Affects of ADHD on School Performance

ADHD symptoms do affect academic achievement. For kids with ADHD, classroom adjustments can be quite useful.

Five to twelve percent of all children have ADD or ADHD, which are neurological diseases. The malfunction of neurotransmitters, the brain’s chemical messengers, is thought to be the root cause of ADD and ADHD symptoms. Attention deficits’ two main symptoms, inattention and impulsivity, might make it more challenging for these kids to follow parental instructions and do well in school. Mild to severe symptoms of ADD and ADHD might occur.

About 50% of individuals no longer have significant issues with the condition’s symptoms. Some attention-deficit-disordered kids perform incredibly well in the classroom. However, for many others, academic underachievement is a defining trait. One can connect with the Best Therapist in India at TalktoAngel.

ADHD patients frequently exhibit high levels of vigor, talkativeness, and extroversion. Children with ADD inattentive, formerly known as ADD without hyperactivity, on the other hand, are typically languid, less likely to speak up in class, and introverted. Some children, particularly those with ADD inattentive or mild instances of ADHD, may not be diagnosed until high school or college, despite the fact that many children are diagnosed and treated in elementary school.

According to Dr. Russell Barkley’s studies, many children with ADD or ADHD fall behind their peers in terms of development by as much as 30% in some areas, despite the fact that they may be cognitively gifted. For teenagers, this equates to a delay of 4-6 years. They could appear foolish or immature as a result. Their work will vary in quality and quantity from day to day, and they are less likely to recall their jobs or assignments to complete them. They are also more inclined to speak or act impulsively. To help the child cope with this, parents and instructors may need to give more encouraging feedback, closely monitor student work, remind students of their assignments, and engage in more regular communication.

90% of youngsters with ADD or ADHD will have academic difficulties.

The following is a list of typical learning issues and how they affect both home and school performance. But bear in mind that every child with attention deficit is different and can have some of these issues, but not all of them.

Lack of attention and poor concentration:

difficulty concentrating, difficulty staying on task and completing schoolwork; difficulty paying attention in class; tendency to daydream; spaces out and misses lecture content or homework assignments; lack of attention to detail; careless mistakes in work; failure to catch errors in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, or changes in signs (+,-) in math; distractible, switching between incomplete tasks; lack of awareness of the passing or failing grades and of the passage of time

Impulsivity:

rushes through tasks; fails to double-check work; fails to read instructions; uses mental shortcuts to do written tasks, especially math; has a hard time holding off on pleasure; despises waiting.

Language Deficits:

sluggish processing of information; slow reading, writing, and responding; slow memory of data; more common in children with ADD or attention deficit disorder. Three issues with language processing may be widespread among kids with ADD or ADHD.

  • Listening and Reading Comprehension: has trouble following instructions, has trouble taking notes, loses the main point of a lecture, and has trouble “hearing” or picking out the homework assignments; has poor reading comprehension, inability to recall what was read, and needs to reread the content.
  • Spoken Language (oral expression): Talks a lot impulsively (ADHD); talks less in response to queries that require them to reflect and provide ordered, concise replies; avoids answering in class or delivers rambling answers.
  • Written Language: Slow learning to read and write, which results in longer work completion times and less written output; trouble structuring essays; trouble getting thoughts out of one’s head and onto paper; Responses to discussion topics and written test answers may be succinct.

Poor Organizational Skills:

disorganized; forgets schoolwork; struggles to start duties; struggles to determine which step should be taken first; struggles to organize thoughts; write essays, and struggles to plan ahead.

Impaired Sense of Time:

loses track of time, is frequently late; does not effectively manage time; does not foresee how long a task will take; does not make future plans. The inability to memorize information such as multiplication tables, math facts or formulas, spelling words, foreign languages, and/or historical dates is referred to as having a poor memory.

  • Math Computation: Difficulty automating fundamental math operations, such as multiplication tables, and inability to quickly recall fundamental operations
  • Forgetful: Forgets to complete chores or homework assignments, bring books home, turn in completed tasks to the teacher, remember special assignments, or do make-up work.

Poor fine motor coordination:  

results in small, difficult-to-read handwriting, slow writing, a dislike of schoolwork and writing assignments, a preference for printing over cursive writing, and less written work.

Poor Executive Functioning:

Very intelligent students with attention issues can occasionally perform poorly in school. Dr. Russell Barkley’s most recent study findings center on how poor executive functioning contributes to academic failure (deficits in working memory, control of emotions and behavior, internalizing language, problem-solving, and organization of materials and action plans). It takes more than just a high IQ to succeed in school, unfortunately! 

A kid may struggle in school because of a confluence of many learning issues: he may be unable to pay attention in class, identify the major ideas, and/or have poor fine motor coordination, which makes it difficult for him to take adequate notes. A student could perform poorly on a test if he reads, thinks, and writes slowly, finds it difficult to organize his thoughts, or finds it challenging to memorize and recall the material. It is crucial to identify learning issues and make suitable modifications in the regular classroom. You can take Online Therapy at TalktoAngel an online counseling platform for your mental health concerns.