Children with ADHD often demonstrate poor posture and postural-ocular integration which can be manifested in trouble sitting still, taking frequent movement breaks, or slumping/leaning.
Greater postural sway can indicate balancing problems and is commonly seen in people with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. This may be due to abnormalities in the cerebellum, a brain region linked to gait, balance control, and cognition.
So it's no surprise that for many, the classroom environment can be a real challenge – especially in the case of children with additional needs. What may appear, on the surface, to be a simple enough action to perform – sitting still – is actually very difficult for children with ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions.
ADHD may result in some symptoms that can make a person “socially clumsy.” If you often find yourself saying and doing inappropriate things during conversations, you might be experiencing social awkwardness.
Be on the lookout for nonverbal clues.
These include body language, such as moving away from you, cutting conversations short, or crossing their arms or legs. Also note facial expressions, such as red faces, scowls, tight lips, or hurt or angry eyes.
Usually, the most difficult times for persons with ADHD are their years from middle school through the first few years after high school. Those are the years when students are faced with the widest range of tasks to do and the least opportunity to escape from the tasks that they struggle with or find to be boring.
When not allowed to stand or sit in a slouched position, STNR children may frequently become “foot sitters,” sitting in the chair with feet and legs tucked under the body in order to keep the legs bent while the arms and neck are bent in reading or writing activities.
They keep their things fairly organized and try to avoid making a mess. But many kids and adults with ADHD are the opposite — they're messy most of the time. And it can cause problems at home, school, and work. For example, kids might miss a field trip because the permission slip got lost in their overflowing backpack.
Having ADHD means you have a brain thats hungry for reward, stimulation, something interesting. Uninteresting tasks dont fulfill that need, which is why we tend to have a hard time sustaining focus on them. Essentially, sitting still is the perfect example of an “uninteresting task” thats unrewarding and unstimulating.
Mood swings are common in people with ADHD. People with this disorder can be hypersensitive, too. That means sensations, like touch, that may feel normal to another person can feel too intense for someone with ADHD.
Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger. Adult ADHD symptoms may include: Impulsiveness.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can make it seem impossible to keep a tidy house. As a result, ADHDers might have messy and unorganized homes and find that the usual tips and tricks don't work for them.
As a result of these neurobiological differences, “people with ADHD work very visually in order to remember things,” Hafeez says, “which can mean leaving something out in the open to remember to grab them later.”
Best Occupations for People with ADHD
Because of their unique ability to solve problems and create systems when interested in their work, Roberts says many people with ADHD do well as entrepreneurs, computer programmers, and within creative industries.
Impulsivity can be challenging to control, but an ADHD chair offers children and young people a chair with armrests and good support from the backrest and seat. Combined, these are worth their weight in gold, as they create a confined space, which helps the child with ADHD remain calm.
“Our students with ADHD typically concentrate on the movement or they concentrate on the lesson. Rocking chairs allow students to scratch the itch to move without even realizing it — and it's a way that's not disruptive and can help them concentrate and learn.”
With ADHD, a child or teen may have rapid or impulsive speech, physical restlessness, trouble focusing, irritability, and, sometimes, defiant or oppositional behavior.
The problem: The social maturity of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD) may be a few years behind that of their peers. In addition, they have difficulty reading verbal and physical social cues, misinterpreting remarks, or not getting jokes or games.
ADHD can reduce life expectancy by as much as 13 years, but its risk is reversible. Learn how to mitigate the risks in this video, with Russell Barkley, Ph. D.
People with ADHD tend to talk — a lot. We talk because we're excited or nervous, or because we just want to be a part of the conversation. Sometimes we talk simply to fill the silence because silence is hard for us.
Differences in the quality and fluency of speech are also often seen in people with ADHD. In some cases, this disorder has been detected and diagnosed as a result of these differences. As an individual with ADHD works to organize their thoughts when talking, using more filler words or repeating sounds/words is common.
Some children with ADHD who struggle with social skills do not hear their tone. They do not realize that the way they are communicating is off-putting or rude.