6 aspects of Attention Deficit Syndrome: (Focus-attention):
Although it is named as Attention Deficit, this definition is a bit confusing. It has been shown that the main problem in individuals with attention deficit is not only in the area of attention, but also in the complex brain functions (executive functions) that manage attention. These executive brain functions are responsible for many functions in daily life. It can be thought of as the boss area of our brain and manages many processes. It has been shown that individuals with attention deficit frequently have problems in 6 of these executive functions.
1. Focus (attention),
2. Planning,
3. Willingness (motivation),
4. Anger control,
5. Memory
6. Organization
These problem areas can be seen in different severity in each individual.
1. Concentration problems (attention deficit):
‘Attention’ is a function governed by extremely complex neural networks by different brain regions. For this reason, people experience attention problems in many ways, but in order to diagnose Attention Deficit, this problem must be experienced frequently, for a long time and must be seen to affect the quality of life.
Children with ADHD experience intense attention problems, especially when performing tasks that are given to them rather than their own wishes. For example, a student with attention deficit cannot focus on what he is reading when asked to do homework. He can often pronounce the words he reads, but has difficulty in deciphering what the sentence or paragraph means.
The mind is focused enough to decode the word codes, but associating these words with what they have read has not allocated enough attention (energy) to decipher what the sentence or paragraph means. In fact, he has the ability to do so. If the work they are reading or doing is on a subject that interests them, they will pay more attention and can decipher the whole of what they read, even the finer details. Sometimes, individuals without attention deficit can ‘read absentmindedly’ after a few lines, realizing that they did not understand anything from what they read and come back. If this situation is experienced intensely and frequently, attention deficit can be considered as a disorder.
Distraction:
Another problem seen in these children is that they can get distracted quickly. Another thought that runs through their minds, especially during an activity they do reluctantly, their attention is quickly distracted by any stimulus from the environment. While trying to listen to his teacher in class, his friend dropping his pencil, an object he saw outside, or his thoughts about the movie he watched in the evening may interfere. In this way, frequent breakouts and comebacks are experienced.
To put it simply, attention can be compared to the ‘spotlight’ that illuminates a theater stage. Person spotlight (attention) works well in people without attention deficit. When they focus on a point, the stimuli coming from the environment are suppressed (the light is intense where it is focused and the environment is dark). In individuals with attention deficits, this spotlight functions in a less intense, frequently shifting manner (from the stage to the audience when a voice is heard in the audience) during tasks.
Fixed focus (inability to shift attention):
Sometimes, individuals with ADHD complain that they focus too much and cannot focus their attention on other things, not distraction. In particular, they cannot get up at work such as the TV or computer they love, and they do not realize how the time passes. They cannot get up from the computer and focus their attention on the work they need to do.
In summary, ATTENTION DEFICIT can be defined as intense and chronic ‘attention mismanagement’. They have the problem of not being able to focus deeply enough, being easily distracted, and sometimes vice versa.
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