As distance learning becomes the new norm for students and families alike, the big challenge for some students is dealing with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Individuals know ADHD as a behavioral issue with symptoms that can include blurting out answers in class, not being able to finish classwork, aggression, and inability to sit still. But that is not all, ADHD has cognitive issues too that range from anxiety to trauma.
Students with ADHD display frequent patterns of inattention and hyperactivity that interferes with functioning and development at home, school or work, with friends or relatives and other activities. Based on the type of symptoms, people often lose things necessary for tasks, do not listen when spoken to directly, and interrupt conversations.
Three kinds of ADHD can occur: combined presentation which is when both inattention and hyperactivity were current in the past six months, predominantly inattentive presentation if symptoms of inattention were present in the past six months, and predominantly hyperactive-impulsive presentation when mainly hyperactivity symptoms occur. Girls typically display inattentive presentation, not the hyperactive presentation. Therefore, it is not as obvious when a girl has it, since she is not making noise, out of her seat, etc. But girls struggle in the same ways, and often fall behind more in middle school if their presentation of ADHD has been missed by teachers or parents. ADHD symptoms can change and so the presentation may change over time. An area that plays a role in the cause of ADHD is the brain’s frontal cortex that is responsible for problem solving, memory, attention, impulse control, judgment, and social behavior; all essential for doing work and completing tasks. It has been said that people with ADHD may have a smaller frontal cortex.
“There are so many variations to ADHD. The level of how it may affect someone can increase or decrease over time,” explained Liberty High School counselor Ms. Bigler. "And [it] can also be affected by medication.”
In and out of school students, teachers, and parents come up with numerous strategies that help different students with ADHD succeed. With strategies such as focusing on one subject at a time, list-making, dialectical behavioral therapy, adding non-screen activities.
“Each person may experience ADHD differently depending on their strength and weakness. Supporting someone with ADHD is all very individualized,” Ms. Bigler added.
A 2016 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 6.1 million children in the United states have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 3.3 million of those being adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17. ADHD has affected student’s mental health and ability to succeed in school.
“The problem was, I didn’t finish my work, and that would lead to trouble. There were a lot of days I even felt like quitting school,” explained Jack Prey while speaking about his battle with ADHD and how it affected his success in the classroom.
Students with ADHD have a hard time grasping lessons taught in class. However, ADHD has no impact on one’s level of intelligence, some notable figures who have ADHD include Michael Phelps, Howie Mandel, Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, Simone Biles and Albert Einstein. According to a 2016 parent survey, 6 to 10 kids with ADHD have various disorders such as anxiety, depression or conduct disorder.
Still, parents are struggling to help their kids with ADHD during distance learning, Franscheska Eliza, a mother with a 9-year-old son who has various disorders that follow ADHD said, "He didn’t want to work with me. He didn’t want me to help him with the problems; he wanted me to give him the answers.”
On other terms, psychiatrists estimate that half of all children with ADHD are female but 50% fewer girls are referred for ADHD evaluations and treatment than boys.
“These girls, compared to a matched comparison group, are very impaired, academically and socially,” said Stephen Hinshaw, a specialist in child clinical psychology who studies ADHD in girls. “Social problems with peers are quite predictive of long-term adjustment problems, so it will be essential to observe outcomes as the sample matures”.
Cover photo by Madison Brown.
About the writer:
Madison Brown is a staff writer for The Lion's Roar. You can learn more information about her by clicking here.
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