Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity are the main characteristics of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
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Positive characteristics of ADHD
How ADHD can impact on learning, teaching and training
Brief description of ADHD
The main characteristics of ADHD are:
- Inattention
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsivity
As successful learning is often dependent on an individual's ability to attend to tasks and tutor expectations with minimal distractions, learners with ADHD may struggle within the typical adult education environment. Activities that are potentially problematic for someone with ADHD are those associated with acquiring the necessary information to complete tasks and assignments and participate in discussions with their tutors and peers.
As learners with ADHD may experience difficulties within the structured environment of a classroom, they may need adjustments to the learning environment to help them remain focused on the task in hand, for example:
- Individuals may need to be questioned about where they prefer to sit within the learning environment to help them to focus on what is being said;
- They may also benefit from working closely with someone else who can help them to develop their skills of cooperation or need to work in separate areas, away from the distractions caused by other learners;
- Different people will find different scenarios work better for them and open communication with the individual about this is essential.
Detailed description of ADHD
ADHD is one of the most common disorders of childhood and adolescence and does not occur to the same degree in all people diagnosed with the disorder. Healthcare professionals recognise that there are 3 main combinations of characteristics:
- Some people have predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type;
- Some have predominantly inattentive type;
- And some have a combined type (this makes up the majority of ADHD cases.
Hyperactive or impulsive behaviours
- Fidgeting
- trouble interacting quietly
- interrupting others
- always being 'on the go’
Inattention
-
being disorganised
- being forgetful
- being easily distracted
- finding it difficult to sustain attention during tasks or learning activities
These behaviours are usually first noticed in early childhood, and are more extreme than just misbehaving. Whilst ADHD behaviours occur to some extent in all of us, the people with ADHD exhibit more problematic behaviour that impacts on their educational and social experiences. The effects that Dyspraxia have on a person’s ability to function in a day-to-day environment, as well as in a learning environment, can vary depending on the degree of difficulty.
ADHD remains controversial in that, although it is recognised as a specific condition, there is a general conception that it is being massively over-diagnosed rather than increasing prevalence. Whatever the reality, learners who have a condition that is, or is similar to, ADHD frequently do pose challenges for teachers and trainers because they need assistance to help them manage their learning.
The current situation
Psychological difficulties are hidden disabilities. Individuals with this condition may often decide not to disclose and this must be respected.
Individuals with ADHD may exhibit behaviours that cannot be explained by any other psychiatric condition and are not in keeping with the individual's age and intellectual ability. Mood swings and social clumsiness are common. Parents and tutors may report that these individuals often misread the accepted social cues, saying or doing inappropriate things. Social difficulties often hit a peak in primary school and start to ease in secondary school, although in adolescence any remaining insecurities make the normal social uncertainties of this age even greater.
ADHD is most commonly noticed around the age of 5, and according to medical guidelines, it affects 5% of school-aged children with the ratio of males to females in assessed as having ADHD being at least 4 to 1. The observed prevalence of ADHD in boys and girls may be skewed as the characteristics of hyperactivity and impulsivity are seen more commonly in boys, whereas girls with ADHD, are more likely to display inattentive characteristics. Research suggests that 80% of children assessed as having ADHD continue to experience those characteristics during adolescence and 67% continue to have the characteristics into adulthood.
Positive characteristics associated with ADHD
- An ability to see the big picture and good attention to detail.
- Creativity and inventiveness.
- Risk-taking can produce important discoveries.
- An ability to process information and make broader observations.
- High levels of energy.
- Good negotiation skills.
- Intuitiveness and reactivity.
- Ability to hyper-focus.
How ADHD can impact on learning, teaching and training
Potential areas of difficulty for those with ADHD may include:
- Inattention - disrupted by their own thoughts or daydreaming, moving quickly onto a new topic of conversation before finishing the current one and producing work that is of variable quality;
- Impulsiveness - an impairment of internal speech, finishing other people's sentences and/or interrupting;
- Short-term memory - poor note-taking ability, poor hindsight and forethought leading to an inability to learn from mistakes or draw on previous experience;
- Mood swings - ranging from restlessness and fidgety behaviour to procrastinating (affecting coursework and revision for examinations);
- Poor organisation and time management;
- Risk-taking;
- Problem-solving;
- Interpersonal relationships and emotional functioning - students may appear sociable but friendships can be superficial;
- Issues associated with medication - this can affect sleep patterns.
