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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and/or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are neurobiological disorders that arise from the part of our brain that controls impulse control and attention. There are different varieties of ADD/ADHD: (1) Inattentive Type, and (2) Hyperactive/Impulsive Type. The symptoms can be verbal, physical or both.

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common of the psychiatric disorders that appear in childhood, are often the subject of great concern on the part of parents and teachers. Children with ADHD are unable to stay focused on a task, cannot sit still, act without thinking, and rarely finish anything. If untreated, the disorder can have long-term effects on a child's ability to make friends or do well at school or in other activities. Over time, children with ADHD may develop depression, lack of self-esteem, and other emotional problems.

Some of the symptoms for the Inattentive Type are:

- Difficulty paying attention, sequencing tasks and memory
- Difficulty with time management.
- Difficulty with following directions.
- Very laid back.
- Forgetful.
- Poor self-esteem.
- Tentative or non-risk taker.

Some of the symptoms for the Hyperactive/Impulsive Type are:

- Inability to sit still without fidgeting, taking turns and completing tasks.
- Always on the go, non-stop behavior.
- Reckless and out of control behaviors, at times.
- Difficulty stopping themselves at times.
- Poor reading comprehension while having good reading skill in isolation.
- Low frustration level.
- Angry and aggressive behavior (usually due to frustration).

* Behavior, for the most part, is either in reaction to a stimulus (e.g., wanting to get out of the classroom) or related to working toward a goal (e.g., doing the work to earn free time.)

* Children misbehave for a reason and school psychologists and special ed directors play a key role in determining what that reason is.

* It's important for special and general educators and school psychologists not to focus so much on how we respond to students' maladaptive behavior, but how we can prevent it from happening.

* With the desire to relieve the stress of your colleagues, it can be tempting to set up behavior modification from a perspective of helping teachers and administrators deal with a difficult situation. Educators and school psychologists need to be careful, however, to maintain their objective to understand the child.

Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home

WHAT IS ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER?
In 1998, the National Institutes of Mental Health agreed that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is indeed a legitimate psychologic condition even though its definition has not been fully pinned down. ADHD is a syndrome generally characterized by the following symptoms that first occur before the age of seven:

LDadvocates Special Notice:
Many of the ADD/ADHD students LDadvocates advocate for may also exhibit other related behavioral issues now or as they become older. Many of these behavioral issues will begin to effect their academic as well as their attitude especially in middle and high school. A behavioral plan is a must early on to protect the student's consequences from their manifestation of disabilities.

Sample Letter Requesting Eligibility Services for Child with AD/HD

An Interview with Dr. Steven Richfield: About Parenting And Coaching Self Control and Social Skills To Children
Monday, October 17, 2005
Michael F. Shaughnessy
EducationNews.org
What are you currently working on or researching or writing?
I spend most of my professional time in full time private practice, treating children with ADHD and Asperger Syndrome and guiding their parents. My monthly parenting columns are often inspired by clinical issues that spring from sessions.

Call Jimmy Kilpatrick today for a free consultation
cell 832 814-7463 or info@SpecialEdAdvocate.org