Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD as it is more commonly referred, is classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as a "disruptive disorder expressed in persistent patterns of inappropriate degrees of attention or hyperactivity." (Smith)

Characterisitics: 

1. Impulsivity - Often get into trouble because of their lack of filter, often why they are thought of as having behavioural problems.
2. Hyperactivity - Only 40% of kids with ADHD are hyperactive.
3. Poor Attention. (Heikkila) 

*The characteristics of ADHD, like many other disorders, present in different ways according to the individual; children may present with only one or all three of the above characteristics.   

Behaviors Associated with ADHD: 

• Selective attention - go in & out of focus every 5-10 seconds, which results in lots of holes in instructions.  These children are unaware they have missed anything & thus do not ask for clarification.
• Problems with executive functioning - This is the "boss" of your brain, the place that fosters the ability to plan & follow through with a task. Kids with ADHD can have troubles focusing, as well as troubles prying themselves away from something they find interesting. 
• Meta-cognition - Kids with ADHD are bad at figuring out how to help themselves. (Heikkila)

*Students with ADHD need attention stimuli because the attention centers in their brain are asleep.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Disorder & Asperger's Disorder: They are categorized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as pervasive developmental disorders.  Autism was recognized in 1970?? Asperger's is a relatively new diagnostic disorder as it was not recognized on its own (separate from autism) until 1994. 

The difference between autism and Asperger’s is that autism includes language and cognitive delays while Asperger’s does not. To be formally diagnosed with Asperger’s a child needs to display impairment in social interactions and unusual patterns of behaviors along with NO significant delay in language or cognitive development; whereas children with autism will show a delay in language and cognitive development.  Both affect social and cognitive functioning thus presenting varying challenges for the elementary classroom.