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.