Pop Quiz

SO, if you ever had a kid, or if you were once a kid yourself, think back and ponder this:

Did your child (or you, as a child) sometimes struggle to follow instructions or become bored with a task after only a few minutes (unless doing something enjoyable)? Do you ever notice how small people do not seem to listen when spoken to, or they daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly. Perhaps they have difficulty learning something new? Are they not easily distracted, missing details, forgetting things, and don’t little folk often have difficulty focusing on one thing, frequently switching from one activity to another?  All of these these traits are familiar. I call these behaviors “actions of a typical child”.  Based on personal experience and observation, I would venture that most normal squirrel chasing, ball bouncing, rock throwing, wall coloring tots fit the attributes that are listed above.

The National Institute of Mental Health reports these traits as evidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Go online, search ADHD, and you might read this from the NIMH:

ADHD Can Be Mistaken for Other Problems "Parents and teachers can miss the fact that children with symptoms of inattention have the (ADH) disorder because they are often quiet and less likely to act out. They may sit quietly, seeming to work, but they are often not paying attention to what they are doing. “ (NIMH ) Children who have symptoms of inattention may:

· Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new

· Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities

· Not seem to listen when spoken to

· Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly

· Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others

· Struggle to follow instructions.

· Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another

· Have difficulty focusing on one thing

· Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyable

If I were whisked back to first grade, and if I then had to score myself on this ADHD checklist, it would be one of the few A Plus, 100% grades I earned back at Maricopa Elementary. How about YOU? Would you qualify, too?