VDOE's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC)
ADHD
What is ADHD?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting children and adults. It is characterized by difficulties in the areas of attention, impulsivity/distractibility, and hyperactivity. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
Almost 10% of students in Virginia have a diagnosis of ADHD. (Centers for Disease Control, 2013).
Experts view ADHD as a neurodevelopmental impairment of the brain’s management system- its executive functions. Recent imaging studies of brain structures showed that the brains of people with ADHD mature later than those of people without the condition. The growth and maturation of the brains of children with ADHD occurs in a similar fashion as typically developing children. What is different is that the brains of children with ADHD develop more slowly, particularly in the area of the brain that controls executive functions (the frontal lobe). Children with ADHD are often 3 to 5 years behind same-aged peers in the development and maturation of executive functions. This delay in the development of executive functions drives the symptoms seen in ADHD: inattention, distractibility and hyperactivity.
To effectively address the symptoms of ADHD, the executive functions must be addressed.
Setting up the environment for success
Students don't yet have the skills needed to navigate all the EF demands of a classroom. Setting up the classroom so that students can be successful is important. These supports are external to the student; they are implemented by adults.
Accommodating the deficits
What you do in the environment to set it up for success is identify areas where the student will need accommodations, changes that support him in areas in which his EF skills are not yet developed.
Provide supports at the point of performance
These EF accommodations will have to be in place at the point of performance. This means at the time, in the location that the student is performing the skill.
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Supports will be in place for a long time
EF skills in students with ADHD are delayed in maturing for 3 to 5 years. So it is understandable that accommodations will have to be in place for enough time.
Additionally, just because the student was able to use EF skills successfully in one situation, doesn't mean he can do it all the time. One of the hallmarks of ADHD is inconsistency. In some circumstances (usually those that are novel, urgent, or interesting to the person), children with ADHD can "get in the zone" and their EF deficiencies appear to be lessened or even non-existent. If they lose those conditions, however, their situation deteriorates.
To learn more about executive function skills and strategies that can be used to set up the environment for success, accommodate the deficits, and provide supports at the point of performance, go to the Executive Functions page.