It's very common for kids with ADHD to behave better in one setting or another, whether that is behaving well at home and terrible at school or vice versa. Oftentimes, this is because of a difference in the home and school environments. It's great that your son is in a smaller and more challenging school setting.
ADHD in preschoolers is sometimes situational — symptoms flare in school but not at home, and vice versa.
Children with ADD/ADHD are capable of appropriate classroom behavior, but they need structure and clear expectations in order to keep their symptoms in check. As a parent, you can help by developing a behavior plan for your child—and sticking to it.
To be diagnosed with ADHD, a child must have symptoms in at least two settings, like home and school. It's normal for kids to be inattentive or hyperactive sometimes, so ADHD symptoms must last for at least six months. It's also important to consider age.
Some kids with learning or behavior issues do great at school, where structure makes them feel secure. At home, though, they totally lose it. For other kids, the opposite is true. School triggers their symptoms because it is stressful for them.
School may have more environment stimuli such sounds, sights, smells which can be overwhelming and typically, homes are much less stimulating or the stimuli that are present are more familiar and therefore easier to manage.
It can seem counterintuitive, but sometimes the brightest kids act out from boredom. If the classroom environment does not stimulate them, they find may their own ways. Alternatively, if the material exceeds their abilities and they feel overwhelmed, this feeling could also show up in their behaviors.
Recognizing the various types of ADHD
Are generally forgetful. Struggle paying attention to details in their schoolwork and other activities. Regularly ignore a speaker, even when the speaker is talking to them directly. Avoid tasks that require prolonged mental effort.
ADHD masking
Your child's behaviours might not be so obvious in school. This could be because they are not presenting what many think of as the 'classic signs' of ADHD. You might also feel that your child is hiding their symptoms when at school. This is known as masking.
School can present challenges for many children with ADHD. Because ADHD symptoms include difficulty with attention regulation, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which can affect planning, organizing, and managing behavior, many children with ADHD struggle with change.
Sometimes it may feel that way, but raising a child with ADHD to be a well-behaved child is not impossible. You just need to develop strategies for developing positive behaviors, while curbing negative ones.
Masking is when a person with ADHD acts in a “socially acceptable” way to fit in and form better connections with those around them. This usually involves camouflaging their symptoms by controlling their impulses, rehearsing responses, and copying the behaviors of those who don't have ADHD.
A person with Inattentive ADHD type can easily feel embarrassed due to inattention, so they may choose to stay quiet and avoid any possible wrongdoings or mistakes ❌. This trait is often seen in children with this condition, but it can still affect adults later in their lives.
Although ADHD is technically defined as a 'disorder' it is by no means a negative thing. As a student, you still can excel, as long as you understand the right ways to utilise your 'superpower'.
High Functioning ADHD Symptoms
Anyone with high functioning ADHD can experience good days and more difficult ones, but symptoms may show up as frequent stress, difficulty multitasking, and frequent mood swings.
Symptoms. Some people with ADHD have fewer symptoms as they age, but some adults continue to have major symptoms that interfere with daily functioning. In adults, the main features of ADHD may include difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness and restlessness. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.
Similar to the hyperactive symptoms, impulsive symptoms are typically seen by the time a child is four years old and increase during the next three to four years to peak in severity when the child is seven to eight years of age.
The researchers point out that children with ADHD may find it difficult to concentrate for long periods and are challenged by impulsivity and excess energy. Screens may be better able to capture and keep their attention, and screens may help calm and occupy children.
Kids with ADHD are very curious by nature. They cannot wait to see or do interesting things, and they resist boring or repetitive things. This can be stressful for parents, since it turns things like homework and bedtime into battles. Kids with ADHD may argue or throw tantrums to get out of boring things.
Often when kids act up with one parent, it's because they are struggling with self-confidence. They feel weak, so they target the parent who has less power. It makes them feel powerful and in control.
They Have Big Emotions. Sometimes kids have no idea what to do about their feelings. They may become easily overwhelmed when they feel angry, and as a result, they may become aggressive. They may even act out when they feel excited, stressed, or bored.
Most high school children occasionally zone out in class because they are either tired or bored. But when your child chronically daydreams, this could indicate she is struggling with attention skills. Attention is one of our executive functions: the set of skills that let us execute daily tasks.