Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD

Kerry SheltonCEP 841July 30,2011

Why should we be concerned about ADHD?

Approximately 2 million children across the United States suffer from ADHD.

In a classroom of average size (25-30 children) there is likely to be one child who has ADHD.

It is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhoodhttp://www.adult-child-add-adhd.com

Why should we be concerned? - Continued

Teachers are often the first people to identify a child who may have ADHD.

General education teachers often lack training about how to best help these children.

There is not a definitive test for ADHD. Diagnosis comes from observation of specific behaviors in various situations.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline

What is ADHD?

ADHD is a condition of the brain that makes it difficult for children to control their behavior.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that appears in early childhood.

The signs and symptoms of ADD/ADHD typically

appear before the age of seven.

Diagnosis is often made between 6-12 years of age.http://www.healthychildren.org

Defining ADHD Continued ADHD is not a learning disability

ADHD often continues into adulthood

About 3 times more boys than girls are diagnosed with ADHD.

http://www.healthychildren.org American Academy of Pediatrics

ADHD symptoms

Inattention

Hyperactivity

Impulsivity

When to Suspect ADHD When the child's hyperactivity, distractibility, poor

concentration, or impulsivity begin to affect performance in school, social relationships with other children, or behavior at home, ADHD may be suspected.

Are these behaviors excessive, long-term, and pervasive?

Do they occur more often than in other children the same age?

Do the behaviors occur in several settings or only in one

specific place like the playground or in the classroom?

Types of ADHD

3 Subtypes Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (that does not

show significant inattention).

Predominantly inattentive type (that does not show significant hyperactive-impulsive behavior)

Combined type (that displays both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms).

Signs of Hyperactive-Impulsive Type

Feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming while seated

Running, climbing, or leaving a seat in situations where sitting or quiet behavior is expected

Blurting out answers before hearing the whole question

Having difficulty waiting in line or taking turns.

Signs of Inattentive Type Often becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights

and sounds.

Often failing to pay attention to details and making careless mistakes.

Rarely following instructions carefully and completely losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and tools needed for a task.

Often skipping from one uncompleted activity to

another.

Criteria for diagnosis The ADHD symptom behaviors listed

on the previous slides must appear and continue for at least 6 months.

Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person's life such as in the classroom, on the playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings.

Students with ADHD often present the following challenges in the classroom:

They demand attention by talking out of turn or moving around the room.

They have trouble following instructions, especially when they’re �presented in a list.

They often forget to write down homework assignments, do them, or bring completed work to school.

They often lack fine motor control, which makes note-taking �difficult and handwriting a trial to read.

They often have trouble with operations that require ordered �steps, such as long division or solving equations.

They usually have problems with long-term projects where there �is no direct supervision.

They don’t pull their weight during group work and may even �keep a group from accomplishing its tas

http://www.adult-child-add-adhd.com

Successful classroom programs have 3 components

Accommodations: what you can do to make learning easier for students with ADHD.

� Instruction: the methods you use in teaching.

� Intervention: How you head off behaviors that disrupt concentration or distract other students.

Specific accommodation techniques

Seat the student with ADHD away from windows and away from the door. Give instructions one at a time and repeat as necessary.

If possible, work on the most difficult material �early in the day.

Use visuals: charts, pictures, color coding.� Test the student with ADD/ADHD in the way he

or she does best, such as orally or filling in blanks.

Show the student how to use a pointer or �bookmark to track written words on a page.

Specific Instructional Techniques

List the activities of the lesson on the board.

Keep instructions simple and structured.

Vary the pace and include different kinds of activities.

Allow a student with ADD/ADHD frequent breaks.

Let the student with ADHD squeeze a Koosh ball or tap something that doesn’t make noise as a physical outlet.

These are only a few activities for a complete list go to http://www.adult-child-add-adhd.com

Ineffective techniques for ADHD students

punishing, removing privileges (especially those that consist of being active like recess)

confronting yelling, shouting lecturing, threatening branding the child as “lazy or

“unmotivated” Lavoie (2005)

Very Important!!! Because children with ADHD do better

when their lives are ordered and predictable, the most important thing teachers can do for those children is to establish a calm, structured classroom environment with clear and consistent rules.

Advice from Richard Lavoie In his book It’s So Much Work to Be

Your Friend Lavoie offers the following advice:

“If it doesn’t make a difference, what difference does it make?” If a child is squirming in his seat, but doing his math assignment the teacher should ignore the excessive movement.

The Co-Positive effects of ADHD in children

Creativity – Children who have ADHD can be very creative and imaginative.

Flexibility – Because children with ADHD consider a lot of options at once, they are more open to different ideas.

Enthusiasm and spontaneity – Children with ADHD are rarely boring! They’re interested in a lot of different things

Energy and drive- When kids with ADHD are motivated, they work or play hard and strive to succeed. It actually may be difficult to distract them especially if the activity is interactive or hands-on.

A test for you… Which one of these children may

have ADD/ADHD?A. The hyperactive boy who talks

nonstop and can’t sit still. B. The quiet dreamer who sits at her

desk and stares off into space.C. Both A and B

Answer C

Some famous people with ADHD complete list can be found at: http://www.adult-child-add-adhd.com

Albert EinsteinAnsel AdamsAnn BancroftBeethovenAlexander Graham BellJames BoswellSir Richard Francis BurtonPresident George Bush (both) Admiral Richard ByrdLord ByronThomas CarlyleAndrew CarnegieJim CarreyGen. H. Norman CharlesChristopher ColumbusTom CruiseLeonardo da VinciEmily DickinsonPatty DukeThomas EdisonRalph Waldo EmersonErnest & MarelF. Scott FitzgeraldEdward FitzgeraldMalcomb ForbesHenry FordRick FoxBenjamin FranklinRobert FrostZsa Zsa Gabor Tom GainsboroughGalileoBill Gates

Summary Parents, teachers and doctors must work

together closely in order to provide a child with an accurate diagnosis since there is not a definitive test for ADHD.

Patience, support and positive feedback are critical factors in supporting a child with ADHD.

Proper accommodations and interventions are a key the ADHD child’s success.

A question for you.. Children with ADHD are often rejected

by their peers because of their impulsivity. What can you do within your classroom to help the ADHD child feel socially accepted?

Resources

BooksLavoie, Richard (2005). It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Hallowell, E., Ratey, J., (1995). Driven to Distraction. New York: Touchstone Press.

Fowler, Mary (1999). Maybe You Know MY Kid. 3rd ed. New York: Kensington Press.

Journal ArticlesJ. Pediatr. Psychol. (2007) 32 (6): 655-663. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsm024 (Journal

Article)-“Peer functioning in Children with ADHD”-Betsy Hoza PhD

Jiang, Y., & Johnston, C. (2010). Parents' dilemmas in choosing empirically supported treatments for child ADHD. The ADHD Report, 18(4), 5-5-9. doi:10.1521/adhd.2010.18.4.5

ResourcesJournal Articles continued

Levy, R. (2008). Demystifying ADHD: A clinician's perspective. The ADHD Report, 16(6), 15-15-16.

Web SitesAdult-Child-Add-ADHD:http://www.adult-child-add-adhd.com

PBS-Frontline:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline

American Academy of Pediatricshttp://www.healthychildren.org

ResourcesWeb Sites continued

American Family Physicianhttp://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0501/p1803.html

National Groups Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) PO Box 7557

Wilmington, DE 19803-9997 Phone/Fax: (800) 939-1019Email: info@add.org 

National Resource Center on ADHD (CHADD) 8181 Professional Place - Suite 150 Landover, MD 20785 Tel: 301-306-7070

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 6001 Executive Boulevard,

Room 8184, MSC 9663 Bethesda, MD 20892-9663 Phone1-866-615-6464 Email: nimhinfo@nih.gov