You see the kids in your classroom. There are two, maybe three of them. She sits in the back. She's you might call a "space cadet," paying attention to someone or something else when she should be paying attention to you. There’s another one. He is always out of his seat, sharpening his pencil or wanting a drink. He cannot sit still for very long, and he is disturbing others. Are these kids ADHD? Or are they just undisciplined?

Here are some questions to ask yourself, and a bit of background information for you to consider. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the phrase that is used to describe children who have significant problems with high levels of distractibility or inattention, impulsiveness, and often with excessive motor activity levels. There may be deficits in attention and impulse control without hyperactivity being present. In fact, recent studies indicate that as many as 40% of the ADHD kids are not hyperactive. Research shows that there are several things happening in the brain of the ADHD child. The main problem is that parts of the Central Nervous System are under-stimulated, while others may be over-stimulated. In some hyperactive kids there is also an uneven flow of blood in the brain, with some parts of the brain getting too much blood flow, and other centers not getting enough. Certain medications, or other forms of treatment can be used to address these problems. Often the ADHD child has special educational needs. Most Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids can be successful in the regular classroom with some help. Teachers can find over 500 classroom interventions to help children be successful in school at http://www.ADDinSchool.com.

As a teacher ask yourself these questions: 1. Can the child pay attention in class? Some ADHD kids can pay attention for a while, but can't sustain it unless they are really interested in the topic. Other ADHD kids cannot pay attention to just one thing at a time, such as not being able to pay attention to just you when you are trying to teach them something. There are many different aspects to "attention," and the ADHD child would have a deficit in at least one aspect.

2. Is the child impulsive? Does he call out in class? Does he bother other kids with his impulsivity? These kids often cannot stop and think before they act, and they rarely think of the consequences of their actions first. Impulsivity tends to hurt peer relationships, especially in junior high school years.

3. Does he have trouble staying in his seat when he's supposed to? How is he on the playground? Can he wait in line, or does he run ahead of the rest of the class? Does he get in fights often?

4. Can he wait his turn? ADHD children often cannot delay gratification.

5. Is he calm?

6. Is he constantly looking for clues as to how he is doing? ADHD kids may display a wide range of moods, which are often on the extremes: they act too sad, too angry, too excited, too whatever.

7. Is the child working at grade level? Is he working at his potential? Does he/she stay on task well? Does he fidget a lot? Does he have poor handwriting? Most ADHD kids have trouble staying on task, staying seated, and many have terrible handwriting.

8. Does he have difficulty with rhythm? Or the use of his time? Does he lack awareness about "personal space" and what is appropriate regarding touching others? Does he seem unable to read facial expressions and know their meanings? Many children with ADHD also have Sensory Integration Dysfunctions (as many as 10% to 20% of all children might have some degree of Sensory Integration Dysfunction). SID is simply the ineffective processing of information received through the senses. As a result these children have problems with learning, development, and behavior.

9. Does he seem to be immature developmentally, educationally, or socially? It has been suggested by research that children and teens with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may lag 20% to 40% behind children without ADHD developmentally. In other words, a ten year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a seven year old to behave or learn. A fifteen year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a ten year old to behave, or learn.

There is a lot to learn about ADHD. Both teachers and parents can learn more by visiting the ADHD Information Library's family of web sites, beginning with http://www.ADDinSchool.com for hundreds of classroom interventions to help our children succeed in school.

A recent report from the National Institute of Mental Health gives us a better look at what is happening inside the brains of our teenagers. Take a look at this article!

Teenage Brain: A Work in Progress

From the National Institute of Mental Health, December 18, 2006

New imaging studies are revealing—for the first time—patterns of brain development that extend into the teenage years. Although scientists don't know yet what accounts for the observed changes, they may parallel a pruning process that occurs early in life that appears to follow the principle of "use-it-or-lose-it:" neural connections, or synapses, that get exercised are retained, while those that don't are lost. At least, this is what studies of animals' developing visual systems suggest. While it's known that both genes and environment play major roles in shaping early brain development, science still has much to learn about the relative influence of experience versus genes on the later maturation of the brain. Animal studies support a role for experience in late development, but no animal species undergoes anything comparable to humans' protracted childhood and adolescence. Nor is it yet clear whether experience actually creates new neurons and synapses, or merely establishes transitory functional changes. Nonetheless, it's tempting to interpret the new findings as empowering teens to protect and nurture their brain as a work in progress.

I would love to try Attend in my 6 year old child, however, he cannot swallow the pill. Is it as effective if the capsule is broken and the powder is mixed with juice? Any suggestions? THANKS D.C., MD

Hi D----

Yes, you can try that. Some families mix it with a bit of apple sauce, followed by a bit of orange juice. It tastes terrible. The big capsule is the biggest drawback to Attend.

Doug Cowan

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