ADHD

1. ADHD By: Kasey McElreath and Angela Gordon

2. What is ADHD? • Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder • ADHD is a biological, brain based condition that is characterized by poor attention, distractibility, hyperactive and impulsive behaviors.

3. Who has ADHD? • 3-7% (approximately 4.5 million) of school aged children suffer from ADHD concentrating in the Southeast of the United States • Of these children about 60% of these children will carry the disorder into adulthood • 4% of the US. Adult population has ADHD

4. Characteristics of ADHD • Distractibility- Student is easily distracted. • Inattentiveness- The student has difficulty maintaining attention to the task at hand and the student has difficulty listening. • Hyperactivity- Student runs, climbs, plays with objects, or is generally overactive in inappropriate situations . The student is always on the go. • Impulsivity-The student will act without thinking about what the result will be.

5. Characteristics Continued A student with ADHD will have: • Exceptional imagination and creativity • Difficulty making smooth transitions from one classroom activity to another • Classroom behavior problems (disruptiveness, noncompliance with classroom rules)- The student interrupts often, the student has trouble waiting his/her own turn, student leaves his/her seat at inappropriate times, the student talks excessively, difficulty playing or working quietly, student tends to blurt out answers • Information processing difficulties, student is slow to respond when asked to give a direction, when asked for an oral response, or when asked to complete written work, student has difficulty following through on instructions, the student is forgetful • Few friendships among peers and possible outright rejection by them- Student often misperceives social situations

6. Accommodations in the Classroom • Give only one direction at a time • Place the student in a work-spot with his/her back to classmates away from noise and obvious distractions • Give positive reinforcement for example, use tokens for reward when appropriate • Create a classroom routine • Create organizational strategies into the child’s lesson • Use a signal to draw the child’s attention back • Give directions/instruction in multiple ways (visual, written, oral) • Allow for movement breaks or incorporate movement into activities • Help to build self-esteem by displaying work or projects that emphasize the child’s strengths

7. Curriculum Modifications • Allow for scheduled breaks during testing • Give fewer questions on assignments but do not modify the level of difficulty (measure knowledge not endurance) • Base evaluations on the demonstration of concept mastery, not solely on the completion of all course work, because the child may not be capable of completing the same amount of work. • Allow for extra time to complete tests • Give oral tests or write down answers for the student when necessary • Give students a copy of the reading with main ideas highlighted

8. Misconceptions • ADHD is caused by… • eating too much sugar or watching too much television • inappropriate parenting skills • environmental factors such as poverty level or family chaos • FALSE! FALSE! FALSE! • These things may make symptoms worse, but on their own are not powerful enough to cause ADHD.

9. Resources American Deficit Disorder Association http://www.add.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=92497&orgId=atdda Children and adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder http://www.chadd.org/ National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index.shtml Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/