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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a
condition that becomes apparent in some children in the preschool
and early school years. It is hard for these children to control
their behavior and/or pay attention. It is estimated that between
3 and 5 percent of children have attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), or approximately 2 million children in the United
States. This means that in a classroom of 24 to 30 children, it
is likely that at least one will have ADHD.
ADHD is not considered to be a learning disability. It can be determined
to be a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA), making a student eligible to receive special education
services. However, ADHD falls under the category “Other Health
Impaired” and not under “Specific Learning Disabilities.”
Many children with ADHD – approximately 20 to 30 percent
– also have a specific learning disability.
The principle characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity,
and impulsivity. There are three subtypes of ADHD recognized
by professionals. These are the predominantly hyperactive/impulsive
type (that does not show significant inattention); The predominantly
inattentive type (that does not show significant hyperactive-impulsive
behavior) sometimes called ADD; and the combined type (that
displays both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms).
Other disorders that sometimes accompany ADHD are Tourette Syndrome
(affecting a very small proportion of people with ADHD); oppositional
defiant disorder (affecting as many as one-third to one-half of
all children with ADHD); conduct disorder (about 20 to 40% of ADHD
children); anxiety and depression; and bipolar disorder.
*National Institute of Mental Health, 2003
Signs and Symptoms
- Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes
- May have poorly formed letters or words or messy writing
- Has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities
- Does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish
schoolwork or chores
- Avoids or strongly dislikes tasks (such as schoolwork) that
require sustained mental effort
- Forgetful in daily activities
- Has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
- Loses things necessary for tasks or activities (pencils, assignments,
tools)
- Shows difficulty engaging in leisure activities quietly
- Acts as if “driven by a motor” and cannot remain
still
- Blurts out answers to questions before the questions have been
completed, often interrupts others
Strategies
- Allow a child to change work sites frequently while completing
homework or studying
- Assign tasks involving movement such as passing out papers,
running errands, watering plants
- Use music as a tool for transitioning, song = task
- Vary tone of voice: loud, soft, whisper
- Stage assignments and divide work into smaller chunks with frequent
breaks
- Teach students to verbalize a plan before solving problems or
undertaking a task
- Permit a child to do something with hands while engaged in sustained
listening: stress ball, worry stone, paper folding, clay
- Use inconspicuous methods such as a physical cue to signal a
child when she or he tunes out
- Provide opportunities for student to show divergent, creative,
imaginary thinking and get peer recognition for originality
- Employ multi-sensory strategies when directions are given and
lessons presented
Excerpted from the LDA of California and UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute
“Q.U.I.L.T.S.” Calendar 2001-2002 |
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