Just imagine never being able to turn your thoughts off and then you are asked to sit still and concentrate on something that is foreign to you! That is a hard task to accept! ADHD makes children who are diagnosed less emotionally available for learning due to their needed activity level, inattention, and impulsivity. Most children with ADHD experience the greatest difficulty in school. The reason that children with ADHD experience so much difficulty in school is because school requires great skill in the areas that ADHD children are weakest in. these areas are: attention, executive functioning, and memory. This underachievement is not the result of an inability to learn. It is caused by the cumulative effects of missing important chunks 0f information and skill development that build from lesson to lesson from one year to the next. Children with ADHD are at high risk for academic failure, grade repetition, placement in special education, and high school drop out.
Children with ADHD are often described as poor communicators, even though on the surface they present to have normal verbal expression and basic language skills.Their communication difficulties are primarily due to weakness in the pragmatics of language. Many children with ADHD will have deficits in basic language skills. These basic language skills involve the development of age appropriate development of: vocabulary, grammar, and syntax which will effect their classroom work especially in oral language and reading skills.According to the TEACHADHD website, studies have shown that behavior in kindergarten, particularly those involving inattention, are predicative of later academic underachievement in reading. Children who exhibit behavioral difficulties from ADHD in kindergarten who also have initial reading difficulties are less likely to make improvements in the early grades in reading achievement when compared to children who only exhibit initial reading problems. Some children with ADHD specifically those with attention problems, exhibit poor orthographic processing. Orthographic processing is the ability to represent the visual properties of words.Children with ADHD may also exhibit mild to severe impairments in recall and comprehension, which may depend on their decoding skills, oral reading fluency, and knowledge of reading strategies. Adolescents with ADHD without a co-existing reading disorder have been found to exhibit subtle weaknesses in text reading rate and text accuracy.Thus, they have performed more poorly than their peers who do not have ADHD, on silent reading comprehension.
Children with ADHD may exhibit significant weakness in written expression,. Problems with written expression are one of the most common impairing problems for children with ADHD. Below is a model is a model from the TEACHADHD website, which puts the writing process for children into perspective:
In conclusion, the academic challenges demonstrated by children with ADHD are not only due to behavioral difficulties, but are also due to difficulty in academic skills such as reading, writing, and their personal support systems such as study skills, organization, and their level of engagement during a lesson.
In my classroom, I include a lot of movement in my lessons to help students with ADHD remain focused while still engaging in activity which they need. Some kids need to move. I have found that there is not a one size fits all label on children when it comes to education. Every child is different. Being in tune to each child's needs and differences and differentiating instruction based on those needs will help more children gain success in school.
The information from this blog came from Nichcy.org, teachadha.com, www.ldonline.org/experts/silver, and my own views. Again when seeking advice on ADHD if you suspect with your own child seek your medical practitioner.
It seems today that almost everywhere we go we hear the terms ADD or ADHD. I hear it in public, at school, and even at home. I'll admit for the longest time, I was in denial that my daughter had ADHD. Eventually, as her grades plummeted and her teachers begged for mercy, I gave into the notion, that perhaps my daughter truly did have ADHD. Like so many other children and their parents we trekked to the psychiatrists office to see what his determination would be. A prescription, praises from her teachers, and rising grades, pretty much summed up that her diagnosis is correct: my daughter has ADHD! So what exactly is ADHD?
Larry B. Silver, M.D.(2002) calls ADHD a neurologically-based disorder caused by a deficiency of a specific neurotransmitter in a specific set of brain circuits. ADHD is present at birth. Depending which part of the brain these neurotransmitters are in will determine which symptoms a child with ADHD will demonstrate. (Silver, 2002) ADHD symptoms most often show up in early childhood. Resent diagnostic criteria indicate that ADHD is marked by behaviors that are long lasting and present for a minimum of six months, with the onset being before the age of seven.(CHADD,2010) A child with ADHD demonstrates the following three behaviors on varying levels: hyperactivity, easily distracted, and impulsiveness. (Silver, 2002) There are three main types of ADHD: ADHD Primary Inattentive Type, ADHD Primary Hyperactivity/Impulsive type, and ADHD Combined type. (CHADD,2010) To make the three types easier to follow, I have listed them in the category below:
ADHD Primary Inattentive Type :
The Child:
- Fails to pay close attention to detail or makes careless mistakes.
- Does not appear to listen.
- Struggles to follow through with directions.
- Has difficulty with organization.
- Avoids or dislikes activities that require sustained mental effort.
- Is easily distracted.
- Is forgetful in daily activities.
ADHD Primarily Hyperactive/Impulsive Type:
The Child:
- Fidgets with hands or feet and/or squirms in chair.
- Has difficulty remaining seated.
- Runs around and/or climbs excessively.
- Blurts out answers before questions have been asked or completed.
- Has difficulty waiting for his/her turn.
ADHD Combined Type:
Meets both inattentive and hyperactive ADHD criteria.
The child must exhibit difficulty in two areas of life such as: home, social settings, school, or work for teen children and adults to be diagnosed with ADHD. I am not a diagnostician, but as a parent it is sometimes helpful to know the criteria and symptoms of a condition that is suspected. My information primarly came from: www.ldonline.org/experts/silver, www.CHADD.org. , and my own information from dealing with and researching ADHD as a teacher and a parent.
This is a three part blog. Today I gave symptoms of ADHD. Tomorrow, I will discuss how ADHD can effect a child's literacy. .In part three, on Sunday, I will discuss instructional accommodations that often help children with ADHD in school. My blogs are meant to inform and elicit thought and conversation. As in any discussion if you suspect your loved one has ADHD please seek out sound medical advice. I hope this is helpful.
All my life, I wanted to be a nurse. In high school I took courses that I would need to become an RN. Then, in my senior year of high school I was chosen to work one night a week with a four year old, nonverbal, autistic boy. I was trained for this task by his special education teacher. She had me read the book Son-Rise by Barry Neil Kaufman. (Kaufman, 1978) Son-Rise, is a true story about how Barry Neil Kaufman and his wife helped their son Raun come into their world. It is a wonderful story that is as much about a parents love as it is about autism.
I will never forget my first encounter with Jon, my very first special education student. As soon as I saw him, I was instantly drawn into his world. He was swinging on a swing that his parents had set up in the doorway in his kitchen. The gaze in his big, brown eyes, was far off in the distance. He cupped his little hand near his mouth and made howling-whistling like noises as he swung back and forth. He took my hand and went with me to his room but never made eye-contact. Each Friday night for a year as we did all of the activities specifically designed for Jon. He was there and I was there but in reality we were never really together. He was in his world and I was in his space. I admire Jon for so adeptly doing the activities while at the same time never straying from his path of solitude. Jon was quite content to simply be who he was. He did more for me than I ever did for him. He taught me who I was. He taught me that all children are to be valued and need some one who is willing to find the key to unlock their true potential. I wanted to be this person for children.
I did not become a nurse. I became a special education teacher and this is the only thing that I ever want to be. In 35 years and hundreds of children later my passion for my field has never waned. My passion has only grown stronger and my knowledge deeper. I love the children that I serve and I love helping them and their families make their lives better. So, thank you to the Kaufmans, and to Jon for bringing me to the spectrum on the other side of the rainbow. I'm am forever grateful.
Raun graduated from an Brown University and went on to become the director of global education at the Autism treatment Center of America founded by his parents. http://www.raunkaufman.com
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