What is ADHD?

2021 ◽  
pp. 3-18
Author(s):  
Mark Selikowitz

This chapter discusses what ADHD is, including an overview of the features of ADHD, features of the inattentive type of ADHD (poor concentration, task impersistence, disorganization, forgetfulness), features of the combined type of ADHD (impulsivity, overactivity, noisiness), and features that may be present in either type of ADHD (performance inconsistency, low self-esteem, poor working memory, poor incentival motivation, social clumsiness, learning difficulties, inflexibility, insatiability, defiant behaviour, sleep problems), as well as associated conditions, prevalence, and a historical background.

Author(s):  
Mark Selikowitz

ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is now recognized as one of the most common causes of learning and behavioural difficulties in school-aged children. Symptoms include poor concentration, forgetfulness, poor organization, impulsivity, restlessness, poor social skills, learning difficulties, low self-esteem, and defiant behaviour. Despite growing awareness of ADHD among parents and health professionals, it is still widely misunderstood. This third edition of ADHD: The Facts provides information on how ADHD is diagnosed, on conventional medical and alternative therapies, and on ways of helping children to improve their own behaviour, self-esteem, and academic results. Written by an experienced paediatrician, the book provides practical advice to help parents understand their child’s difficulties and how to overcome them. With detailed explanations of the cause of ADHD, its nature, and treatments of the condition that have proved effective over time, this new edition includes developments in the understanding of conditions that often coexist with it, as well as problems experienced by adults with ADHD. ADHD: The Facts will be of invaluable assistance to parents of children with ADHD and to teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and doctors wanting an authoritative, up-to-date, and practical review of the condition.


2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 455-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Cristina Mammarella ◽  
Daniela Lucangeli ◽  
Cesare Cornoldi

2015 ◽  
Vol 100 (9) ◽  
pp. 838-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dag Sulheim ◽  
Even Fagermoen ◽  
Øyvind Stople Sivertsen ◽  
Anette Winger ◽  
Vegard Bruun Wyller ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo compare cognitive function in adolescents with chronic fatigue with cognitive function in healthy controls (HC).Study designCross-sectional study.SettingPaediatric department at Oslo University Hospital, Norway.Participants120 adolescents with chronic fatigue (average age 15.4 years; range 12–18) and 39 HC (average age 15.2 years; range 12–18).MethodsThe adolescents completed a neurocognitive test battery measuring processing speed, working memory, cognitive inhibition, cognitive flexibility, verbal learning and verbal memory, and questionnaires addressing demographic data, depression symptoms, anxiety traits, fatigue and sleep problems. Parents completed the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), which measures the everyday executive functions of children.ResultsAdolescents with chronic fatigue had impaired cognitive function compared to HC regarding processing speed (mean difference 3.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 5.5, p=0.003), working memory (−2.4, −3.7 to −1.1, p<0.001), cognitive inhibition response time (6.2, 0.8 to 11.7, p=0.025) and verbal learning (−1.7, −3.2 to −0.3, p=0.022). The BRIEF results indicated that everyday executive functions were significantly worse in the chronic fatigue group compared to the HC (11.2, 8.2 to 14.3, p<0.001). Group differences remained largely unaffected when adjusted for symptoms of depression, anxiety traits and sleep problems.ConclusionsAdolescents with chronic fatigue had impaired cognitive function of clinical relevance, measured by objective cognitive tests, in comparison to HC. Working memory and processing speed may represent core difficulties.


Author(s):  
Khadega M. Badraldien

The results of several studies have shown that children with learning difficulties suffer from low selfesteem compared to normal children, which may affect their integration with their normal peers, social adaptation, and their academic superiority in subsequent years. Positive education is one of the modern strategies in education which is intended to focus on the positive and desirable behavior of the child rather than focusing on the negative or bad behavior. The present study aimed to find out the effectiveness of a program based on the strategy of positive educationin the development of self-esteem for children who suffer from learning difficulties. The study used the pre-academic skills scale to diagnose and sort children with learning difficulties and the self-esteem scale to determine the level of appreciation for children with learning difficulties for themselves before and after the implementation of the program. Overall, the results of the study indicated that the positive education program helped in developing children’s self-esteem and appreciation for themselves. The results showed that children of the experimental group had better selfesteem than the control group, and the positive education program had a significant impact on the development of self-confidence and self image. The results also indicated that the experimental group was better in integration and social interaction than the control group. The study recommended using the strategy of positive education not only with normal children but also with those with learning difficulties. The study also recommended that parents' and teachers' awareness of the importance of positive education and its impact on the growth of the child's personality and abilities should be enhanced. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 2440-2452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cara C Tomaso ◽  
Jennifer Mize Nelson ◽  
Kimberly Andrews Espy ◽  
Timothy D Nelson

Research has examined the impact of poor sleep on executive control and related abilities, but the inverse relationship has received less attention. Youth completed objective executive control tasks in childhood ( N = 208; Mage = 10.03; 50.5% girls) and self-report measures of sleep–wake problems and daytime sleepiness in early adolescence ( Mage = 12.00). Poorer interference suppression and flexible shifting abilities both predicted sleep–wake problems, but response inhibition and working memory did not. For daytime sleepiness, interference suppression was the only significant predictor among executive control components. Socioeconomic status did not moderate any of these associations. Findings have implications for targeting specific executive control abilities in childhood to improve sleep outcomes later in development.


1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Hay ◽  
Maureen Puckeridge ◽  
Robyn McDonald ◽  
Margaret Kelly

The Ermington Family Learning Centre provides educational opportunities for both children with learning difficulties from low income families, and their parents. The Centre specifically targets disadvantaged children and encourages the involvement of families, most of whom are vulnerable and isolated from traditional services. Because the focus is on children, many parents who would not normally use welfare agencies or seek professional support have accepted help from the Centre. The integrated but indirect approach has ensured not only sustained educational gains and improved self esteem in the children, but improvements in family functioning and the self esteem of parents.


2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412091686
Author(s):  
Yi Ding ◽  
Ru-De Liu ◽  
Wei Hong ◽  
Qiong Yu ◽  
Jia Wang ◽  
...  

The aim of this paper was to examine the role of phonological working memory in specific mental arithmetic difficulties and general arithmetic learning difficulties (ALD; difficulties presenting in both mental arithmetic and written arithmetic). In Study 1, we categorized 53 sixth graders into a control group, a group with specific mental arithmetic difficulties, and a group with general ALD. The findings indicated the group with specific mental arithmetic difficulties performed significantly worse on the task involving phonological working memory than did the control group. However, a significant difference was not found between the group with general ALD and the control group. In Study 2 involving 54 sixth graders, we decreased the load of phonological working memory by changing the format of the problems from horizontal (more reliance on phonological codes) to vertical (more reliance on visual resources). We found that the group with specific mental arithmetic difficulties performed comparably to the control group. In other words, when the working memory load is reduced, they no longer lag significantly behind on mental arithmetic. However, the group with general ALD still performed significantly worse than the control group when the problems were presented vertically, indicating that reduced phonological working memory load did not alleviate their arithmetic difficulties. The findings in both studies suggested that poor phonological working memory might contribute to the underlying mechanism for specific mental arithmetic difficulties but not as much for general ALD.


Dyslexia ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharman Jeffries ◽  
John Everatt

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