Most of us find ourselves a little “scattered” at moments. Who hasn't zoned out during a meeting or while listening to a speech? Or found their attention wandering during conversations with friends or co-workers? Forgetting where we put the car keys or why we dropped by the supermarket are experiences we can all relate to.
For many people, however, absent-mindedness, “scattered” thinking and disorganization are not merely occasional lapses. They are chronic and persistent, to the point of impairing a person’s functioning. When attention deficit is present to this degree, it can indicate the presence of a neurological disorder.
ADD and ADHD (attention deficit with hyperactivity) are among the most prevalent chronic conditions plaguing school children in the United States, experts say. In a majority of cases, left untreated, the symptoms – and their emotional fallout – continue through adulthood.
What Exactly Is ADHD?
ADHD is a neurological disorder characterized by inappropriate levels of inattention, over-activity, and impulsivity. Symptoms arise in early childhood but are not always identified correctly. Signs of inattention include:
- Difficulty following instructions
- Difficulty sustaining attention
- Loses things necessary for tasks
- Poor attention to details
- Disorganized, surrounded by clutter
- Makes careless mistakes
- Appears sluggish/drowsy
- Forgetful
- Chronic daydreaming
- Appears apathetic, unmotivated to complete tasks
- Appears "spacey," preoccupied
- Appears confused, lost in thought
- Difficulty complying with rules
Signs of hyperactivity and impulsivity include:
- Difficulty awaiting turn
- Interrupts/intrudes
- Blurts out answers
- Difficulty playing quietly
- Difficulty remaining seated
- Excessive writhing, squirming, playing with objects
- Fidgeting
- Excessive talking
Early Detection and Intervention
Detecting ADHD early can be enormously beneficial for the child. “The emotional insight and empowerment that comes with early detection of ADHD can transform a child’s world,” says Dr. Edward Hallowel, a Harvard-based psychiatrist who treats ADHD children and has authored many books on the subject.
Instead of facing a steady barrage of criticism that destroys self-worth, a child whose ADD is detected in the early grades is helped to learn about his special neurological challenges, and to master specific strategies to stay on top of them, he explains. Early intervention “can transform a victim into a victor.”
Ironically, the vast increase in ADD/ADHD diagnoses across the country has given rise to skepticism in some quarters about the disorder. Teachers who try to make parents aware of their child’s attention issues often encounter opposition. They find that some parents brush aside the suggestion that ADHD might be present, and are quick to put the onus on the teacher.
The child is “bored,” the parents argues, or lacking stimulation. “He has no problem concentrating at home. Perhaps if you made the lessons more interesting, he would pay better attention.”
This reaction underscores one of the key misconceptions about attention deficit disorder. An ADHD child often has no trouble focusing on an activity he or she finds enjoyable. One can find such children engaged in games, crafts or other projects in which they have natural skill or interest.
However, as soon as the subject matter becomes more abstract or requires sustained mental effort, the ADHD child typically loses interest. She begins to fidget and be disruptive, or to “space out.”
Parents who do not see their child in a classroom context obviously have no frame of reference with which to gauge attention issues, hyperactivity or impulsivity. Only when these behaviors are measured against those of his peers, and combined with a parent’s observations of behavior at home, can a valid diagnosis be made – and then only by a professional.
Since there is no blood test, x-ray or sonogram that can identify ADHD, a specialist arrives at a diagnosis through skilled interviewing of both the child, parents and teachers, as well as careful observation and weighing of data and anecdotal evidence over a period of time.
Socially Immature
Current research shows that ADHD children are often socially immature. Their interactions with others often appear unfriendly, awkward, remote, abrasive, domineering or insensitive. They tend not to be able to read social cues and to be rebuffed by peers for inappropriate behavior.
Social rejection provokes negative behavior that triggers more rejection, which in turn, reinforces the child’s social isolation.
“ADD children may become demoralized, believing they are little more than a nuisance,” notes an article in Eye on Education. “Feelings of low-self esteem begin to emerge. These children tend to compare themselves unfavorably with their siblings and peers. They may believe that their families are disappointed in them, and begin to feel unloved and unappreciated.”
Although medication has been used for years to improve control over behavior and to stimulate and increase attention, medication does not erase the negative feelings and low self-esteem. It does not reverse ingrained habits and behavior in ADHD children that tend to alienate their peers.
Many experts believe that helping ADHD children to rebuild self-esteem and to master social skills should accompany the use of medication. Only when ADHD kids can truly believe that they are important and worthwhile, and can exercise control over their lives, will they be able to succeed.
Current research shows that up to half of children with ADHD will continue to have difficulties with inattention, distractibility, and impulsivity for the rest of their lives. The best way to insure long-term success and compliance with treatment is to get ADHD children personally involved in the process early.
Medication
Medication is, of course, another viable option for many with ADHD. For many children, medications such as Ritalin can be extremely beneficial, allowing them to focus and concentrate for extended periods of time. There are also many instances in which medication is not necessary, but for most children with ADHD, medication is an important step on the road to success.
Classroom Modifications for ADD and ADHD
The following suggestions may be of help in the classroom for children with ADD.
- Seat students in rows. Having children sit in groups increases distractions for the ADHD child.
- Seat ADHD student near teacher's desk, up front with her back to the rest of the class, but include as part of regular class seating.
- Surround ADHD student with "good role models," preferably students whom the ADHD child views favorably. Encourage buddying up during class time, whenever appropriate.
- Do not place the ADD/ADHD student near air conditioners, heaters, high traffic areas, doors or windows. Keep the classroom door closed. Keep the room free of clutter. Distracting posters, signs, and hanging pictures should relate to the lesson being presented.
- ADD children do not handle change very well so whenever possible, avoid transitions, changes in schedule, physical relocation and disruptions.
ADD Coaching
Many people have found ADHD coaching a highly effective and more affordable alternative to counseling. An ADHD “coach” works with a child often on her own turf, to analyze what specifically is contributing to her social difficulties, and to generate behavioral strategies to improve social interactions.
ADHD coaching also helps children to
- Understand that the source of many of their challenges is ADHD, not personal shortcomings.
- Safely examine areas of failure for clues as to how to implement change.
- Heighten self-awareness and self-observation skills, and use those skills to improve decision-making and performance.
- Change perspective when "stuck" (i.e. learning new ways to work with procrastination, staying on task, or being more productive).
- Become aware of their own learning and processing styles so they can enhance their ability to comprehend information and situations.
(6) adhd, March 24, 2017 2:34 PM
motivation
Having suffered with adhd all my life i can tell u its very missed understood at least in the Jewish community the number one isue with adhd is the lack of internal motivation and since most of are teachings are based on internal motivation its very hard to function in a frum environment
For what a person with adhd needs most is external motivation making any chore into a game but if yountell tjis to your rav or spouse thay think your crazy and its nit there job to motivate it hase to come from you but thats the point if you have adhd you cant self motivate its like telling a blind man you need to do car pool its your responsibility well he cant medicine dose not help this issue it makes it easier whants your motivated so if your maried to some one with adhd stop caring whos right or wrong stop expecting the norm and get cretive and motivate your spuse and i can garnte life will be so much happyer for u for i know how hard it is to live with some one who hase adhd but if you understand whats driving and who to motivate life will be ao much happyer to the reserch and dont ever say its his or her problem not mine for if you whant happnes you got to make it our problem
(5) Bobby5000, November 14, 2016 10:00 PM
ADHD suggestions
1. Develop procedures for putting things away. Put things in the same place. When I leave an airplane, I am the last to go because I check each seat, overhead compartments, etc.
2. Teach in a pleasant and support environment Criticism may frequently get your ADHD child off-track. You know Jimmy, you did your homework late two times and made a lot of mistakes. (internally, he may think why is she attacking me, I feel bad, she does things wrong, she is nasty, she I say something back) and now we have lost track of the original issue. After 20 seconds of criticism, your child will turn off.
3. Try to develop good systems of organization. Discuss in a supportive way the benefits of starting early and recognizing that unexpected problems can develop.
4. Try to get a sense of how an ADHD child processes information best. Art of the Deal became successful because the author realized the president did not have the patience for long meetings and instead the best way to do the book was to observe.
5. Recognize the dangers of stress Fighting, discord, criticism will reduce comprehension and create issues of disorganization. Parents should not fight between themselves.
6. Compliment sandwich Start any suggestions to the child with a compliment and end that way.
7. School Don't know about desks and rows, but if your child is anxious or impatient, make sure he has a good teacher.
8. Home Try to create a home environment conducive to organization. Gently teach him to use one time-keeping device - computer, calendar, cell, etc.
9. Be careful of labels 40 years ago, if a kid was looking down, playing with a device, playing with a video device, would be labeled ADHD but today that's normal behavior.
10. Medication This should be reserved for significant cases, and represents difficult decisions.
(4) Francine Freedman, November 28, 2015 11:53 AM
There is hope out there!
Thank you for this excellent article.
I am a certified ADHD coach in the frum community.
Those with ADHD have executive function difficulties which include challenges with:
procrastination, organization, time management, prioritization,regulating emotions, focus, following through, poor short-term memory, etc
While ADHD medication often helps with focus and productivity it does not help with every ADHD challenge. Just because a child (or adult) takes ADHD medication does not necessarily mean that they will automatically become more organized or more timely. These are all skills that those with ADHD need to build into their lives with the right education and support.
I work wtih a lot of teens and adults who are extremely demoralized about their ADHD challenges and what helps them turn the corner to feeling ok (and even good!) about themselves is deeply understanding how their unique brain wiring works.
Once a person understands how to work with their unique brain wiring they can learn how to better manage their challenges, reach their goals and reclaim their self-esteem.
There really is hope out there for people with this condition.
www.francinefreedman.com Certified ADHD Coach
(3) Anonymous, November 25, 2015 1:04 PM
hoping this artical would give tools
i really enjoy reading articles on this site , your beginning was very informative, however i was searching for was to deal with my child who is on the border WITHOUT medication which would just defeat the purpose thank you
zombie, November 26, 2015 6:04 AM
Good for you
It's great that you are looking for a way to deal with the situation without using stimulants. From my experience, parents are more successful at handling the situation if they consider the child's opinions and feelings above all else instead of suppressing them with drugs.
(2) A mother, November 23, 2015 7:55 PM
A mother's perspective
I have a daughter who is very bright but has ADHD. In the early grades, she had no trouble understanding the work, but she had trouble following rules. I will never forget the first call from the principal in kindergarten--"Has this child ever had any discipline before?" As if we hadn't been trying to figure out discipline with our child for years already!
Some teachers expect ADHD in boys, but not in girls. That makes it harder. And sometimes they don't realize that a child is not intentionally disrespectful, but has trouble following the rules when the rules are unclear, or when they get so much negative feedback that they give up trying.
We have had some success combining drug therapy with a lot of professional parent coaching and working closely with teachers. Since our daughter hears so much negative, it is very important to find positive behaviors to praise--things we would not think to praise in another child her age. It is so important to balance all the negative comments our daughter hears all day with positive comments.
Also, our daughter's teachers have found that seating her near a fishtank, air conditioner, or heater actually helps our daughter concentrate (white noise helps some kids!)
It also helps us to realize that delays are not the same thing as being incapable of learning. Our daughter gets along better with younger children because the social skills are more compatible, and it was useful for us to realize that this is OK.
(1) Anonymous, November 22, 2015 3:54 PM
The biggest crime in History, thats unfortunatley so infiltrated in yeshivos and religios schools too, innocent pure souls growing up the most important years of there life, believing they have a handicap or a neuroligicalorder too support the billion dollar drug company, or not too bother, the comfy teachers too try harder better the school system or be better parents, no let the child grow up thinking theres really something wrong with them! Or zombie him up on drugs! sedate him and dumb him down not too bother the teachers,! All for the sake of Heaven of course! Let the child be, with no labels "diagnoses" let him find his way and blossom at his own rythm, sorry I know this is true, but not good for the economy and therapists
Zombie, November 22, 2015 10:13 PM
I was a zombie for a long time. And now I wish I had fought back and not taken the drugs because the side effects had real permanent side effects that harmed me physically. Plus I felt like I wasn't myself the whole time, like someone else was driving.
Anonymous, November 24, 2015 6:38 PM
No drugs, please!
The condition doesn't even exist. Take a look: http://time.com/25370/doctor-adhd-does-not-exist/
Anonymous, November 25, 2015 10:46 PM
Thank you!
Baruch HaShem, thank you for sharing the article.
Anonymous, November 28, 2015 12:12 PM
international consensus by medical professionals that ADHD exists
A large number of doctors and professionals worldwide shaped and signed this document stating that ADHD is a scientifically verified condition that needs to be taken seriously.
International Consensus Statement on ADHD January 2002
www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/Consensus2002.pdf
Anonymous, November 25, 2015 6:53 AM
misinformation on ADHD
There are no serious or long term side effects to the Stimulants. You were overdosed by incorrect dosage, Once the drug has worn off, there is no effect what so ever . You are misinformed. Correct treatment has major advantages.
Anonymous, November 25, 2015 10:48 PM
How do you know?
Are you in another person's body to know what they feel?
Aviva, November 24, 2015 2:47 PM
ADHD is very real
Don't pontificate about something you don't understand. I'm glad I was diagnosed at age seven and could get the help I needed in time to realize that even with the ADHD I'm still smarter than most people I know, instead of believing the third grade teacher who said I was stupid. Men and women who grow up with undiagnosed ADHD and then find out about it as adults have to start learning to deal with it and unlearning years of negative self-esteem.
Dr Billy Levin, November 25, 2015 6:48 AM
ignorance and msconceptions about ADHD
unf0rtunately you are misinformed. ADHD has been researched and proven. Roger Sperry was awarded the Nobel Prize for his research on brain functions explaining this inherited neurological condition. Untreated, has major and life long serious complications. World wide an attempt is being made to eliminate ignorance and misinformation.