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Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder
Part One
By Dr. William Sears
hey are filled with external and internal distractions. Even the growls of an empty stomach can distract them from doing homework or paying attention in class. They can't tune out competing stimuli, such as background noises, and they may be distracted by watching the insect on the wall rather than the teacher. This is why they need a structured learning environment in which competing stimuli are minimized.
3. Impulsivity. These children act before they think. They leap without looking. And it's the impulsivity that gets the child into trouble. This is not an excuse, but rather an explanation of their misbehavior. Because of their impulsivity, they are often unfairly labeled as a discipline problem. They need self-help behavior management tools, such as "count to three before..;" "always look before..;" and "think through what you're about to do..."
4. Hyperactivity. These children are not just more active than others, they are active at inappropriate times, fidgeting when they should be listening and sitting still. Many boys are prematurely labeled ADHD simply because they "can't sit still in circle time." Realistically, many boys are not ready to "sit still for circle time" until they are 5, or even 7, years old. Some children with ADD are not hyperactive at all. ADD is overdiagnosed in boys, yet is probably underdiagnosed in girls. Sometimes girls show a lot of distractibility and inattentiveness, such as "spacey Gracie," yet they are not labeled ADD because they are not hyperactive. Girls with ADD therefore tend to be mislabeled as "lazy" and "unmotivated" when in fact it is really ADD that causes their inattention and easy distractibility. Boys with ADD or ADHD tend to have more of a behavior problem, whereas girls with these conditions tend to have more emotional problems.
All children show some of these traits some of the time. A child with ADD shows most of these traits most of the time and to an extreme degree
