Imagine a classroom where all students listened, paid attention were attentive and completed all assignments without complaint or refusal. Many students have trouble paying attention because they are distracted by someone else talking or they notice something else going on in the hallway. Sometimes it is hard to wait or school work is very frustrating. Sometimes they just find it hard to sit still. These kinds of behaviors may be due to an inability to attend or control their behavior a condition called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Not everyone who is overly active, has a hard time paying attention or acts without thinking has an attention disorder. This website will help you to :

· Understand what causes ADHD
· How ADHD is treated
· What can help you in schools
· Who you can turn to for help
· Where to find more information on ADHD

ADHD is a disorder that doctors and teachers are constantly studying which leads to new treatments and ways to help students learn. Students with ADHD can be very successful. Famous people with ADHD include Bill Cosby, Alexander Graham Bell, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Jordan and many others.

What can help you in schools

ADHD can have a great impact on education. Inattention can cause lead to a student missing key information, skills or facts that the teacher is trying to teach. Being overactive and doing something without thinking (impulsivity) can lead to classroom disruption and disciplinary problems as well as problems with other students.

Experienced teachers do not judge or label students with attentional or impulse control problems. They provide accommodations or modifications that help students learn. Some of the things might be:

· seat students in areas with few distractions,
· provide activities for students that require movement that helps decrease their high energy levels,
· make sure rules are always known and enforced and
· allow students to have breaks while they are taking tests.

Some of the methods that teachers say improve learning for students with attention problems are;

· telling students in advance what they need to learn,
· providing visual aids and
· giving the student oral and written directions as well as examples.

WHAT IS ADHD?

More and more schoolchildren are being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, generally referred to as ADHD. You may also see the disorder abbreviated as ADD or ADHD. ADHD is now so common that almost everyone has heard about this disability. Most researchers believe that about 3% to 5% of school-age children are affected by the disorder. ADHD appears to be more common in boys.

There are no formal tests, which can confirm the diagnosis of ADHD. When an attention disorder is suspected specialists are consulted to answer several questions.

· Is the conduct of the person long term and occurs in multiple settings?
· Is it a constant problem, not just a reaction to a situation or family issue?
· Did the behaviors start before the age of seven?

Doctors and other specialists will talk with the student, the parents and the school to see how behaviors like not paying attention or sitting still or becoming frustrated with school work may be affecting their life at school or at home.

How is ADHD treated?

Medication does not cure ADHD, but treats the symptoms. Some children will only need medication for one or two years. Other children will need to stay on the medication well into adolescence and even adulthood.