Video 1: What is ADHD?

Hi! My name is Marsha, and I’m with the PASS Study at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Today, we are going to begin our five-part video series on ADHD. The first video is entitled: “What is ADHD?” Let’s get started!

After watching this video, there will be four more videos to complete our five-part video series on ADHD. Video 1 will be about what is ADHD. Video 2 will discuss how ADHD affects children. Video 3 goes into what other problems and conditions exist along with ADHD. Video 4 will discuss 504 plans and the effects ADHD can have on children at school. Lastly, Video 5 will go over IDEAs and IEPs.

To get started, I want to break down the meaning of ADHD. Often times, doctors and teachers use the term without fully explaining what the acronym means. The “A” in ADHD is for attention, the “D” is for deficit, the “H” is for hyperactivity, and the “D” is for disorder. Together, ADHD stands for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

ADHD is a condition that affects how the brain influences a person’s development relating to their ability to control attention and behavior. There are three main subgroups in ADHD. The first being inattention, the second is hyperactivity/impulsivity, and the third is combined. In the coming slides, we will discuss how inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity may present in your children in two different settings.

Before we go any further, I want to take a minute or two to go through a quick activity with everyone watching. I want everyone to think about some of the challenges your child has been having with ADHD at school or at home. As you start to list some of the challenges, try to sort them into a table like I have on the screen. The first column is inattention, next is hyperactivity/impulsivity. Then, we have other conditions, and lastly, daily life disruptions. Remember there are no right or wrong answers. We will go over this table in the next slide.

On the screen, I have filled out a table to help guide you in making yours at home. Your table does not have to look like mine as every child is different. These are some examples of challenges your child might be facing at home and at school. Under inattention, children might have trouble completing tasks, listening, and staying organized. For hyperactivity/impulsivity, they might display constant moving, fidgeting, tapping and talking. Some other conditions they might be experiencing are constant worrying or arguing and trouble sleeping. Lastly, for daily life disruptions they could experience difficulty making friends, low grades, and getting into trouble at school. There will be more information about other conditions and daily life disruptions in Videos 2 and 3.

As mentioned before, ADHD does have subgroups. The first one we will go over is called the predominantly inattentive presentation. To have this presentation, your child should have six or more of these symptoms displayed in two different settings for at least six months. The symptoms they could experience are: not paying close attention to detail, difficulty paying attention, being distracted when they are spoken to directly, trouble with following instructions/completing assignments, difficulty organizing tasks and activities, avoiding tasks that require a large amount of mental focus, losing important materials, being easily distracted, and forgetfulness.

The second subgroup is the predominantly hyperactive/impulsive presentation. This presentation has similar criteria to the first. Your child should have six or more symptoms displayed in two different settings for at least six months. The symptoms they could experience are: constant fidgeting, tendency to get up and leave their chair during class, running or climbing in inappropriate situations, the inability to complete relaxing activities quietly, acting as if they are “driven by a motor,” always talking, blurting out an answer before the appropriate response time, difficulty waiting for their turn, and often interrupting others.

If after going through the last two slides, you noticed that your child is displaying both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, it is possible that your child has a combined presentation. Children who present difficulties with both inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity fall under the category of combined presentation. The combined presentation is the most common presentation of ADHD, so it is normal that your child would present with symptoms from both groups.

That brings us to the end of Video 1. Some key takeaways is that ADHD stands for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and it has three main subgroups. The combined presentation is the most common of these three. Lastly, the symptoms must be displayed in two settings: at home and at school. Thanks for checking out this video, and I hope you stick around for Video 2 with Courtney to discuss how ADHD can affect your children!