a result of the symptoms and behaviors just |
| searching, pushing, jumping, running, tapping, and | | | | described, the ADD child encounters all too many |
| squabbling with friends and siblings. The hyperactive | | | | difficulties in their young lives. True ADD should not be |
| ADD child seems to need a high level of stimulation at | | | | considered a "phase" that will be outgrown. Rather, |
| all times in order to feel OK. Hyperactivity will also be | | | | parents and educators should seek all of the education |
| seen in the form of a child who talks incessantly, | | | | and knowledge they can find to help these kids flourish |
| clowns around all of the time, and finds every other | | | | and succeed throughout the elementary school years. |