5 - ADHD Flashcards
(14 cards)
What are the 2 category symptoms of ADHD (and the symptoms)?
1) Inattention
- Fails to give close attention to detail/makes careless mistakes
- Difficulty sustaining attention
- Does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
- Often does not follow through on instructions (starts tasks and is easily side tracked)
- Difficulty organizing tasks and activities
- Avoids/dislikes tasks that require sustained effort
- Loses things necessary for tasks/activities
- Easily distracted
- Forgetful in daily activities
2) Hyperactivity/impulsivity
- Fidgets or taps hands or feet or squirms in seat
- Often leaves seat in situations when remaining seated is expected
- Often runs or climbs in situations where it is inappropriate
- Unable to play or engage in leisure activities quietly
- Is often “on the go” acting as if “driven by a motor”
- Often talks excessively
- Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed
- Has difficulty waiting their turn
- Often interupts or intrudes others
What are some characteristics of ADHD?
- 2 categories of symptoms – need to have at least 6 of the symptoms in one of the criteria
→ can’t have 3 in one and 3 in the other, it has to be 6 on one side or the other (can also be mixed) - very behavioural descriptions
- it’s difficult to tell in very little kids if they have ADHD because a lot of the symptoms are what is expected and typical for their age
- the thing that underlies these symptoms are challenges in executive functioning and inhibitory control
- Has to…
→ be persistent (at least 6 months)
→ be pervasive (has to be present in more than one setting)
→ cause impairment
→ needs evidence before childhood
When diagnosing ADHD, we have to specify whether…
→ combined presentation
→ predominantly inattentive presentation
→ predominantly hyperactive/impulsive presentation
Give 6 examples of executive dysfunction
- Focusing too much on just one thing
- Being easily distractible
- Daydreaming or “spacing out” when you shouldn’t be
- Struggling to switch between tasks
→ it’s hard to change channels once they’re already very focused on smt they’re very interested in
→ p.ex: if a child is very into lego, they can build legos for hours on end
→ this confuses parents, because they think their attention is good if they’re able to focus for that long, but the problem is if they’re able to focus on smt they may not have as big of an intrinsic interest in, or switch from one or another - Problems with impulse control
- Trouble starting difficult or boring tasks
What are the 3 factors of executive function?
1) Inhibitory control
2) Working memory
3) Cognitive flexibility
What is inhibitory control? What is it in relation to ADHD?
The ability to control one’s attention, behaviour, thoughts, and emotions to override a strong internal predisposition or external lure, allowing one to act appropriately according to the situation
- Individuals with ADHD often struggle with impulse control, making it difficult to resist distractions, interrupting tasks, or acting on impulse without considering the consequences
- p.ex: if afraid, the action urges associated with that are running away, hiding, etc.
- p.ex: if angry, the action urges associated are yelling, confronting, etc.
→ behavioural tendency associated with strong feelings
- the idea is that we’re experiencing these emotions in response to environmental contingencies all the time, but as an adult, we are expected to inhibit the initial response urge that comes with a feeling
→ with ADHD, inhibiting these feelings and urges is harder
→ that also means that once the feeling has past, it’ll go away quickly (emotions might cycle through faster)
What is working memory? What is it in relation to ADHD?
The capacity to hold and manipulate information in mind over short periods
- Many people with ADHD have difficulty holding and processing information in their minds, which can affect their ability to follow multi-step instructions, organize tasks, or remember details, especially over short periods
- this can be tested through standardized tests like digit span
What is cognitive flexibility? What is it in relation to ADHD?
The ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts, or to adjust to changing demands, rules, or perspectives
- ADHD can also impair the ability to switch between tasks or adapt to new situations or changing rules. This inflexibility can result in challenges with adjusting plans or managing transitions smoothly
True or false: One informant is sufficiant in ADHD assessment
False: We’re always trying to get multiple informants in ADHD assessments
What other tool could we use to help assess ADHD (other than questionnaires)?
Report cards
→ we typically want to look at the comments of the teacher, the tests can give a bit of an insight, but they aren’t standardized for us to really assess anything
→ this also helps to rule in or out certain learning disabilities
For ADHD assessment, between the __ to the __ percentile is what we would consider the average range
25th; 75th
Explain how performance and knowledge don’t match in those with ADHD.
- In ADHD you know what you need to be doing, but you’re having trouble implementing it
→ or if they push a kid in the playground impulsively, and they’re asked if they know the rule about pushing, they say they do but they just have a hard time inhibiting the action in the moment
→ kind of like a high performance race car, but with very small breaks, so it’s really hard to stop once you’re on the go; really strong potential, but it’s hard to break when you need to
True or false: With ADHD, immediately going to medication is a very plausible and good treatment.
True
What are some sample recommendations for ADHD?
Elementary
- Seating away from distractions
- Prompts to help the student maintain attention on task
- Noise-cancelling headphones
- Provide additional reinforcement of orally provided instructions
- Stop breaks for tests and assessments
- Allow opportunities to move, body breaks, fidget toys
Secondary
- Seating away from distractions
- Prompts to help the student maintain attention on task
- Access to a distraction-reduced environment for tests and examinations
- Note-taking assistance
- Encourage use of agenda to aid with time management
- Stop breaks for tests and assessments
- Allow opportunities to move, body breaks, fidget toys
Post-secondary
- Preferential seating
- Note-taking support
- Support from a learning strategists/academic coach to implement study habits
- Access to a distraction-reduced environment for tests and examinations
