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Does not listen,<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Easily distracted<\/span><\/td>\n
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Does not wait for their turn,<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Talks excessively,<\/span><\/td>\n
Fidgets almost constantly<\/span><\/p>\n Cannot sit still<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n But that is just the tip of the iceberg \u2013 there are many other hidden problems!<\/span><\/p>\n Developmental<\/strong>: young children are typically more active. For a diagnosis of ADHD, the degree of inattention and hyperactivity\/impulsivity should be more than expected for the child’s age.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Duration<\/strong>: Transient behaviours come and go depending on changes in social circumstances. For a diagnosis of ADHD, the symptoms ought to have persisted for six months or more.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Other explanation<\/strong>: Consider other reasons for similar behaviour:<\/span><\/p>\n Some medical<\/strong>\/<\/strong>mental health<\/strong> conditions that can cause similar behaviour: <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Yes, other difficulties, as shown in the image below, also show some of the features of ADHD.<\/span><\/p>\n Children with autism have a poor sense of social situations and appropriate social behaviour, and their behaviour may sometimes look like ADHD. Conversely, children with ADHD are often impulsive and disinhibited and may have poor social behaviour. These two conditions also share some other behaviours, as shown in the table below. However, turn-taking and imaginative play are often (not always) intact in ADHD and often (not always) lacking in ASD.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n 1. Craig, F., Lamanna, A.L., Margari, F., Matera, E., Simone, M. and Margari, L., 2015. Overlap between autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: searching for distinctive\/common clinical features. Autism research, 8(3), pp.328-337.<\/p>\n 2. Grzadzinski, R., Dick, C., Lord, C. and Bishop, S., 2016. Parent-reported and clinician-observed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in children with attention deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): implications for practice under DSM-5. Molecular autism, 7(1), pp.1-12.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ADHD is a genetic AND environmental condition. It is a genetic condition that is made worse by certain environmental risk factors:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The outcomes of children with ADHD depend on:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In general, children with ADHD are vulnerable to:<\/span><\/p>\n Generally speaking, children with ADHD are seen as \u2018trouble\u2019 and are not liked by teachers and carers. They are often told off and punished, reprimanded and excluded, or simply ignored. So it is no wonder that many of them become increasingly defiant and hostile. And with time, they just give up; they simply want to be out of that environment and start truanting and missing school.<\/span><\/p>\n There is good evidence to suggest that children are affected by the way we look at them. And it is no wonder because our behaviour, approach, and the way we work with children are affected by how we look at them. So, it makes sense that we reflect on our attitude and develop a sense of understanding and a way of looking at the positive aspects of the child.<\/span><\/p>\n We have to see the child as someone who is struggling in coping with the difficulties they have and that they may not understand what they’re dealing with. It affects their perception – how they see things, how they respond, and how they behave.<\/span><\/p>\n Our compassion towards the child will be evident in our looks and voice, which is the beginning of the change.<\/span><\/p>\n We can also see the child as having some strengths; we can see the child\u2019s distractedness as a high level of awareness, restlessness as a sign of energy and liveliness, the going off-topic as their individuality, the interruptions as their enthusiasm, and being self-absorbed as their thoughtfulness. It may not always be easy, but an attempt to look at the child positively creates chances to reward the child and build on the child’s strength rather than continually pointing to their deficits and undermining their sense of self-confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n Students with ADHD tend to get overstimulated when working in group situations. Try the following:<\/span><\/p>\n It takes a student with ADHD about three times as long to do the same assignment in the home environment compared to the school setting. It can be the final straw for many children with ADHD that puts them off school and takes them in the direction of truanting or refusing to go to school. Consider the following to help the child cope:<\/span><\/p>\n Children with ADHD have more than their fair share of explosive outbursts. They make mistakes, don’t finish what they set out to do, others don’t look very kindly at them, and the frustration builds up. Sometimes, only a minor reason is enough to light the fuse.<\/span><\/p>\n At those moments, there is very little one can do with the child, but there is a lot that one can do with themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n First of all, one has to stay calm and show that you’re not wobbled and still in charge. That feeling of calmness has an impact, and it helps the child know that someone else is in control of the situation. Your mood shows on your face and in your body, so be mindful of your expressions, voice, and body language and remain non-aggressive. Try to look at and analyse your mood, and don’t take it personally.<\/span><\/p>\n Try not to talk too much – the child is probably not listening to you. And there is absolutely no point in trying to teach any good behaviour or reprimanding the child, hoping that that might have some effect – no, this is not the moment to teach anything.<\/span><\/p>\n Have a plan because this, as you know, was going to happen. Also, have an \u2018escape route\u2019 for the child and a safe calming zone. The idea of giving them space is to have a less stimulating place. You can use it as an escape route for them when they have an outburst, but you can also use it in a structured way or in a planned way rather than as a punishment or reward. Giving it a familiar name might help – it might be a \u2018thinking space.<\/span><\/p>\n Once the storm is over, then that is the time to start working on some preventative strategies. Be on the lookout for good behaviour, and praise the child in their earshot as soon as that happens. Yes, there will be moments when you will have to say that what they’re doing or what they did was not right but try to have a ratio of four praise to one criticism; remember this 4:1 ratio.<\/span><\/p>\n Set boundaries and have reminders and prompts. Be assertive with the child without being aggressive. Never be sarcastic. Suggest ways of doing things right rather than asking why they did it wrong. And have your rewards ready. Praise is the best reward, but a token reward system can work wonders for children older than five years. Use a visual structure for tokens. Always only give the reward as promised, and when the child achieves something, never do it beforehand because that will be bribing, and it will backfire like anything!<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, remember, do everything in the context of a positive affectionate relationship. Changing behaviour is about changing your mood and theirs. And it works.<\/span><\/p>\n Children with ADHD are not much liked, even by their peers. They are impulsive, interrupt and intrude, have a poor sense of personal space, and are accident-prone, which puts off many of their peers. All that makes them an easy target for teasing and bullying. Some of them are also rather too sensitive to being teased by others. None of this helps either in group activities or in forming friendships.<\/span><\/p>\n The following strategies help overcome the barriers in their socialising:<\/span><\/p>\nThe (not so) hidden problems of ADHD<\/h2>\n
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Important considerations<\/h2>\n
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What if the child is only hyperactive at school or home?<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/enablenet.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/ADHD-School-VS-Home.png\")
<\/p>\nAre similar behavioural features seen in other conditions?<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/enablenet.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/ADHD-Overlapping-features.png\")
<\/p>\nAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/enablenet.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/ADHD-Autism-and-ADHD.png\")
<\/p>\nWhat causes ADHD?<\/h2>\n
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What can happen if a child with ADHD is not supported?<\/h2>\n
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Supportive strategies<\/h2>\n
Understanding and acceptance<\/h3>\n
Helpful classroom strategies<\/h3>\n
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Supporting organising and working memory difficulties<\/h3>\n
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Seating in the classroom<\/h3>\n
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Keeping them focussed<\/h3>\n
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Encouraging attention<\/h3>\n
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Homework<\/h3>\n
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Using clear communication to increase compliance<\/h3>\n
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Dealing with outbursts<\/h3>\n
Supporting peer interactions<\/h3>\n
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