Attention Defecit Disorder Hyperactivity.....

Learning disabilities are something that many children struggle with today. This has become a growing issue in the many primary and secondary classrooms that exist today. The learning disability that will be discussed is Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD). This is a disability that carries a number of negative stereotypes with it such as careless, disorganized, too chatty and most often lazy. Some of these are indeed true characteristics of a child with ADHD; however they quite often are out the students’ control. I can personally attest to this as I have struggled with ADHD all through my education. I will admit, that, as we all have, I have had my lazy days. However, for the majority of the time I am not lazy or careless. I have truly forgotten the instruction or had too many instructions thrown at me and have become extremely overwhelmed. This is the case for children with ADHD. Another struggle for these children is organization. We have all seen messy binders and even messier lockers or bedrooms in our time, and we have all tried to find just one paper in that mess. It is not any easy task, but children who have ADHD live with this kind of chaos everyday. This is the exact kind of disorganization that goes on in their heads from the moment that they wake until the moment that they go to sleep. Just imagine trying to rummage though your jumble of thoughts to try and remember where you put that assignment or where you put your notes from last class. That is what it is like to try and remember even the simplest of things. Things as simple as remembering to take your homework home from school get lost in this jumble. To most people this is just something that you do everyday and it doesn’t take much effort to remember to do this, however for a child with ADHD remembering this becomes a major task every time. Another setback that comes with ADHD is being able to follow oral lectures and instructions. I am a math person and I love to do math. However, when I am struggling with my ADHD it makes it very difficult to follow the lectures and the steps to solve the problems. When you are required to follow a math problem from step to step and see how it all comes together the constant thought interruptions make it almost impossible to do. These distractions can come from a number of sources such as other students, activity in the hall or from outside the windows to list a few. This makes it very difficult to follow a single thought from start to finish. About 4 years ago I began taking a small dose of medication to help me with my school work. At that time I quickly discovered what it was like to “think in a straight line.” I had never had the opportunity to experience this luxury and now that I understand what it is like I have overcome many hurdles that I have had to deal with in the past. All that a child with ADHD wants is for people to understand that the everyday functioning of a child with ADHD is very different from the rest of the population and they often just need a friendly reminder and a hint of your patience.

In an effort to provide you with a little peek into the thoughts of someone with ADHD, I will list all of the things that have flown through my head in the last 10 minutes.
What should I have for lunch? When did I last have a coffee? Where did I leave that shirt? When is my test again? I better look that up. I better write a note so I remember to look that up. What time is it? It sure is nice outside (staring out the window). I’m thirsty what’s in the fridge to drink? I should call and reschedule that appointment that I missed. What time is it - I forget already? What groceries do I need again, I forget? I should have written it down. When is the last day of classes? I better look again and write it down.

All of this has been flying though my head while I have been trying to do my work. Just imagine spending every day with this sort of chaos and you will only begin to see what it is like to live with ADHD.