According to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is diagnosed in a child when they have exhibited six of the specific symptoms of the disorder for more than six months. These symptoms can all be combined into three general groups: inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Though the disorder is not as serious as other psychological disorders, it can still affect someone's psychological development, especially when the disorder is diagnosed in a school-aged child.
Theories/Speculation
According to Incredible Horizons, regardless of the severity of the disorder, the earlier a child is diagnosed with ADHD and the earlier that a child begins receiving treatment, whether medical or therapeutic, the more likely she is to decrease the symptoms of the disorder, in addition to outgrowing it.
Research
Research has shown that three major pieces of development are affected by ADHD, according to Incredible Horizons. These are a person's ability to establish dominance, their processing through the five senses and the knowledge of one's own body, known as proprioception. Research has also shown that a combination of hyperactivity/impulsivity exists more often in younger children, while inattentive symptoms appear more often in teenagers with the disorder. Lastly, males have shown to be at higher risk for ADHD, as a 3:1 ratio exists between males and females who have the disorder.
Education
According to ChildDevelopmentInfo.com, people with ADHD often have a higher than average intelligence level. They have much more energy and are more creative than others. This allows them to use their education much more effectively and also allows them to be educated more efficiently. However, according to Incredible Horizons, research shows that about 40 percent of ADHD students have difficulty with math, 50 percent have reading comprehension difficulties and 30 percent experience both. Although their intelligence is no lower than anyone else, these difficulties can result in lower scores on standardized tests and, subsequently, placement in special education programs. Students also have reported that they have trouble both listening to a teacher and taking notes at the same time, resulting in a gathering of much less information from a class than other students.
Social Effects
F.M. Gresham, in a 1988 study, noted that one of the most important pieces of overcoming ADHD is to successfully interact socially with one's peers. However, because a sufferer of ADHD is often inattentive and more emotional than others, they may deal with more social rejection, which is often followed by feelings of incompetence. According to Incredible Horizons, these children can have deficient skills communicating with others because of their impulsive actions that include interrupting and inattentive actions that include not being able to listen as well and an inability to notice social cues and body language.
Cognitive Effects
In 1999, B. Seay (according to Incredible Horizons) noted numerous cognitive impairments that arise during development when a child has ADHD. This can include "blinking," "flooding," "scanning" and "radical thinking." Blinking is when a person loses focus briefly, then refocuses on the same task. This can result in missing a piece of a conversation or directions, without even realizing this has happened. Flooding is when too much information is coming into the person, resulting in emotional overreaction and stress due to an inability to filter out the important information coming at them from the environment. Scanning occurs when someone's brain fails to filter stimuli coming in from the environment. This can result in an inability to pick out important information when being spoken to. Lastly, radical thinking is when a person randomly switches the topic of a conversation based on something that was just said. When this occurs, a thought is triggered by even a single word, causing the person to think of a different topic. All of these cognitive effects can get worse as a person with ADHD grows and gets older. They can also worsen as the person develops psychologically with the disorder.
