With ADHD is there a problem with reading, studing, and language skills and comprehension for learning?

Answer 1

The problem is generally with focus issues.

ADHD kids generally are perceiving lots of stimulation from their environment but have trouble prioritizing what to focus on. It's like hearing lots of noise from every direction and having to hone in on one particular voice.

(One category of medication used to "treat" ADHD, then, essentially "wakes up" the part of the brain that we use for focus, allowing them to lock onto one signal and stick with it.)

From what I have read, many kids diagnosed are smart. I can't vouch for that as a general rule, but my son with ADHD follows that pattern -- the lack of focus is the issue.

So he is very disorganized, forgets/misplaces things constantly, doesn't remember what he was doing a second ago and doesn't finish tasks as simple as putting something away before he veers into something else. (Some of this he can "push through" -- but with a correspondingly large energy drain.)

And yet his best subject in school is... math. In fact, on his latest PSAA's, he only missed two problems and was almost off the chart. It's simply unbelievable how well he can do with structured thinking when he actually gets something in front of him to focus on.

His weakest area is reading analysis, because it's a pretty "fuzzy" area and you need to derive concepts and motivations from a text.

I'm not sure how much of this is ADHD and how much of it is personality. From what I have seen, the Myers-Brigg personality type ESFP is far overly represented in the ADHD diagnosis.

ESFPs are extraverted, very locked into experiencing the outer world, and are driven by personal feelings/passions more than impersonal structure... contributing to ADHD-like behavior. Flitting about, being inundated with stimulation, and not wanting to miss anything are part of the personality. ESFP have the same trouble with reading comprehension -- they tend to take things at face value and aren't great at interpreting motivations and underlying concepts.

In any case, someone can be diagnosed with ADHD and still be very intelligent -- something you'll see if you can get them in an environment where they can focus and want to focus. The headache for the teacher is simply keeping "on them" so they can remain focused, when the teacher has 15-20 other students to worry about.

ADHD verbal skills should be okay. They can be quite articulate.

Reading takes concentration, however, and they will also have trouble understanding correctly what they've read. The more personal and interesting you can make it, especially story-oriented reading, the better.

For reading, usually the child should be in a quiet room with no other distraction -- no extra noise or visual activity going on. Don't expect an hour in the books. You might have to break the learning into chunks.

You will probably have to work with an ADHD child after the reading has been completed. Ask questions first about what happened. Make sure they understand the story and sequence of events correctly. Then start asking questions about why something happened or someone behaved a certain way -- "what was going on?"

What I find with my son is that he is quite inventive at making up reasons something happened -- but the reasons usually have little to do with the story. He's not great at thinking in "narrative logic" and will need lots of coaching on how to properly link up things, what possibilities are reasonable ones vs speculation on his part, and so forth.

Answer 2

ABSOLUTELY! A person with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder cannot sustain attention long enough to learn effectively. There are many dimensions of the disorder that effect each person with ADHD differently. For example, one might have a listening acquity deficit (they hear the words, but cannot sustain attention long enough to apply all of them) while someone else might have an auditory (listening) processing deficit (they DO NOT hear or comprehend all the words that are spoken.) The differences can be subtle, and testing must be completed to determine the areas of deficit and the appropriate interventions.
ADHD should more properly be called Attention Deficit (which is one problem) AND Hyperactivity Disorder (which is another.) The person who has attention deficits may not always suffer from hyperactivity. The person who suffers hyperactivity may not always be in constant motion, usually this is the most telling feature, however some who have it are very still, but their THOUGHTS are overactive and they cannot corral them into reasonable order to accomplish a task.
Students with ADHD can wreak havoc on a classroom. Without intervention their disorder not only affects them, but the entire learning environment. We have "inclusion" and "least restrict environment" for these students, but other than strategies to address their learning problems on paper, teachers are given little training or strategies to incorporate these students properly into the learning environment that is geared to learners that can sustain attention and complete tasks without constant supervision. It is a sad situation.
If you have a child with ADHD it is important to consider all education and medical interventions (medications) that are possible for the benefit of the child and to monitor the learning process closely. Make sure the child is receiving the services written for him/her and the outcomes are actually being acheived.
From what I've experienced, IEP (Individual Learning Plans) are usually just so much paperwork done by psychologists and case managers. No real follow up or support for the teacher is done.
If you closely monitor the situation you do not only your child, but the entire class and the teacher a favor.
Hope this helped.

Answer 3

I suffer from ADD and while I do have trouble focusing on thing at time. I have discovered that because of my illness that I able to notice things in while I study that others may miss. I able to think out side the box with out much effort. Also I always been very advance for my age. I was able to learn to read by the time I was four. Yoy just have to learn how to adapt your learning style to make it easier.

Also i suggest seeing a doctor that specialzies in AD/HD because he/she will have better knowledge of medication. A large problem with such medication is several lost of appite. However now medcation for other metal illness is being combined to deal with AD/HD. Also in many case the child out grow the need for medication. Be aware though. AD/HD suffers have a 1 in 3 chance of developing depression and/or anixety problems. That is a fact that also not told to after the problem arises

Answer 4

My oldest daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, and she had all those symptoms. It was hell for her and I to get through homework. I stopped giving her meds after she was a constant zombie, and her eaing habits were severely altered. I held her back, and researched ways to help her. That extra year and my patience eventually got her through it. She is now 11, and she exactly where she is expected to be. Every now and then we have a behavior issue, but she is 11 :) The moral of this story is to keep kids off the poison they call medicine,

Answer 5

Exactly what Italian guy Fortunato said, I second that.