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Attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder is a term used to describe people who exhibit long-term difficulties that include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Research shows that the only reason the boys are diagnosed more frequently is because their behaviour is rougher and more aggressive and therefore gives rise for more concern both at home and at school. Girls tend to get diagnosed later with psychological problems such as depression and anxiety and upon further investigation it results that ADHD symptoms were present.
Unfortunately, the older a child gets with undiagnosed ADHD, the more co-morbid difficulties he or she will end up with.
Attention difficulties are manifested by children being easily distracted both in tasks and play activities. They often find it very difficult to settle to school tasks, appearing inattentive, forgetful and disorganised.
Impulsivity is shown by children having a tendency to interrupt conversations, talk out of turn and having difficulties in waiting for their turn. Examples include crossing the road without looking out for cars, having no idea of the concept of time and interrupting constantly while parents are on the phone!
Hyperactivity is manifested by children showing high levels of restlessness, fidgeting and movement. They tend to be continually on the go, often noisy and talkative. Always out of their places, hopping from one foot to the other when talking to you, finding excuses to walk around the room.
In point of fact, the most common complaints teachers have about children and teenagers in classroom settings have to do with restless, impulsive and inattentive behaviours. Naturally not all of these children have ADHD.
For the label to be correctly used, such behaviours need to last for longer than six months, to have been present before the age of seven, and to be evident in more than one setting; for example at home and at school. Moreover they are not easily modified by behaviour management or changing the environment.
Prof. Russell Barkley has a theory that ADHD is more a question of a lack of self-control, as explained in the following example:
A young child may refrain from throwing a toy when frustrated because his mother is around, and he knows he will be punished if he throws it. Now consider a child who feels a similar urge to smash a toy but is able to keep from acting on this impulse because of the realization that this would be a bad idea for one or more reasons:
This child has learned how to control his behaviour on his own by his own thoughts rather than having an adult or other external consequences to control him.
People with ADHD do not develop this ability so well if at all. The reason is biological and not because of anything the parents did or did not do. This deficit in self-regulation in turn affects other psychological processes and functions.
Working Memory – They are unable to remember things that happened in the past and use them to be able to work out what to do in the present or future circumstances.
Internalisation of Speech – They are unable to talk to oneself about one’s behaviour and actions. This capacity develops later and not so well in people with ADHD.
Sense of Time - Think how often we need to work out how much time it takes to do a particular task and/or the time we need for that task as compared to what time is available. For people with ADHD, this sense of time is not present, or at best is impaired and so they can’t do this.
Goal Directed Behaviour - When we work towards an exam or save up to buy a car or house we are using the image of that goal to guide our actions. This is usually based upon months, if not years. People with ADHD have great difficulty doing this and that is why they go for the short term reward rather than long term.
People with ADHD do not necessarily lack the skills and knowledge to be successful but they are unable to apply that knowledge and skills at the right times.
The child with ADHD may "know" that sharing and cooperating are necessary for keeping friends, but does not use this knowledge when needed because the immediate rewards associated with getting one's way overpowers the less immediate goal of keeping a friendship. Or, the child may be able to tell what steps are required to do a good job on a school project, but be unable to put this knowledge into practice because of problems with managing time, and directly one's behaviour according to a long-term goal.
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