What Many Teachers Don’t Know About ADHD
Your child’s ADHD is an iceberg – according to Chris A. Zeigler Dendy. Just 10% of its complex symptoms are visible to the naked eye. Use this video to explain beneath-the-surface attributes that are commonly misunderstood at school.
ADHD is more nuanced than most people—including teachers—realize. Only a small percentage of its symptoms are easily recognizable.
Without an in-depth understanding, it’s easy to label its lesser-known challenges as willful defiance or unwillingness to learn. Use this video to help decode ADHD for teachers and staff at your child’s school.
What Many Teachers Don’t Know About ADHD
Your child’s ADHD is an iceberg – according to Chris A. Zeigler Dendy. Just 10% of its complex symptoms are visible to the naked eye.
Most teachers recognize hallmark signs like:
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsivity
- Inattention
But its lesser-known “invisible” challenges are easy to blame on laziness or disobedience.
Use this guide to explain beneath-the-surface ADHD attributes that are commonly misunderstood at school.
1. Developmental Delays
Kids with ADHD mature at a slower pace. Their brain development can lag 2-3 years behind their peers’.
A 15 year old with ADHD may act like a 12 year old socially and emotionally.
2. Impaired Executive Functioning
Executive functions help kids plan, prioritize, and execute daily tasks.
When they are weak, students have trouble with:
- Remembering homework or the rules
- Keeping track of due dates
- Getting started on “boring” tasks
- Sticking with difficult projects
- Retrieving facts or information
3. Emotional Dysregulation
ADHD impairs a child’s ability to regulate feelings – anger, anxiety, or sadness.
Students with ADHD may have overblown reactions to setbacks that seem small, and then struggle to calm down.
4. Co-existing Conditions
Roughly half of all students with ADHD also have a second condition, like:
- A learning disability (25-50%)
- Anxiety (34%)
- Depression (29%)
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder (54-67%)
The first step toward greater learning is a comprehensive diagnosis and more complete understanding.
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