ADHD Summary

Group 2

What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the current diagnostic label for children presenting
with significant problems with attention such as impulsiveness, excessive activity, high
frequency of repetitive movement, and inattention. There are three subtypes of ADHD:
Inattentive, Hyperactive/Impulsive, and a combination of Inattentive/Hyperactive.
It is thought that the main causal factor of ADHD is a neurological dysfunction, although there
may be other contributing factors linked to environment, certain foods, or family variables.

What does ADHD look like in children?

Children belonging to the inattentive subtype may display these behaviours:
Be forgetful about doing daily activities, such as chores and homework
Struggle to pay close attention to details or make careless mistakes in schoolwork
Appear not to listen when being spoken to and get easily distracted
Have difficulty following through on instructions and planning ahead
Avoid or dislike tasks that require focused mental effort, such as homework

Children belonging to the hyperactive/impulsive subtype may display these behaviours:

Fidgeting and unable to remain still or seated in a classroom
Constantly in motion - running around or climbing on things
Struggle to play quietly or relax
Often blurt out answers in class and have trouble waiting their turn
Over talkative and may interrupt other people’s conversations or activities
Act or speak without thinking
Children belonging to the combination subtype may likely display a mix of behaviours from both
categories.

ADHD looks different in boys and girls

Girls with ADHD are more likely to be better adapted in school, more sensitive, messy,
unorganized, seemingly lazy, a bit squirmy, overly chatty, distracted, withdrawn, and verbally
aggressive
Boys with ADHD are more likely to be hyperactive, struggle with self-control, act out in school,
struggle to sit still, interrupt frequently, be physically aggressive
• Boys are 3x more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls
• Girls are usually diagnosed an average of 5 years later than boys
• 75% of girls with attention difficulties are undiagnosed
• ADHD can be missed in boys: seen as energetic or show inattentive aspects of ADHD

How ADHD impacts relationships and social skills

Children with ADHD may experience more difficulty with tasks and behaviours that come easily
to other children. Some afflictions that children with ADHD may struggle with are low self
esteem, diminished working memory, developmental delay of functioning skills, trouble
displaying maturity, poor impulse control/inhibition of response, poor internal language
development, and inability to regulate emotions and energy.
As a result, adolescents with ADHD may be faced with rejection by their peers or may be more
likely to experience bullying. They may also be less likely to develop close friendships, and
more likely to have an abrasive family relationship. ADHD not only affects those who are
diagnosed, but also has an impact on those who are caregivers of someone with ADHD. These
caregivers may be more likely to experience anxiety or depression as a result of the stress that
comes with monitoring someone afflicted with ADHD.

Managing Behaviour: We want to mentally shift from negative view to positive, proactive view
Create the right environment. It should be welcoming, uncluttered, calm and structured. Model
good behaviour. Limit poor choices and provide accommodations such as extra breaks for
movement. Build on student strengths and have behaviour plans with rewards that focus on good
behavior. Check in frequently for their emotional “zone.” A great resource is the program
“zones of regulation.”

Organization: Organization skills help with forgetfulness and working memory issues.
Examples are: checklists, graphic organizers, colour coding, routines and note taking skills. Time
management can be acquired by estimating how long a task will take.

Instructions: They should be clear and concise, and any cues should be discreet. When possible
use at least 2 methods of instruction using verbal, written or visual options and chunk
information. Rubrics give clear expectations and free working memory. Review instructions and
check in regularly for understanding. Highlight important info/steps. New concepts should use
familiar terms and concrete examples. Colour code parts of instruction such as math operations
to highlight important information and always clear away previous instructions.

Test and Assignments: Tests should be distraction free and you can provide extra time when
needed. Options include movement breaks and word processor/software for both tests and
assignments. You can reduce visual clutter by using a window method. Use frequent testing to
reduce the amount of information for studying. Try alternate ways of measuring comprehension,
for example, orally. Highlight important parts of instruction, minimize contents and chunk
information on the page. Use checklists so ADHD can self-monitor their work.

Classroom environment: It’s great to use preferential seating to minimize negative interactions.
Again, a clutter free environment is important to minimize distraction. Fidget tools are a great
way to help students focus and provide needed physical input, as does flexible seating and
regular movement breaks. A written and/or visual schedule for daily routines provides
predictability. Varying the types of lessons (desk work or hands on) stimulates interest and helps
with attention.

5 Resources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd#add-vs.-adhd
https://www.adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/impact-of-adhd/social-impact/
https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/adhd-in-girls#2
https://childmind.org/article/whats-adhd-and-whats-not-in-the-classroom/
https://caddac.ca/adhd/understanding-adhd/in-education/information-resources-for-educators/