What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?
ADHD stands for 慉ttention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder�. ADHD is a difference in how our brains pay attention and how they deal with that difference.
Attention
People with typically-developing brains can more easily choose what they focus on, e.g. finishing a piece of work or listening to someone talking. It is easier for them to pay attention to what is important or necessary to the task in front of them. An ADHD brain finds it hard to focus on what is necessary and a lot easier to pay attention to what is interesting. This means they might:
- forget to take books and pens to school (necessary, but boring)
- stop tasks halfway through (since something more interesting came along)
- do very well in some school subjects (their favourites) and not others (important, but still boring)
Hyperactivity and Impulsivity
Boredom is what happens when your brain does not receive enough interesting or important information to stay awake. ADHD brains do not cope very well with being bored, and unfortunately this happens to them very easily because they tend to ignore important things. Whenever we get bored we try and find something � anything � to give our brains some input so it can stay awake. Children with ADHD are more likely to try movement-based input, such as:
- get out of their seat when they should sit still
- move about even when they are in their seat
- constantly fidget, e.g. with hair, fingers, clothes
- prefer physical activities like swimming, trampolining, basketball, football
This movement-seeking tends to reduce as they get older, and not all children with ADHD will act as if they are 慳lways on the go�. Some people with have more of a mental feeling of restlessness rather than always moving. Sometimes people use the term 慉DD� instead of ADHD to talk about people who don抰 have the need to constantly move.
If our brains can抰 get enough information to keep them alert, they start to slow down. This means you might be talking to someone with ADHD and then they will suddenly start:
- yawning
- looking sleepy
- looking away from you
- go 慺loppy� or seem like they can hardly stand up
Boredom can also make people annoyed and irritable. People with ADHD might get cross if they think others are forcing them to do boring (but necessary) things, since this makes their brains feel so awful. This can get them in trouble at school!
Finally, ADHD brains are really fast. They are great at thinking on the spot and coming up with creative ideas, and this often makes them quite likeable and charismatic. It also means they tend to do or say whatever is on their mind - without stopping to think if that抯 a good idea! People with ADHD might:
- come across as a bit rude or 憈oo honest�
- interrupt others when they抮e speaking
- cross the road without looking
- go off on a tangent while talking
ADHD is a difference in how certain brains work. Everyone has a few symptoms of ADHD, and some people will have many symptoms that impact on their everyday life. Finding strategies that work with this difference and using their strengths is important, especially at school which is designed more for children with typical brains.
Last updated31 Aug 2023