The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

“If you have a kiddo that a teacher says ‘they can’t focus’ or that kind of thing, and you say ‘Yes he can, he plays with his favorite toys or video games for hours. It’s just things he doesn’t like to do that he can’t focus on.‘ That a lot of times is the first clue for me because kids with ADHD can focus if it’s something they are really interested in. It’s the every day things and the non-preferred activities that they have a hard time focusing on,” explains Amy Terry, the special education teacher for FE Miley Elementary when I asked her what sort of thing a parent should look for if they think their child might have Attention Deficit Disorder. During the course of our conversation, she mentioned all sorts of other things to watch for in looking for indications that a child could have ADHD including: poor handwriting, only hearing part of instructions, losing important things, disorganization, fidgeting or squirming constantly, making weird noises like humming or dinosaur sounds in situations where it’s not appropriate, careless mistakes, and poor impulse control.

For years, ADD was a bit of a buzzword applied to every kid who couldn’t sit still in class or underperformed in academics. This has led to some skepticism among parents who often assume that their child just isn’t applying himself. According to Amy, who has a Masters Degree in Early Adolescent Special Education, “the way I explain it to parents is that kids with ADHD are working so much harder than any kid in the room just to stay in their seat, just to keep their body still. A lot of times, you’ll hear teachers say ‘You’re not trying. You’re not paying attention. If you would just work a little harder.’ They’re spending so much of their energy just trying to keep control of their movements. You can’t tell a kid with ADHD, ‘Just try harder. You can do it. Just sit still and try a little harder. You’re just not trying.’ They are trying. If it was in their control, they would not choose to feel this way. It’s got to be a horrible feeling to always be in trouble. To be told you’re not trying. You’re not paying attention.” This sort of response to a child who is genuinely unable to focus or sit still in a classroom environment can lead to frustration with school in the student. This is because people with ADHD tend to gravitate to highly stimulating or interesting activities. High stimulation tends to lead to hyper focus in ADHD kids, where they lock into an activity. This can result in time and even the rest of the world fading into the background. “You’ll hear parents say “He can’t be ADHD, he plays his video games all day.” That’s because video games are very active. Talk about sensory overload! The lights flashing, the sound, all of it. When they are sitting in front of a screen, they’ll hyper focus on it. They’re the kids who you’ll tell five times to turn it off and come to the table, and when you finally blow up at them, they’ll respond: ‘I didn’t hear you.’ Really, they didn’t because they are so cued in because there is so much sensory stuff coming at them. It’s crazy.”

The Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM) describes two types of ADHD: Hyperactivity with impulsivity, and Inattentive, though it is possible for people to have combined presentation and/or symptoms of both to varying degrees. One of the most important standards that must be met in diagnosis is the pattern of symptoms must interfere with life-functioning and development. The DSM has specific standards that must be met before a person can be considered to have ADHD, which prompts some caution in dealing with students. “I don’t usually look for ADHD in kids before 1st or 2nd grade because it can look so much like they’re just boys. They have lots of energy. A lot of times school is tough for them because sitting still isn’t in their repertoire yet. By 3rd or 4th grade, you can usually tell that their peers are able to sit and concentrate while that kid with ADHD is squirming in their seat. They can’t pay attention. They’re alway playing with something. A lot of people will just say ‘well teachers just want to put them on medication,’ but there are a lot of other ways to handle ADHD than medication. It’s not usually our go to or our first option.”

Amy described a number of classroom and behavioral management approaches that precede any discussion of medication for managing ADHD. “A lot of kids with ADHD, if you give them something to fidget with or just give them gum, they will be able to focus more.” Modern special education has a whole gambit of options for helping a child with ADHD succeed in the classroom environment, including a number of sensory tools, self regulation techniques children can learn, visual cues, etc. There are even non-medication supplement options available. “Caffeine can help a lot of times. I’ve seen Special Ed teachers who have a coffee pot in their office. There are supplements parents can try if they’re really against medication.”

The idea that ADHD medication is a way of calming students down by sedating them is a common misperception. “A lot of times, they can kind of compare it to caffeine. A kid without ADHD, the medication would rev them up. The reason it works the opposite for kids with ADHD is because ADHD kids’ neural pathways, their neurons aren’t firing fast enough for them to make good decisions or to focus on something for a long period of time or to think ‘maybe this thing I am going to do isn’t a good idea.’ The ADHD medication is actually a stimulant and it makes those neurons fire faster, and in return, the kid can focus on one thing and have more control over their own body.” For a child with ADHD, stimulants tend to have the opposite effect of helping them focus and settle down. One therapist I worked with called coffee “the poor man’s Ritalin,” because many people with undiagnosed ADHD use it to manage their own behavior and focus.

Fortunately for kids with ADHD and their parents, the educational system has come a long way toward understanding and working with the condition. This is particularly the case in our community. “I can say that after 14 years of teaching, I am amazed at the quality of teachers that I get to work with in Big Sandy. These teachers go out of their way to make changes and modifications to their classrooms and teaching methods to make sure that they are helping all of their kiddos. When I am called in to observe or discuss a student, I am always amazed at the different interventions and environmental adjustments they make before referring a kiddo for other services.”