ADHD and Attention
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurological conditions in children and represents the most common reason that children are referred for support services in school. Children who are diagnosed with ADHD have deficits in their ability to sustain focused attention, control impulsive behaviors, and often display hyperactive behaviors.
Here, we focus on some commonly observed symptoms of inattention in school-aged children.
Symptoms of inattention often present as:
Careless errors in school work
Difficulty organizing and managing materials
Problems with sequence and order
Losing things
Forgetting things
Difficulty following familiar routines independently
Children with ADHD often have problems with focus and selecting attention. This often presents as:
Focus on irrelevant information or stimuli
Doesn’t seek out important or necessary information to complete a task
Poor estimates of time needed to complete a task (over or underestimates how long something will take)
Waits until the last minute to begin tasks
Gets caught up in detail; misses the “big picture”
Children and adolescents who have ADHD often “hyper-focus” on topics or activities of interest to them. This often looks like:
Problems transitioning away from a preferred activity
Absorption in a task to the exclusion of everything else (i.e. video games)
Don’t notice things around them
Distorted sense of time/pacing
Difficulty shifting focus and attention
Difficulty accepting new ways of solving a problem; trying the same approach over and over, even when it is not successful
Evaluation and Treatment for ADHD
ADHD is a complicated condition that affects many areas of a child’s life and development. Fortunately, there are many evidenced-based treatments available for improving symptoms of ADHD and increasing achievement, self-regulation, and social relationships.
The multi-disciplinary team at ACFP Clinic is well equipped to conduct assessments, provide diagnosis, and offer a variety of treatment options (including medication management, play therapy, individual and family therapy, parent training, and school advocacy services) to children and their families. ACFP is committed to providing a whole-child approach to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD to help children and their families thrive.
Jeanette Meisel, Ed.S., License #SP00668 Licensed School Psychologist , A Child and Family Psychiatry, LLC
614-407 -6513
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