MythBusters: ADHD Edition
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and it is organized into 3 different types. Each person who is diagnosed with ADHD will fall into one of these categories. Predominantly struggling with inattention, predominantly struggling with hyperactivity and impulsivity, or struggling significantly with both. In order to carry a diagnosis, a person must show a notable number of symptoms and there must be a significant level of impairment. This means that the symptoms must be present and those symptoms must impact that person’s life in a meaningful, negative way.
Having ADHD does not define a person and there are skills, strategies, and other interventions to help those with ADHD thrive. The way we like to look at it is that ADHD is a disorder of regulation: dysregulation of attention, dysregulation of impulsivity, and often, dysregulation of emotions. Our job is to give kids with ADHD the strategies to be able to better regulate so they can do what they need to do each and every day. The first step to helping them regulate is to understand the facts and myths behind ADHD.
Myth: ADHD is a childhood disorder.
Fact: ADHD is a lifelong condition.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. This means that there is abnormal brain function that is associated with these deficits. While children and adults can learn strategies to better manage their attention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, the inherent weakness does not just disappear. They become experts at modulating their weaknesses to function more effectively. This results in ADHD looking different at any point in time. For example, a young child may learn strategies to sit in their chair in class, so that by middle school that is managed. However, in middle school, they may be faced with having to independently organize assignments for the first time and that will be more challenging. Their efforts will now shift to learning how to organize since they have already mastered sitting in their chair.
Myth: People with ADHD can never focus.
Fact: People with ADHD struggle with regulating focus.
People with ADHD can actually be really great at focusing when they are interested in an activity or topic and are often described as hyper-focused in those moments. So, a child with ADHD may be able to play video games or read for hours uninterrupted, if they enjoy those activities. During high-interest activities, they may also find it difficult to hear others and shift from preferred activities because it is difficult to regulate their focus and the emotional reactions associated with those transitions. If you can incorporate areas of interest into academic activities for children with ADHD, they may be better able to focus on the tasks at hand.
Myth: Only boys have ADHD.
Fact: ADHD looks different across genders.
The symptoms of ADHD vary among girls and boys. Boys tend to be more hyperactive and impulsive. Thus, they act out in school and are easily identified by teachers since they tend to disrupt the class. Girls tend to present as more squirmy, chatty with friends, and most notably, they seem distracted, often looking like they are daydreaming. Since they are less disruptive, girls with ADHD are often more accepted by teachers and as a result, are typically diagnosed at older ages than boys. On average, girls are diagnosed five years later than boys, which is not until age 12.
Myth: People with ADHD just need to try harder.
Fact: People with ADHD need to work differently.
Trying harder is a vague term, which insinuates that people with ADHD are lazy. In fact, children with ADHD are faced with more challenges than a typical peer. As a result, children with ADHD benefit from learning skills and strategies to focus, control their impulses, and organize. There are a number of proven programs to help children with ADHD organize their thoughts and materials, as well as regulate their behaviors. There are also evidence-based programs for parents to help manage these behaviors in the home.
Myth: ADHD is caused by bad parenting.
Fact: ADHD is caused by brain differences.
ADHD is caused by differences in the brain that often run in families. Regardless of parenting practices, children with ADHD will face the challenges that come alongside those weaknesses in regulation. However, the symptoms of ADHD can be exacerbated by ineffective parenting practices. Children with ADHD require a supportive environment with consistent expectation and limit setting to better organize a child’s daily tasks. There are parenting techniques and programs to more effectively manage the symptoms of ADHD, particularly in young children.
Reach out to our team if you are concerned your child may have ADHD and needs additional supports. We can guide you towards an evaluation to better understand your child’s learning needs or to appropriate treatment options to manage ADHD symptoms.
