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Key Information: ADHD/ADD

Common issues with ADHD/ADD may include the following:

  • Inattention – disrupted by their own thoughts or daydreaming, moving quickly onto a new topic of conversation before finishing the current one and producing work that is of variable quality.
  • Impulsiveness – a failure of executive functioning, an impairment of internal speech, finishing other people’s sentences and/or interrupting.
  • Intrusive thoughts and ideas reducing focus and concentration
  • Hyper focus on certain tasks or activities in short bursts
  • Short-term memory – poor note-taking ability, poor hindsight and forethought leading to an inability to learn from mistakes or draw on previous experience. Difficulty in following instructions – a student may have forgotten the first point in a list of instructions by the time the final point is covered.
  • Independent adaptive functioning.
  • Slow handwriting and typing skills
  • Mood swings – ranging from restlessness and fidgety behaviour to procrastinating (affecting coursework and revision for examinations).
  • Difficulty maintaining focus and discipline. Poor organisation and time management.
  • Risk-taking.
  • Problem-solving focus.
  • Working well under pressure – in short bursts
  • Interpersonal relationships and emotional functioning – students may appear sociable but friendships can be superficial.
  • Issues associated with medication – this can affect sleep patterns.
  • Low mood and depression as a result of “things going wrong”

However, as always, the expert in these situations is the person themselves so discuss with them how they may best be supported. 

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