ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder,
while AHDH is ADD with hyperactivity. These are neurological disorders,
and the actions resulting from these disorders are not instances of wilful
disobedience. Children with these disorders need to be brought up with
extra care and attention. They have difficulty following rules and regulations,
and are unable to complete school work. Such children tend to be extremely
disorganised. They cannot keep track of time. They tend to constantly misplace
their things and to be generally scatterbrained. Children with ADD tend
to be shy, while those with AHDH are hyperactive and tend to throw violent
temper tantrums.
My child is a
scatterbrain! Does he have ADD of AHDH?
If your child seems to be a bit of
a scatterbrain or/and has a bad temper, don't jump to the conclusion that
he has this disorder. Only when his symptoms seem to be extreme, need you
be concerned. In any case, it is best that you consult a child psychologist
for a diagnosis if you feel that your child could be suffering from either
of these problems. Other disorders (sleep disorders, autism, hearing disorders)
could be confused with ADD.
Does this mean
that my child will be poor in studies?
Yes, in all likelihood children with
ADD or AHDH tend to be poor students. Some children may require special education aids. This may not be easy to arrange with schools as a lot of
institutions do not recognise this disorder. However, you should definitely
have a talk with your child's teacher. The teacher could perhaps accordingly
schedule homework for the child. Remember, children with ADD or AHDH are
just as intelligent as the next child. However, they may often feel overwhelmed
with the workload and may have problems proceeding.
Are children with
ADD 'stupid'?
Definitely not! Nevertheless, they
do tend to find schoolwork more of a struggle than most other children.
If they have difficulty comprehending a new subject, they may feel hesitant
to ask a teacher to explain something again. So if you as a parent go through
their schoolwork with them, it would help tremendously.
How can your child's
teacher help?
If your child has been diagnosed
with AHDH, speak to his teacher. Children with AHDH have difficulty sitting
in one place for extended periods of time. Thus, in between class periods,
the teacher could perhaps have all the children stretch for two minutes.
She should also praise your child every time he fares well or does something
right. She could call upon him to read aloud from a textbook every once
in a while.
What will a child
with AHDH be like in the classroom?
A child suffering from AHDH is relatively
easier to spot than one suffering from ADD. He will probably be one of
the most boisterous children in the class. He will be constantly forgetting
to complete his homework. He will also keep forgetting books, pens and
pencils at home. He would be poor in studies and would be aggressive -
a true 'fighter cock'! A child suffering from ADD would be a loner, shy
and would have low self-esteem.
Is ADD/AHDH more
common in boys?
There was a time when this was thought
to be the case, but now it has been found that these disorders are just
as common in girls. In fact, as these disorders are recently coming to
light, a lot of adults have also been diagnosed as having ADD/AHDH. They
may lead perfectly normal lives, be happily married, have children, but
every once in a while suffer an incomprehensible breakdown - as if they
are losing control. Sometimes events seem to overwhelm them, and they don't
know how to cope.
Name:
Radha,
Country: india
this is a very informative article!
Name:
darcy,
Country: australia
i just got told by a teacher who has only been working for 8 months my child has add. i believe there is nothing wrong with him. he never chucks tantrums, is a well balanced happy 5 year old... i think it's now the first answer to every teachers problem.
Name:
Parul,
Country: india
mike, ( from australia), your post was most inspiring. i'd love to know more about your work. many thanks and best wishes. hope u will visit this forum some time again and i will get an opportunity to ask u soem questions.
Name:
Mike,
Country: australia
children and adults with add/adhd don't have the problem. so we will tell you, the problem lies with teachers and others dealing with people with add/adhd. add/adhd people are usually very intellegent but just don't deal well with boredom or routine. many of the geniuses of this world are likely to be add/adhd. it is an advantage to be add/adhd for the individual as they generally live very exciting and creative lives, not the routine mundain lives everyone else leads. the secret is to teach your child to deal with normal people as you will never succeed in getting the normal people to deal well with add/adhd people. you will aslo find that birds of a feather will flock together and avoid the birds of a different feather. hence, most teachers are not add/adhd so will never understand us. i am one of the few add/adhd teachers and i abore the way the normal teachers deal with add/adhd students and other add/adhd teachers. most of us never go into this type of institution and if we do, we are failed by the education system or regarded as not teacher material because we do not tend to follow the routine or respond well to administrative duties. we are excellent teachers and do more good than we are ever given credit for. i have maintained contact with many of my students over a 15 year period. many students who would have been failed by the education system, have gone on to successfully complete tertiary education or started very successful careers. i have attemted to exit the system many times but i keep finding myself back in it. i hated school as child, i still don't know why i ended up in it but i do love teaching and seeing the successes i help students both add/adhd and not achieve. i still have difficulty dealing with beauracratic administrators. luckily for me, i have had the fortune of working for some excellent principals who see the benefits and can ward off the flack for me.
Name:
my name is billy,
Country: india
i have adhd and im fine cause i go to skool and didint kill any thing well people that is
Name:
DEBADARSHI,
Country: india
i need immediate help/treatment
adhd for my second son. where do i get the treatment in west bengal or other srates of india
Name:
Eija,
Country: malaysia
actually i'm worry about my younger sister which is identified in add categories.she is poor student at all.i don't know how to manage her very well.
Name:
Michelle,
Country: usa
i had a talk with my son's teacher and now i know what's wrong. thank you for this article. it is going to help me a great deal.
Name:
judy,
Country: usa
i need to find a place where i can find out what to do or not do with my son. your article helped that i am not alone.
Name:
Andrea,
Country: usa
this article reminded me that the child is not in control of his actions.
Name:
donata,
Country: other
i've been worried about my first son, i hope he have not ahdh but for his actions i think so. unfortunately here in italy it is very very difficut to have a diagnosis.
Name:
lost parent,
Country: usa
my new son, now 14, has ahdh. he is hyper or blows his fuse. i need to learn all i can to be able to comprehend his actions.
Name:
heather,
Country: usa
excellent article-very informative!
Name:
deedee,
Country: usa
i have been worried about my great nephew. he fits into some of the catagories of add and now will show my neice this article thank you for the information
Name:
james,
Country: usa
get a life it is a real disorder and if anyone doesn't think so they are ignorent idiots who blame others for their misfortunes. people with adhd are truely affected by this and with 35% of high school dropout having adhd and with many other going undiagnoised it is a real issue
Name:
Merari,
Country: usa
hi,
i have been reading all of your comments about adhd. mike is right. i grew up with this 'disorder'.
first of all, i don't consider it a disorder, its an asset; and let me tell you, that people need to take a moment to understand those of us who have these challenges.
my son as adhd and the way that i tell him to deal with this is to see himself as gifted. people with adhd have so many giftings that we need tools like medicines to manage everything we've been granted. yes, i said granted. winston churchill, albert einstein and thomas edison all had adhd. jim carrey, dana carvey and robin williams are people who have adhd. all of the people i mention here are or were brilliant at what they did. einstein and edison were both kicked out of school because their 'teachers' said they couldn't learn! did you know that? i guess they showed everyone else, huh?
anyway, for you parents looking for information, i have found the following websites to be very helpful:
all children are capable of learning, it is up to us to find the best way to teach them. it is a bad reflection on us, not them, when we can't figure out how to do that. as adults, many times we take the easy way out: blame it on a child who really can't understand or explain his challenges.
our children are a gift to us...even if they have adhd. is it easy? no. do i wish it on anyone? no. but would i change anything about my son? no. god gave him his character for a reason. one day i will understand what that reason is. in the meantime, i am shaping someone who, like churchill, can end up changing the world for the better. and i am also doing a little growing of my own. :)
Name:
David,
Country: usa
i have add and adhd over the years i have gotten a little better but i have gotten in to more trouble in school but use to never do i also have depression on top or that which makes it even harder but i also went to a boot camp which i really liked they scorded me the highest but im still trying.
Name:
Matt,
Country: usa
i have, and have grown up with add. it really helped haveing a teacher as a mom who more than likly has it her self. i dont really think attention "deficit" disorder is an accurate term personally. attention direction disorder, or even attenion disorder disorder. the point is there really isnt a deficit in our attention at all. there is alot going on conciously for us and subconciously. we spend alot of time on the "hows and whys" rather than the "whats". blazay material doesnt work for us. we tend to focus on differnt things and process information in a nontraditional fasion, which to some seems like disorder. granted those are just the aspects of learning, the everyday effects can be rather madning, i can be as absent minded as they get. as more research, fresh research is done, maybe alot of misconceptions can be lifted, and even better learning programs to help take advantage of unorthodox thinking. granted my personal experience with add comes from my self, and my peers. just about all them have add or adhd as well and we are all gifted, top 5%. maybe im taking too narrow of a scope on things, but i really think its a point of view that teachers might want to look at when dealing with add/adhd students.
Name:
David,
Country: usa
i have add and adhd over the years i have gotten a little better but i have gotten in to more trouble in school but use to never do i also have depression on top or that which makes it even harder but i also went to a boot camp which i really liked they scorded me the highest but im still trying.
Name:
Doreen,
Country: southafrica
my grandchild has just been diagnosed with add. this makes me feel lost because i do not know how to help her. how do i explain to a little one that she is just as clever as her cousins? how do i teach her with the correct methods and not get frustrated when her mind wanders and it seems as if she is not concentrating on her homework, which seems to eat up the whole afternoon because i am not equipped to explain it to her in the way she needs explaining?
Name:
Jackie,
Country: Georgia
my son is going to be tested the end of march. what i have read so far, i think he has add.
thanks for the info.
Name:
KANIKA,
Country: India
my 6 yr old son has been diagnosed with add.your articels have been very informative and a great help to look at add in a different view point than a disorder.it really boosted my morale.
Name:
Winie,
Country: middleeast
i always know it
Name:
Deitel,
Country: middleeast
good work
Name:
Domino,
Country: middleeast
site informative and useful, very much has liked it, shall come back very often.
