Understanding ADHD 2

Welcome to Module 8 of your SEN toolkit!

In this module we look specifically at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD), what it is, how to recognise it, how it affects people and what that might
mean in your classroom.

Aims
By the end of this module, I will be able to:

understand why ADHD learners have specific social and learning needs
further adapt my practice to accommodate the specific learning needs of ADHD
learners
be further motivated to take action to unleash the potential of ADHD thinking

1
Introduction

Some points to consider

Statement three
ADHD is one of the first things that is suspected when a child’s behaviour in class, or
‘’The family background is a key contextual factor that influences ADHD. All
performance on schoolwork, is problematic. Imagine you are dealing with a situation
children with complex ADHD should receive behavioural and educational
where there are so many negative differentiation strategies.
interventions addressing behavioural, educational, and social success.’’
Read the following statements, then reflect on them and ask yourself how the
things you read might impact on the lives of those students who have ADHD.
Reflexive questions
1. Have you ever experienced anxiety? When was this? How did you feel?
Statement one
‘’In youth, ADHD is more commonly diagnosed in males than females. ADHD is
a common neuro-developmental disorder. According to the American
Psychiatric Association (APA), ADHD affects around 8.4% of children and 2.5%
of adults. The stereotype of ADHD is boys disrupting the classroom by jumping
up from their seats. But girls get ADHD too, and they tend to be diagnosed
much later because their symptoms are more subtle.’’ 2. What would it have been like if that feeling was more regular, or even constant?

Statement two
‘’ADHD and anxiety are separate conditions, but sometimes they come as a
3. What do you think is the biggest reason that many girls are not diagnosed?
package deal. A child who is inattentive could be distracted by chronic anxiety,
by a worrisome or painful situation at home. When you have anxiety disorder
on top of your ADHD, your worries are usually about a wide variety of things
and not only tied to your ADHD struggles.’’

2
Case-Study

Seeing the world through ADHD eyes

Living With ADHD: David's Story
In this section, you are going to read a real story of a person with ADHD as well as a
‘’David was a thirteen year old eighth grade student who had reading and
case study on ADHD and think about the impact of what it means to live and grow up
math skills one to two years below grade level. He was failing every subject
with ADHD.
and seemed destined to repeat the eighth grade. His teachers described him
Read the two case studies. Each is taken from an interview with a real person. as disruptive and oppositional in class and stated that he had difficulty paying
Compare them, and ask yourself what the people’s different experiences were, and attention during structured and unstructured activities. The school
also what the similarities were. administrators contacted his grandparents and suggested that he was likely
suffering from an Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Barry Belt
assembled the CEPD treatment team and planned an intervention for David. It
Living With ADHD: Jeff's Story was decided that David should be sent to an alternative school for children
with learning disabilities. He was enrolled in individual counselling to improve
‘’As a child I learned that I shouldn’t expect happiness and I don’t deserve it. My
his self-image. Mr. Belt met with David’s now school teachers to develop an
parents have always been loving and supportive and I was lucky to have a
educational plan which would work in tandem with CEPD’s efforts.

stable family with great grandparents. These ideas were learned away from
home and family, as I struggled through the social landscape of childhood. It Perhaps most importantly, David began to use Neurofeedback which trained
happened day by day, bit by bit, during primary and middle school. Gradually I him to alter his brain functioning so that he daydreamed less and paid
developed a sense of inferiority, that I was somehow less deserving than other attention more through the use of special software and computer enhanced
kids. I didn’t know why at the time, not really. I had a vague awareness that techniques which allowed him to monitor his progress in a videogame format.
others were more ‘with it’ than me, they didn’t daydream so much, or fidget as At first, David couldn’t sit still for his Neurofeedback sessions. After the third
much, and found making friends much easier. Calling the teacher ‘mum’ by session he began to enjoy the sessions. By his tenth session his mother
mistake was also a regular occurrence. Most importantly, I was extremely remarked that he was more attentive at home and less oppositional. After his
emotionally sensitive, and I still am to be honest. In summer I often went fifteenth session he was helping with household chores. After his twentieth
fishing with my dad and granddad which I absolutely loved, but I was session he stopped wetting the bed. By his twenty-fifth session his grades and
hopeless! Unsurprisingly, I had zero patience and after 2 minutes fishing I’d get behaviour in school had remarkably improved. After forty sessions his
up for a wander or start making a bow and arrow. I’d never catch as many fish attention span had increased from less than one minute to approximately
as them, but at least I know why now! I’ve since learned my difficulties were all forty-five minutes. Within six-months his reading and math scores had
classic signs of ADHD. If only I had known then, what might I have achieved?’’ progressed one grade level. He was on the honour roll at his new school and

3
Case-Study

3. How does ADHD impact the learners in the story and case study differently?
his behaviour at school was described as excellent. He began to see himself as
a bright young man who had learning problems. He was looking forward to
returning to his regular junior high school class at the appropriate grade. He
had become a happy, communicative and responsive young man who could
express his feelings instead of acting them out. His self image no longer
required him to be cool, but rather was based on his self-perceived capability
to achieve his goals in school and in life...”

Reflexive questions 4. Think back to a time you have felt lethargy / self-loathing. How would you have
liked people around you to react to those feelings?
1. Can you identify things that may have been damaging for each learner?

2. Can you identify things that either did or could have harnessed the potential of
that learner?

4
Theory

Awareness Broadening ADHD & Behaviour Decision Tree

In this section you are going to reflect on an ADHD & Behaviour Decision Tree. A short
list of questions is given in order to engage you with the different types of behaviour Hyperactive and Impulsive symptoms:

that are signs of ADHD. Are there different types of behaviour that are signs of ADHD?

Look reflectively at the information you are about to read. Think about whether any
of it applies to you and your context. Then answer the short list of questions at the
No Yes
end.

Part one Is assessment for ADHD positive? Is choosing to act and react before
considering the consequences a sign of
Look at the decision tree. Try to engage with it, and think about some of the ADHD?
students you know.
No Yes

No Yes
Consider other Why? Reflect on
reason it
Why? Is Why? Reflect on
constant it
movement a
sign of ADHD?

No Yes

Consider other Why? Reflect on

reason it

5
Theory

Part two: Understanding the 7 Types of ADHD

A. Type 1: Classic ADD
In this section, you are going to learn about the 7 types of ADHD by Dr. Amen. The 7
Primary symptoms are inattentiveness, distractibility, hyperactivity, disorganization, and
types of ADHD by Dr. Amen are a very useful way to categorise the ADHD spectrum. impulsivity. People with Classic ADD have decreased blood flow in the prefrontal
ADHD does not manifest itself in the same way in all cases. For instance, the cortex, cerebellum, and the basal ganglia, the last of which helps produce the
biological differences between how ADHD impacts girls and boys have nothing to neurotransmitter dopamine.
do with gender identity. ADHD is a brain-based condition. It can interfere with the
child's everyday activities at home and at school.
A. Type 2: Inattentive ADD
Inattentive ADD is associated with low activity in the prefrontal cortex and low
dopamine levels. Symptoms are short attention span, distractibility, disorganization,
procrastination. People with this type are not hyperactive or impulsive. They can be
introverted and daydream a lot. Girls have this type as much as, or more than, boys.

B. Type 3: Overfocused ADD

Patients with overfocused ADD have all of the core ADD symptoms, plus great trouble
shifting attention. They get stuck or locked into negative thought patterns or
behaviours. There is a deficiency of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. This
overactivity makes it difficult to go from thought to thought, task to task, and to be
flexible.

B. Type 4: Temporal Lobe ADD

The TL, located underneath your temple, is involved with memory, learning, mood
stability, and visual processing of objects. People with this type have learning, memory,
and behavioural problems, such as quick anger, aggression, and mild paranoia. When

6
Theory

the brain is scanned, there are abnormalities in the temporal lobes and decreased
Reflexive questions
activity in the prefrontal cortex. 1. What are the psychological and emotional impacts on the children and their
performance at school?

C. Type 5: Limbic ADD

Limbic ADD looks like a combination of dysthymia or chronic low-level sadness and
ADD. Symptoms are moodiness, low energy, frequent feelings of helplessness or
excessive guilt, and chronic low self-esteem. It is not a mood disorder. This type is
caused by too much activity in the limbic part of the brain (the mood control center)
and decreased prefrontal cortex activity, whether concentrating on a task or at rest.

2. How to harness ADHD in a way that is advantageous to students?

C. Type 6: Ring of Fire ADD
Ring of Fire ADD symptoms include: hypersensitivity to the environment — especially
noise, light, touch; periods of oppositional behaviour; unpredictable moods; talking
fast; worrying and obsessiveness. Patients with ring of fire ADD don't have an
underactive prefrontal cortex, as with Classic and Inattentive ADD. Their entire brain is
overactive. In brain scans, it looks like a ring of hyperactivity around the brain.

3. Can you interpret the 7 types of ADHD in a more didactical manner? Why?
C. Type 7: Anxious ADD
People with this type have hallmark ADD symptoms, and they are anxious, tense, have
physical stress symptoms like headaches and stomachaches, predict the worst, and
freeze in anxiety-provoking situations, especially where they may be judged. When the
brain is scanned, there is high activity in the basal ganglia, large structures deep in the
brain that help produce dopamine. This is the opposite of most types of ADD, where
there is low activity in that region.

7
Practice

Apply your knowledge Now compare your ideas with the following lists.

Now it is time to think about your classroom and start adapting the ‘lessons learned’ in Do’s in the classroom
order to have the biggest impact. What can teachers do to better help children with
ADHD? Break tasks and activities into manageable pieces
Think about what you’ve learned throughout this module. Use your knowledge to
create a list of “Do’s and Don’ts for understanding students with ADHD” to share Limit distractions
with your colleagues.
Encourage out-loud thinking

Create and apply individualized teaching or lesson plans

Take breaks

Don’ts in the classroom

Don’t be negative in the classroom

Don’t get overwhelmed

Don’t let the classroom noise take control

Don’t ignore barriers to concentration in the classroom

Don’t start with the idea that ADHD manifests itself equally for all students

8
Checklist

5 ways you can better support your ADHD students

Below you are about to read a short list of things you can do to support your students
who have ADHD.

1 Maintain a positive attitude to be able to connect with your ADHD student

2 Offer help by creating easy-to-follow instructions for classroom activities

3 Avoid giving your student with ADHD A ‘‘bad reputation’’ in the classroom

4 Ask a volunteer in the class to repeat the tasks

5 Act as a sensitive teacher towards the preferences of students with ADHD