Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) - Learning Disabilities Association of America

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a condition that becomes apparent in some children in the preschool and early school years. It is hard for these children to control their behavior and/or pay attention. It is estimated that between 3 and 5 percent of children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or approximately 2 million children in the United States. This means that in a classroom of 24 to 30 children, it is likely that at least one will have ADHD.

ADHD is not considered to be a learning disability. It can be determined to be a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), making a student eligible to receive special education services. However, ADHD falls under the category “Other Health Impaired” and not under “Specific Learning Disabilities.”

Many children with ADHD – approximately 20 to 30 percent – also have a specific learning disability.

The principle characteristics of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. There are three subtypes of ADHD recognized by professionals. These are the predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type (that does not show significant inattention); The predominantly inattentive type (that does not show significant hyperactive-impulsive behavior) sometimes called ADD; and the combined type (that displays both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms).

Other disorders that sometimes accompany ADHD are Tourette Syndrome (affecting a very small proportion of people with ADHD); oppositional defiant disorder (affecting as many as one-third to one-half of all children with ADHD); conduct disorder (about 20 to 40% of ADHD children); anxiety and depression; and bipolar disorder.

*National Institute of Mental Health, 2003

Signs and Symptoms

Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes
May have poorly formed letters or words or messy writing
Has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities
Does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork or chores
Avoids or strongly dislikes tasks (such as schoolwork) that require sustained mental effort
Forgetful in daily activities
Has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
Loses things necessary for tasks or activities (pencils, assignments, tools)
Shows difficulty engaging in leisure activities quietly
Acts as if “driven by a motor” and cannot remain still
Blurts out answers to questions before the questions have been completed, often interrupts others

Strategies

Allow a child to change work sites frequently while completing homework or studying
Assign tasks involving movement such as passing out papers, running errands, watering plants
Use music as a tool for transitioning, song = task
Vary tone of voice: loud, soft, whisper
Stage assignments and divide work into smaller chunks with frequent breaks
Teach students to verbalize a plan before solving problems or undertaking a task
Permit a child to do something with hands while engaged in sustained listening: stress ball, worry stone, paper folding, clay
Use inconspicuous methods such as a physical cue to signal a child when she or he tunes out
Provide opportunities for student to show divergent, creative, imaginary thinking and get peer recognition for originality
Employ multi-sensory strategies when directions are given and lessons presented

Excerpted from the LDA of California and UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute “Q.U.I.L.T.S.” Calendar 2001-2002

Learning Disabilities Association of America
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