ADHD and Attention

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurological conditions in children and represents the most common reason that children are referred for support services in school. Children who are diagnosed with ADHD have deficits in their ability to sustain focused attention, control impulsive behaviors, and often display hyperactive behaviors. 

Symptoms of inattention often present as:

• Careless errors in school work
• Difficulty organizing and managing materials
• Problems with sequence and order
• Losing things
• Forgetting things
• Difficulty following familiar routines independently 

Children with ADHD often have problems with focus and selecting attention. This often presents as:

• Focus on irrelevant information or stimuli
• Doesn’t seek out important or necessary information to complete a task
• Poor estimates of time needed to complete a task (over or underestimates how long something will take)
• Waits until the last minute to begin tasks
• Gets caught up in detail; misses the “big picture” 

Children and adolescents who have ADHD often “hyper-focus” on topics or activities of interest to them. This often looks like:

• Problems transitioning away from a preferred activity

• Absorption in a task to the exclusion of everything else (i.e. video games)

• Don’t notice things around them

• Distorted sense of time/pacing

• Difficulty shifting focus and attention

• Difficulty accepting new ways of solving a problem; trying the same approach over and over, even when it is not successful

Evaluation and Treatment for ADHD

ADHD is a complicated condition that affects many areas of a child’s life and development. Fortunately, there are many evidenced-based treatments available for improving symptoms of ADHD and increasing achievement, self-regulation, and social relationships.

To schedule an ADHD evaluation for your child, 
contact us at 908-839-200

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