Is ADHD a Learning Disability?

In the UK, ADHD is not considered a learning disability. More a learning difficulty due to the symptoms that ADHD causes a child such as focus issues, poor organisational skills and attention difficulties. These challenges can make it tough for students to focus on tasks and assignments in a classroom setting, resulting in lower academic performance overall. Learning Disorders or Disabilities are neurological, making reading, writing, spelling and maths difficult. Just for clarification, a disorder is a medical term whilst a disability is a legal term and are often used interchangeably depending on the context. Learning disabilities are not due to vision…

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ADHD and Masking

Ever been at a family gathering or a party where people have commented on how amazing your child is and are you sure they have ADHD?  Ever gone into your child’s school and practically begged for help and they’ve looked at you like you are crazy.  Your child is an angel and maybe it’s you that needs to seek help?  You are not alone.  Your child is a masker.  I used to think I was going mad too.  I nearly convinced myself that it was all in my head and that I was just a ‘bad’ parent who couldn’t control her child. …

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Comorbidities of ADHD

Approximately half of all people with ADHD suffer from another condition. This is known as a comorbidity. Sometimes comorbidities are considered 'secondary' or triggered by ADHD. For example, a child could be particularly depressed because they are constantly being told off for being impulsive or not being able to focus on the task at hand. This will generally subside once the ADHD is diagnosed and treated. When the problems don't resolve this is when a condition is considered comorbid or standalone, a diagnosis in itself. The condition is both chronic and pervasive. That means they were noticed early on in childhood and…

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Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in Children

Since blogging about ADHD in children, I have come across so many other comorbidities such as ASD, ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder), Anxiety, RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria) and here is yet another one, PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance).  PDA is widely understood to be on the autistic spectrum or ASD as it is now called.  As I have learnt ASD and ADHD are also closely linked.  My daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD, and I work with children who have ASD and PDA, so I was really interested in the difference between ODD and Pathological Demand Avoidance in children.  What is Pathological…

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ADHD and Dysgraphia in children

ADHD and Dysgraphia can both impact a child's ability to learn. ADHD is a condition that impacts a person's ability to focus and stay on task. Dysgraphia is a condition that impacts a person's ability to write correctly. Children who have ADHD and dysgraphia may struggle in school and may have difficulty completing assignments or taking tests. Approximately 31-45% of children with ADHD have a learning disorder such as Dysgraphia, and vice versa (Sage Journals). My daughter has ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia. What is Dysgraphia? Dysgraphia is a condition that affects a person's ability to write correctly. The word dysgraphia comes from…

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ADHD and Bipolar Disorder

ADHD and bipolar disorder are both mental disorders that can cause problems with focus, energy, mood, and impulsivity. People with ADHD have difficulty paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours, or being overly active. Those with bipolar disorder experience extreme changes in mood, energy, and behaviour. ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents. It is estimated that between 3 and 5% of school-aged children have ADHD. Bipolar disorder is less common, affecting about 1-1.8% of all children, but that's still a lot of children! Until only quite recently it was believed that only adults could have bipolar. However,…

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ADHD and Dyspraxia in Children

ADHD and dyspraxia are both neurodevelopmental disorders. ADHD is a condition that affects focus, attention, and impulsivity. Dyspraxia (also known as DCD, Developmental Coordination Disorder) is a condition that affects fine and gross motor skills, coordination and movement. It is often referred to as a "motor learning disability." This means that it can be difficult for people with dyspraxia to learn new motor skills, or to execute previously learned motor skills. Dyspraxia can occur in isolation, or it can be comorbid with other conditions, such as ADHD. In fact, research suggests that ADHD and dyspraxia often co-occur. One study found that 36…

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ADHD and OCD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are two of the most common mental health conditions in the United States. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by problems with focus, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. OCD is a chronic condition marked by unwanted and intrusive thoughts, emotions, or impulses that lead to repetitive behaviours or compulsions. Roughly 30% of people with OCD have ADHD. While they have some similarities, they are also two very different disorders. I decided to write this post to explore the link between ADHD and OCD, as well as the symptoms and treatments available for each condition. The…

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ADHD and Depression in Children

Children as young as six years old are susceptible to depression.  It is estimated that nearly half of all children with ADHD will suffer from depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders.  Some statistics show up to 70 per cent of individuals with ADHD will at some point be treated for depression. That is an incredibly high figure.  Statistics also show that the third leading cause of death for adolescents aged 15-24 years is suicide, with depression on the rise. Those are incredibly sad figures to read.  This post isn’t supposed to scare you, but rather to raise awareness for what some of…

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ADHD and Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is often thought of as dyslexia with numbers.  It is a learning disorder involving numbers and concepts relating to numbers.  What was shocking to read is that about 60% of children with ADHD also have another learning disorder such as dyscalculia.  This figure is only about 5% in neurotypical (NT) children.  My daughter has ADHD and dyscalculia, so I really wanted to try and understand exactly what it is, hence this post. What is Dyscalculia? Dyscalculia is a maths learning disorder.  This involves difficulties with not only everyday numbers but also maths symbols (addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication), wording (one more…

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