What is ADHD?

ADHD is short for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This is one of the most prevalent learning disorders (or barriers to learning) amongst learners today. According to studies, about 5.3% of people worldwide are living with ADHD, of which almost three quarters are boys. The number of learners with ADHD is increasing each year, making this one of the most common barriers to learning. Because of the prevalence, it is important for educators, tutors, parents, and learners to be familiar with ADHD. The next few blogs will detail what ADHD actually is, the various symptoms, the different types of ADHD, tips for parents, tutors, and learners to deal with ADHD, and a discussion on whether doctors might be over diagnosing or misdiagnosing learners.

What are the symptoms of ADHD?

Children mature at different rates and have different personalities, temperaments, and energy levels. Most children get distracted, act spontaneously, and struggle to concentrate at one point or another. These normal activities can look like ADHD. ADHD symptoms usually appear early in life, often between the ages of 3 and 6, and because symptoms vary from learner to learner, it can be difficult to diagnose.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has many symptoms that each fall under specific types of ADHD. On a basic level, symptoms commonly include a difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling certain behaviour, and hyperactivity or over-activity. The problem is that many behaviours associated with ADHD are common for young learners. Because of this, there is the question as to whether doctors, teachers, and parents might be misdiagnosing or over diagnosing the number of learners who supposedly suffer from ADHD. As such, it is important to be able to distinguish between symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and “symptoms” of normal learner behaviour.

Learners who have symptoms of inattention may:

• Easily be distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
• Have difficulty focusing on one thing
• Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyable
• Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new
• Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
• Not seem to listen when spoken to
• Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
• Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
• Struggle to follow instructions.

Learners who have symptoms of hyperactivity may:

• Fidget and squirm in their seats
• Talk nonstop
• Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
• Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
• Be constantly in motion
• Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.
• Children who have symptoms of impulsivitymay:
• Be very impatient
• Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
• Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games
• Often interrupt conversations or others’ activities.

Types of ADHD

As mentioned above, there are certain symptoms that fall under the different types of ADHD. These types are:

Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive

• Most symptoms (six or more) are in the hyperactivity-impulsivity categories.
• Fewer than six symptoms of inattention are present, although inattention may still be present to some degree.

Predominantly inattentive

• The majority of symptoms (six or more) are in the inattention category and fewer than six symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity are present, although hyperactivity-impulsivity may still be present to some degree.
• Children with this subtype are less likely to act out or have difficulties getting along with other children. They may sit quietly, but they are not paying attention to what they are doing. Therefore, the child may be overlooked, and parents and teachers may not notice that he or she has ADHD.

Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive

• Six or more symptoms of inattention and six or more symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity are present.
• Most children have the combined type of ADHD.

ADHD Can Be Mistaken for Other Problems

Parents and teachers may fail to realise that learners with symptoms of inattention often suffer from ADHD because they are often quieter than fellow learners and are less likely to act out. Learners suffering from inattention may sit quietly as if they are working but are often not paying to attention to what they are doing or to what is happening around them. These learners may seem to get along better with their peers compared with those suffering from other subtypes of ADHD who tend to exhibit some social issues.

It is important to note that children with the inattentive type of ADHD are not the only learners who have ADHD and may be missed. Many adults may mistake the hyperactive and more impulsive type of ADHD merely as emotional or disciplinary problems. Remember, young learners are typically more (hyper) active than their older peers. Parents and tutors need to pay attention to their young one’s behavioural patterns and should anything arise, know that there is always help.

Diagnosing ADHD

ADHD can’t be diagnosed with a single test. Instead, a licensed health and/or child professional will acquire information about your learner and his or her behaviour and environment. While some paediatricians may diagnose a learner themselves, others might first refer the family to a mental health specialist who has sufficient experience with childhood mental disorders and learning barriers. The paediatrician or mental health specialist will first try to rule out other options for the symptoms. For example, certain situations, events, or health conditions may cause temporary behaviours in a child that seem like ADHD but that will pass.

The referring paediatrician and specialist will determine if a child:

• Is experiencing undetected seizures associated with other medical conditions
• Has a middle ear infection that is causing hearing problems
• Has any undetected hearing or vision problems
• Is suffering from any medical problems that affect thinking and behaviour
• Has any learning disabilities
• Is anxious or depressed, or has other psychiatric problems that might cause ADHD-like symptoms
• Has been affected by a significant and sudden change, such as the death of a family member, a divorce, or parent’s job loss.

A specialist will also check school and medical records for clues, to see if the child’s home or school settings appear unusually taxing or unsettled, and acquire information from the learner’s parents and teachers.

The specialist will ask:

• Are the behaviours extreme and long-term, and do they affect all aspects of the child’s life?
• Do they happen more often in this child compared with the child’s peers?
• Are the behaviours a continuous issue or a response to a passing situation?
• Do the behaviours occur in several settings or only in one place, such as the playground, classroom, or home?

The specialist pays close attention to the learner’s behaviour at different times and during different situations. Certain situations would require the child to keep paying attention. Most children with ADHD are better able to control their behaviours in situations where they are getting individual attention and when they are free to focus on more enjoyable activities. These types of situations are less important in the assessment. A learner may also be monitored to see how he or she acts in social circumstances, and may be given tests of intellectual capability and academic accomplishment to see if he or she has a learning disability. 

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