Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurologically-based condition, resulting from a weakness in self-regulation. It is a nervous-system based difficulty, created by a deficit in certain chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. These chemicals help transmit messages within the brain. Studies have suggested that these chemicals (dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine) are in short supply or are not doing their job well. As a result, the child has a weak regulatory system, or what I call a weak governor.
This weakness in self-regulation actually causes a child to pay attention TOO MUCH! They are actually hyper-aware rather than unaware. Every stimulus is of equal importance; the child is weak in the ability to screen out distractions. So, he ends up paying <em>too</em> much attention to everything at once. The child is constantly being flooded by stimuli and attending to too many things. As a result, he ends up paying attention poorly to any one thing; hence he outwardly looks as though he isn't paying attention. An example of this is a boy I sat with at a luncheon, who asked me if I heard the music. (There was no music playing.) When I commented that I didn't hear anything, he told me to listen. He was hearing the 'music' of the silverware scraping the plates, the knives and forks coming together and the subsequent rhythm of 150 people eating! Now: If you are that hyper-attentive, can you imagine sitting there trying to have a conversation and staying focused on one specific topic?
What are the symptoms of ADHD?
ADHD symptoms are categorized in three basic areas:
· Hyperactivity: These kids are described as, 'Bouncing off the walls,' 'always on the go,' 'restless,' and 'can't sit still.' They leave their seat without permission, walk around the room at inappropriate times, move constantly (tapping, humming, leg-swinging, fidgeting, squirming, etc.,) and disturb other children.
· Inattention and distractibility: Children who are inattentive and distractible actually attend to everything and therefore appear to be attending to nothing! These are the kiddies who 'don't pay attention,' 'are easily distracted and off-task,' 'forget things learned,' 'have difficulty following instructions,' 'fail to finish work,' 'daydream and stare off into space.'
· Impulsivity and Over-reactivity: Impulsive kids are frequently mislabeled as defiant, disrespectful or oppositional. These are the kids who 'can't control their impulses.' They act without thinking. They don't stop to think of the consequences of their actions; if a thought comes into their mind...they do it. They can be reckless daredevils. And they can be the kids who two minutes ago got in trouble for something, and here they are doing it again. They have difficulty waiting their turn, will interrupt or intrude upon others and blurt out answers without raising their hands.
Children who are over-reactive have two switches: off and high. They lack middle ground; the have difficulty modulating their feelings. So, they are either happy or enraged. They aren't miffed, ticked-off, annoyed, upset, angry, etc...they are furious! Their weak regulatory system creates problems in self-control (be it behavior or emotions.)
A child can have symptoms in one or all of the categories and still be diagnosed with ADHD. For diagnostic purposes, ADHD is subdivided re: with or without hyperactivity. An extremely hyperactive child may be easily diagnosed ADHD. However, the sweet, quiet little girl who sits at her desk and silently daydreams can be harder to identify as an ADHD child. Point of clarification: ADD is not an official diagnosis. It's just oftentimes a lot easier to say. A child's formal diagnosis is ADHD regardless of whether or not there is hyperactivity present.
This weakness in self-regulation actually causes a child to pay attention TOO MUCH! They are actually hyper-aware rather than unaware. Every stimulus is of equal importance; the child is weak in the ability to screen out distractions. So, he ends up paying <em>too</em> much attention to everything at once. The child is constantly being flooded by stimuli and attending to too many things. As a result, he ends up paying attention poorly to any one thing; hence he outwardly looks as though he isn't paying attention. An example of this is a boy I sat with at a luncheon, who asked me if I heard the music. (There was no music playing.) When I commented that I didn't hear anything, he told me to listen. He was hearing the 'music' of the silverware scraping the plates, the knives and forks coming together and the subsequent rhythm of 150 people eating! Now: If you are that hyper-attentive, can you imagine sitting there trying to have a conversation and staying focused on one specific topic?
What are the symptoms of ADHD?
ADHD symptoms are categorized in three basic areas:
· Hyperactivity: These kids are described as, 'Bouncing off the walls,' 'always on the go,' 'restless,' and 'can't sit still.' They leave their seat without permission, walk around the room at inappropriate times, move constantly (tapping, humming, leg-swinging, fidgeting, squirming, etc.,) and disturb other children.
· Inattention and distractibility: Children who are inattentive and distractible actually attend to everything and therefore appear to be attending to nothing! These are the kiddies who 'don't pay attention,' 'are easily distracted and off-task,' 'forget things learned,' 'have difficulty following instructions,' 'fail to finish work,' 'daydream and stare off into space.'
· Impulsivity and Over-reactivity: Impulsive kids are frequently mislabeled as defiant, disrespectful or oppositional. These are the kids who 'can't control their impulses.' They act without thinking. They don't stop to think of the consequences of their actions; if a thought comes into their mind...they do it. They can be reckless daredevils. And they can be the kids who two minutes ago got in trouble for something, and here they are doing it again. They have difficulty waiting their turn, will interrupt or intrude upon others and blurt out answers without raising their hands.
Children who are over-reactive have two switches: off and high. They lack middle ground; the have difficulty modulating their feelings. So, they are either happy or enraged. They aren't miffed, ticked-off, annoyed, upset, angry, etc...they are furious! Their weak regulatory system creates problems in self-control (be it behavior or emotions.)
A child can have symptoms in one or all of the categories and still be diagnosed with ADHD. For diagnostic purposes, ADHD is subdivided re: with or without hyperactivity. An extremely hyperactive child may be easily diagnosed ADHD. However, the sweet, quiet little girl who sits at her desk and silently daydreams can be harder to identify as an ADHD child. Point of clarification: ADD is not an official diagnosis. It's just oftentimes a lot easier to say. A child's formal diagnosis is ADHD regardless of whether or not there is hyperactivity present.