Pay Attention!
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder :
Facts and Myths
Faculty & Staff Information Session by
Disability Services at RACC
Fall Semester 2014
Disability Services
 Located in Berks Hall, room 209
 Tomma Lee Furst: Director of Disability
Services and Student Behavioral Intervention
 Kym Kleinsmith: Adaptive
Technology/Educational Support Specialist
 Lori Corrigan: Academic Support Specialist
First, here’s a brief video
(there will be a quiz at the end)
http://youtu.be/xfo1tZ95Ypk
How did you do?
What if this were your student?
Current Statistics at RACC
 ADD/ADHD= about 18% to 20% of all DS students
 Many have co-occurring issues:
 Autism
 Psychiatric issues (half)
 Learning Disability
 Chronic Health Issue
Let’s examine some
common myths about
ADHD
Myth #1: ADHD is not a real disorder
 It is a real, neurobiological, “valid disorder, with severe,
lifelong consequences.”
 Who says?
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The National Institutes of Mental Health
Surgeon General of the US
The Centers for Disease Control
American Medical Association
American Psychiatric Association
Mayo Clinic, and others
Myth #2: ADHD is caused by poor
parenting, TV, and sugar
 Precise causes still not 100% certain
 Much evidence suggests:
 Heredity
 Prenatal exposure to alcohol and tobacco
 Premature delivery
 Significantly low birth weight
 High body lead levels
 Postnatal injury to the prefrontal regions of the
brain
Myth #2: ADHD is caused by poor
parenting, TV, and sugar (cont’d)
 According to the NIMH, causes are brainbased:
 Brain imaging studies
 Brain development delayed by about three
years
 Delay effects brain regions involved in
thinking, paying attention, and planning
Myth #2: ADHD is caused by poor
parenting, TV, and sugar (cont’d)
 Not causes of ADHD:
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Excessive sugar intake
Too much TV
Poor child management by parents
Poverty
Family chaos
 However, these factors exacerbate the problem and
complicate treatment
Myth #3: All ADHD is the same
Three types of ADHD:
1. ADHD Predominantly Inattentive (ADHD-I)
Difficulty w/attention, careless mistakes, not listening, struggles to follow
through, lack of organization, dislikes tasks that require sustained mental
effort, loses things, forgetful
2. ADHD Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive (ADHD-HI)
Fidgets or squirms, runs, climbs, moves a lot, can’t stay seated, talks
excessively, difficulty being quiet, blurts out answers, interrupts, hard time
waiting or taking turns
3. ADHD Combined Type (ADHD-C)
Individual meets both Inattentive and Hyperactive/Impulsive criteria
Myth #4: ADHD is not that common
How many children have been diagnosed with ADHD?
 APA in the DSM V: 5% of all children
 Studies in multiple peer-reviewed journals: 5% to 8%
 CDC National Survey of Children’s Health: 8% to 11%
 Boys are twice as likely as girls to be diagnosed with ADHD
Myth #5: ADHD is a disorder of
childhood
 Symptoms typically arise in early
childhood
 Some symptoms continue into
adulthood and present life-long
challenges
Myth #6: There’s no test for ADHD, so
it is over-diagnosed
True—There is no single test for ADHD, but there are criteria and a
process for diagnosis:
 Licensed professional observes behavior, gathers information
 Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that
interferes with functioning or development.
 Symptoms interfere with, or reduce the quality of, social, school, or
work functioning
 Six or more symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity for
children up to age 16, or five or more for adolescents 17 and older
and adults
 Symptoms present for at least 6 months
 Symptoms/behaviors present in multiple situations
Myth #7: Stimulants are the only
medication for ADHD
Two types of medications:
Stimulants: Adderall, Concerta, Focalin, Vyvanse
Non-Stimulants: Intuniv, Strattera
Many students do not take prescribed meds, but selfmedicate with alcohol, marijuana, etc.
Difficulty when out of medication
You heard the myths,
now how can we help?
How can Disability Services help
students with ADHD?
Typical accommodations include:
Extra time for tests
Quiet place to test
Use of recorder in classroom
Use of quiet fidget item in classroom (this
is a recommendation, not accom)
How can Disability Services help
students with ADHD?
Academic Coaching includes:
 Weekly check-ins
 Time management strategies
 Creating habits of checking email, Angel, etc.
 Study strategies
 Monitor use of planner/calendar
 Processing syllabus with student
 Breaking assignments into parts
How can faculty or staff help
students with ADHD?
Consider:
 Allowing fidget items, stress balls and doodling
 Use dots, lines on board, index cards to curb
questions
 Tap overly-fidgety student on shoulder
 Chunk information in smaller bits
 Advise accordingly: no 3-hour classes
Remember this video?
Can you pass the quiz this time?
http://youtu.be/xfo1tZ95Ypk
We cannot take for granted that all
students perceive our information or
instruction the same way, can we?
Questions?
Resources for More Information
National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attentiondeficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml
NIMH Booklet: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder/adhd_booklet_cl508.pdf
ADD Association: http://www.add.org/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/
Children and Adults with ADD: http://www.chadd.org/
National Resource Center on ADHD: http://www.help4adhd.org/