As we have always emphasized in our previous articles, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is not just a problem consisting of attention and activity. There are 6 different clusters of symptoms, and the intensity and pattern of symptoms varies from individual to individual. The symptom cluster that we will discuss in this article will be about the problems in the process of inhibiting and managing the behaviors that are seen as the most problematic by families and educators with ADHD.
Problem areas in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
1. Focus (attention),
2. Planning,
3. Desire (motivation),
4. Anger control,
5. Memory
6. Organization (Management of behavior)
Problems Managing Behaviors in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:
Barkley, who is considered among the most important researchers in understanding ADHD, argued that the main problem in attention deficit is ‘the deterioration in the ability of the person to inhibit himself’. Many of our brain circuits work actively to do the right behavior at the right time. Basically, 4 steps are required to do the right behavior at the right time.
To prevent (brake) our reaction until the right time (The most common problem in attention deficit)
Calculation of all factors regarding how and when to take action (monitoring self and environmental factors)
Choosing the right time and taking action
Flexible control of all reactions after taking action.
To better understand these operations, let’s consider a football player. This player is going to the goal with the ball. The player has to perform the tasks we described above step by step in order to score a goal or make the right pass. First of all, he must keep the ball at his feet (braking his movement) until the right time. In the meantime, many factors such as the position on the field, the placement of the opponent football players, the speed of the ball, the condition of the field surface, the alignment of the teammates should be calculated correctly. He should hit the ball with the right speed and angle by making all these calculations automatically. After hitting the ball, he must keep a constant watch to decide the speed and direction of the ball’s travel to the target, whether it returns or not, and to decide on his next move.
We do these mental complex calculations not only in football but also in our daily life, especially during our social relationships, but we are not aware of it. During social interaction, we follow the right cues from body language, facial expressions and tone of voice to understand the intention of the other party. We use a lot of instant and past information to keep our speech and behavior measured and balanced. Since children with ADHD have problems in controlling this behavior, they often cause problems and complaints while listening to lessons at school, playing games with their friends or spending time with their siblings. Behavior control does not work well. For this reason, they show many symptoms such as restlessness, excessive activity, getting bored quickly, talking a lot, intervening frequently, always wanting to do what they say, being stubborn, not following the rules.
The most severe and prominent symptoms of these behavioral control problems are HYPERACTIVITY and Impulsivity (attachment) symptoms (will be explained in detail in our next article). Of course, the problems in behavior regulation are not as intense as hyperactivity in every case. In other words, as we always emphasize, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder also has an attention deficit subtype without hyperactivity.
Best regards
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