It is impossible to read any information on ADHD without finding out that the three major symptoms of ADHD are inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. But what does this really mean? What do these symptoms look like on a day to day basis?
Each child is different. Each child has symptoms of ADHD that fall somewhere between mild and severe. Each child has a unique combination of symptoms. Ask any parent. They can go into detail on their child's behavior and their description might have some similarities to another parent's stories, but there will be differences as well. If this is the case, how then, can we figure out what is ADHD, what is normal behavior, and what might be something else entirely?
The following lists are compilations of how the three major symptoms may show up. It will be up to each family to decide if the behaviors warrant consideration, accommodations, behavioral interventions or medication to help in reducing symptoms.
Inattention is the inability to focus or concentrate for an extended period of time. But what is "extended?" Dr. B.D. Schmitt, in an article entitled, "Dealing with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder" published by RelayHealth indicates that a normal attention span is between three and five minutes for each year of life. For example, a 5-year-old should be able to concentrate on a task for between 15 and 25 minutes before attention wanes. Dr. Schmitt mentions that watching television should not be considered when determining attention level. If your 5-year-old cannot pay attention for even 15 minutes, he would be below the norm.
Some experts believe the word inattention is not accurate, rather than not being able to pay attention, it is an inability to filter out important stimuli. A child, therefore, would be paying attention to everything around him, rather than filtering out what is not important (at the moment) to focus on one task.
Some of the other ways inattention may show up are:
- Careless mistakes in schoolwork because of not paying attention to details. For example, spelling errors on simple words or adding two numbers instead of subtracting.
- Does not seem to listen when spoken to. Attention may seem to be moving from place to place, instead of focusing on the person speaking. This also happens during class, as a teacher is talking. Students with ADHD can "space out" missing entire lessons, spending time paying attention to what is going on outside, in the hallway, at the desk next to him, a bug on the floor, anything and everything.
- Difficulty following directions or completing tasks. This can be caused by not paying attention to the instructions, being distracted while completing the task or forgetting what was said.
- Loses items. All children lose things from time to time, but children with ADHD seem to do so on a daily basis. School work can disappear between putting it in the back pack and the classroom. Toys can be lost walking from room to room. Pens, pencils and other tools needed to finish homework disappear several times a day.
- Forgetful. Once finished or completed, activities just seem to disappear from memory. How many times has your child looked at you as if he has no recollection of a conversation that happened a little while ago? Or can't remember what chore to do, even when you told him ten minutes ago?
- Trouble with organization. Because of possible executive functioning deficits, organizational skills are often non-existent in children with ADHD. Drawers, closets, backpacks, desks often are, dubbed "the black hole" because it is impossible to find anything once it enters into one of these. One teacher once described the desk of a student with ADHD as "the Bermuda Triangle" because once a paper went into it, it was never seen again. Keeping track of assignments, especially as children get older and must complete a long-term assignment tends to be very difficult. It may be hard for children with ADHD to gauge how long a task will take, or not understand how to break a large project into smaller tasks.
- Avoidance of tasks requiring high attention. Because children with ADHD have a difficult time focusing, many will simply avoid tasks, such as reading, that require paying attention for a period of time. Reading, especially boring, textbook type reading is difficult and may need to be broken down into small segments. Activities that offer high-stimulus, such as video games, are easier to pay attention to.
