How Common Is ADHD?
February 2, 2021
Sights on Summer!
February 16, 2021
Continuing our thoughts on ADHD, the last two weeks of conversation have focused on an overview of ADHD, including the prevalence of diagnoses in the United States. Last week, I briefly introduced us to the notion of executive functioning and how it can be more significantly impactful than hyperactivity.
What is executive functioning? According to ADDitudemag.com, executive function is the cognitive skills that help us plan, prioritize, and execute complex tasks - skills that are commonly linked to ADHD in both children and adults. Managing time efficiently and making decisions are also part of the executive functioning process. How many of you see your child struggling to meet due dates on assignments, misplacing their materials, prioritizing the wrong tasks, or getting overwhelmed by big projects? Helping our children overcome these obstacles can often feel as overwhelming for us as it does for them.
Past Springer School and Center Distinguished Speaker and ADHD authority, Russell Barkley, Ph.D., explained in an article at ADDitudemag.com how executive dysfunction originates in the brain, and he outlined seven executive functions closely tied to ADHD.
- Self-Awareness or self-directed attention
- Inhibition or self-restraint
- Non-Verbal Working Memory
- Verbal Working Memory
- Emotional Self-Regulation
- Self-Motivation
- Planning and Problem Solving
According to Barkley, anyone who exhibits the “classic” symptoms of ADHD will have difficulty in most, if not all, of these seven areas. Of course, there are an incredible number of other factors that can play a role in a child’s executive functioning, but the information provided by Dr. Barkley gives us a better understanding of the development of the brain, especially as it relates to ADHD.
If you’d like to learn more, I encourage you to check out the article on ADDitudemag.com by Dr. Barkley. There is also still time to register for our upcoming Distinguished Speaker guest, Dr. David Anderson from the Child Mind Institute, who will be sharing his own expertise on ADHD. Dr. Anderson will be presenting to parents and families on February 11 and to professionals on February 12. Join us as Springer and Cincinnati Children’s host Dr. Anderson virtually.
Blogger Lisa Bruns, M.Ed., Special Education, shares her expertise of students with learning disabilities. As a special educator, she has expert knowledge of interventions and accommodations that students may need to succeed in and out of the classroom. If you have questions, please contact Center Director Lisa Bruns at .
