ADHD

For the month of September, I decided to talk about ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Here is a snippet of what I submitted for my TMA in 2020.

Next, I will move on to the three types of ADHD. The inattentive type (ADHD-I) tends to exhibit the following symptoms. These children are generally careless in their schoolwork, does not follow instructions, and is messy with their work (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). The lack of details can be attributed to their inability to focus their attention on what they are doing, hence their work often appears disoriented.

Symptoms of impulsivity and hyperactivity are overshadowed by inattention, and the child is not able to stay focused on one task or listen to instructions, and their cognitive processing takes place slower as compared to others (Roth & Marcin, 2018). These children are not as active as those with hyperactivity, because their thinking and actions are not as exaggerated. They do struggle with the processing of information because they are unable to stay focused too long on any given task or instruction. They also lack the skills to take care of their belongings or schoolwork.

It is also interesting to note that in children with ADHD, girls are more likely to be inattentive as compared to boys (Roth & Marcin, 2018). Whether that is due to the nature of boys being more active than girls, more research needs to be done to eliminate any element of gender biases.

The hyperactive/impulsive type (ADHD-HI) have the following reoccurring symptoms. They are usually very active and may talk too much or interrupt conversations while being unable to sit still as compared to regular children (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). These children have an over-abundance of energy, that may not always be appropriate depending on the situation.

Likewise, just like the inattentive type, symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity overpower inattentive ones, and children are unable to stay engaged in quiet activities, and always seem impatient, while their actions and speech are often out of context (Roth & Marcin, 2018).

Hence, the combination type (ADHD-C) displays symptoms from both types of ADHD. On one end of the spectrum, inattentive children think and do things slower, while hyperactive or impulsive children do so with an overabundance of energy. However, a child can exhibit characteristics from both sides, hence they are known as the combination type because they are both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive.

Such children are disoriented with their work, and they have overtly high levels of energy. It is also important to note that not all persons with ADHD can be deemed as “inattentive” or “hyperactive”, as it depends on their type of ADHD. A person with ADHD might only be inattentive but does not speak or do actions inappropriately. Likewise, a hyperactive child might be able to focus on a single task if that task does not require the child to be quiet or still.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2017, July). What Is ADHD? Retrieved from American Psychiatric Association: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/adhd/what-is-adhd

Roth, E., & Marcin, A. (2018, April 24). ADHD: Recognizing Symptoms, Diagnosis, and More. Retrieved from healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/three-types-adhd