Brainworks® - Lazy or Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder
Lazy or Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder?
Part 2 of 2
"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to what I was thinking."
- Shelley Curtiss
| ASK THE EXPERT |
Question
My son is a high school senior, and I am very concerned how he will do in college. Even though he has been in gifted classes since elementary school, I feel a disaster coming. I question his ability to take notes in college. His handwriting is so messy that I doubt he can read his own writing, even though he says he can. He has no sense of time. Procrastination is his middle name. Therefore, most of his projects are late because he will not start working on them until the last minute. He loses everything. Every morning is a fiasco –– lost keys, missing papers, a textbook. His teachers say he rarely participates in class discussions because he is daydreaming. His poor listening skills cause him to miss details in conversations. As a result, his friends will ask, "Hello? Is anybody home?" By now, I expected him to be more mature. Is there a reason for these behaviors?
Answer:
He is an example of what is called the Twice Exceptional Child, being very bright but having a condition that keeps him from performing up to his potential. He is gifted, but could have Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder. He would benefit from visiting with a psychiatrist to see if he has ADHD, and he would profit from working with an ADHD expert who can provide him with new strategies that he can use in college when there is not a parent present. In answer to his level of maturity, individuals with ADHD tend to mature at a 30% delay. That is why many ADHD students transition better to a university environment by starting out at the junior college level first.
Below you will find 10 more characteristics of the Inattentive ADHD child. Click here for the first 10 characteristics from Part 1.
- Acts impulsively or may not appear to react at all; is not good at crisis management (detaches rather than takes action).
- Could have spatial and/or motor skill difficulties (messy handwriting, poor sense of direction, or coordination problems).
- Is unaware of time (either underestimates or overestimates time, but is usually late).
- Appears disorganized (messy locker, room, and desk).
- Spends time daily hunting for things such as keys, papers, books, purse, etc.
- Has errors in logical thinking and/or has irrational thoughts.
- Does not advocate for self; rarely asks questions in class or participates in class discussion.
- Makes mediocre grades (or all A’s if person is a perfectionist). May put in extra effort to hyperfocus in order to compensate for inattentiveness.
- Has poor listening skills (misses details in conversations, teacher directions, and lectures).
- Has short-term and working memory problems; therefore, has trouble with application of learned information.
For further reading on Inattentive ADHD, read the feature article, "Inattentiveness: The Quiet Disorder" by Debra Moore from the Brainworks Newsletter, Spring 1998.
Our next Brainworks Tip will be more on the Twice Exceptional student.
