Therapy & Learning Services, Inc

Inattentive ADD: 4 common symptoms

1/19/2016

When my daughter was in elementary school {she is now a teen}, I remember approaching her third grade teacher with concerns about Attention Deficit Disorder. Because my daughter was a good student, very quiet and not falling out of her chair... her teacher, someone I really respected as an educator, looked at me like I had three heads because I had uttered the ADD word. I was flabbergasted that someone who was so gifted and respected as an educator could be so unaware of the common signs of Inattentive ADD. My experience was unfortunately the same response that many parents get when they approach teachers with attention concerns {without hyperactivity}. This is especially common for parents of girls who exhibit symptoms.

If you feel like there are possible signs of inattentive ADD with your child {especially your daughter} this post will help you learn some of the most common symptoms associated with this type of ADD.

4 Common Symptoms of Inattentive ADD

Trouble getting started on tasks-Students with inattentive ADD just can't seem to motivate themselves to begin things. If you find yourself repeating and repeating and repeating yourself {AKA...nagging} about EVERYTHING your child needs to do, your child may be struggling with the executive functioning skill of task initiation. They simply can't "see" how to get started with a task and so they don't. Yes, getting started on school work seems simple to you, but something as simple as completing a worksheet involves many steps. This task has multiple steps: getting the worksheet from the backpack, finding a pencil, sitting down to actually do the worksheet and finally putting it back into the backpack.
Trouble sticking with a task to completion-Students with inattentive ADD, once they get started on a task, will often abandon the task or project after a short time. They have trouble with the executive functioning skill of sustained attention. Why? There can be several reasons but one of the most common is that they simply get distracted by something else. It is difficult for them to filter out sensory stimuli to focus in on the task at hand for a long period of time.
Disorganized-Students with Inattentive ADD are often the kids that have papers overflowing from their backpack, forget to turn in completed homework, forget to bring books home and more! For some, especially girls, it may not be as noticeable at first. My daughter was able to keep her papers "neat" {she put all papers in her folder} but did not take the time to put her papers into the correct place in the folders/binders..
Anxiety-. Often these students know that they are internally disorganized {from past experiences} and fear they will forget something or misplace something. They remember the unpleasant consequences and so anxiety becomes part of the cycle. This was very true for my daughter. She walked around in an almost constant state of fear because she had forgotten something once and was deeply embarrassed that she had to call home. These students often know they are having difficulty but don't know how to express it and so the anxiety takes hold.

When I noticed that my daughter was struggling with these symptoms, I began to use strategies that would help her develop her executive functioning skills and find success. One of my favorite resources, at that time, was Impact ADHD. Because Elaine and Diane are parents to children who struggle with executive functioning skills, they were able to create tools for parents and students that REALLY work. It was through their training programs and very informative newsletter I was able to find ways to tweak my parenting that immediately lessened the stress for both my daughter and I.

Your assignment this week: Click the button below to sign up for the Impact ADHD FREE Webinar: From Chaos to Calm on January 27th!

Remember that I always love to hear from you in the comments. Tell me, have you noticed the above symptoms in your child or yourself? How did you handle it?

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Five FUN tools to help your student manage their life

1/5/2016

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Do you remember what it was like to return to school after the holiday break? The dread. The anxiety. I remember it well...just kidding, I LOVED school and always looked forward to returning to school because it meant I got new school supplies! I'm still that way. For many students however, the winter/spring semester can be a hard one. They are consumed with negative thoughts which doesn't lend itself well to a successful return to school/new semester.

This blog post will show you five tools that will help your student better manage their life. Tools that are not only super fun to use but also a great way to easily begin new habits that will last a lifetime.

1. Perforated Now/Later Notepad. A great way to keep the "to do list" visible for quicker action. It also ensures that the "to do list" is in ONE place and not scattered about on sticky notes. Another feature is that it helps students begin to prioritize tasks at the most basic level. No more "I forgot!"

2. Today's Plan of Attack Notepad. Once your student has their master to do list set , they can use this notepad to plan and prioritize each item of each task and their day. Using this method keeps them focused on THE most important tasks that they need to complete. Less procrastination!

3. This Week Note Pad. Another great step in life management for students, is to lay out an entire week at a time. Having a full week visible can alleviate the anxiety many students feel when they feel like they have "no time" to get everything done. Better time management!

4. Make a Decision Note Pad. Students can sometimes be paralyzed by having to make decisions-especially since mom and dad aren't right there to help them process options. This little gem walks them through the process in a fun, but truly helpful way. Self sufficiency at it's best!

5. Colorful G2 Gel Pens. Colorful FUN pens are a must for students to keep them engaged with the tedious nature of the daily routine. These pens are very smooth to write with and won't smear like so many others. You can also refill them! Just plain FUN.

Aren't these a fun set of tools? I simply adore them because if tools aren't fun and easy to use...students won't use them. I have yet to have a student fail to use at least one of these on a regular basis.

Your assignment this week: Tell me in the comments about a tool that you will purchase for your student(s}. Don't have one? Tell me which one the above tools you like and will purchase for yourself.

Jennifer

Remember to join my newsletter if you want even more ideas like these!

**This post contains affiliate links.

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Inattentive ADD: 4 common symptoms

​4 Common Symptoms of Inattentive ADD

Five FUN tools to help your student manage their life

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4 Common Symptoms of Inattentive ADD