As we are completing yet another year of school, have you asked yourself why your child or a student with ADHD in your class appears immature, as compared to the typical children in your home or classroom? Is there a delay in brain development in children with ADHD that causes them to be developmentally delayed approximately three years? Does knowing and understanding about that developmental delay help teachers and parents to manage children with ADHD in a more positive way?
I have previously discussed the definitive research that was completed by Shaw et al. (2007), concerning whether or not there was a delay in brain development in children with ADHD. Here is a quote from Dr. Shaw:
“The current study, really ever since ADHD was first described, there's been a debate about whether it represents a delay in brain development or whether it's due to a complete deviation away from normal brain development. To address this question we looked at the cortex and we measured the thickness of the cortex across thousands of points in the brain in about 450 kids, some with ADHD some without. And we looked at how the cortex developed. What we found is that in all children the cortex starts off quite thin it then gets thicker. It reaches its peak thickness and then starts thinner throughout adolescence. And the big difference we find in the current study was between the ADHD kids and the kids who didn't have ADHD was in the age at which they reached this milestone of peak cortical thickness throughout the brain. So for healthy kids they sort of peak around age 7 or 8, whereas the ADHD kids there delayed and they reach their peak at about age 10.”
“So while there was delay the sequence or the order in which the different parts of the brain matured was very similar in both the kids with ADHD and those who didn't have it. So if ADHD was a complete deviation away from normal brain development you'd expect the sequence to be completely disrupted and it wasn't. So we think this is pretty strong evidence that ADHD is more of a delay in brain development” (Retrieved April 6, 2011 from http://www.nih.gov/news/radio/nov2007/11302007adhd.htm).
So now that we know, according to the results of Shaw et al.’s (2007) definitive research, that children with ADHD mature approximately three years later than typical children, how does that affect our expectations for the child with ADHD? How does this information affect the parent’s daily interactions with their child? How does it affect the child’s teacher’s expectations for the child with ADHD?
Despite the results of this definitive research, teachers and parents, respectively, (rightfully so) have certain expectations and standards to which the children in their class and at home must adhere. The best that we can hope for is that both you and your child’s teacher have some understanding of the child with ADHD’s immaturity, which will help all of the adults in his life to manage these children in a more positive way.
That being said, we must encourage our children with ADHD to realize those expectations. Oftentimes children with ADHD do not think about others’ expectations for them. If they do not realize those expectations, how can they satisfy those expectations? The answer is if they do not realize the expectations that are set for everyone, they cannot meet them.
It is vital to do the following for our children with ADHD, so that they learn about the expectations that others set for them: (This list is for teachers and parents) (If the child with ADHD does not read, find some pictures that will cue them regarding their responsibilities.)
• Do not assume that if other children understand the expectations that are set for them, that children with ADHD are aware of those expectations
• Explain about expectations in general, as well as how they apply to individuals
• Talk to the child with ADHD either in one long conversation, or depending on his attention span, in a few short conversations about the following:
o grooming standards at home and at school
o housekeeping responsibilities at home, especially concerning his own possessions and his room
o an explanation of classroom responsibilities
o an explanation of behavioral expectations toward the teacher as well as toward his peers
o age-appropriate social skills (I would NOT use the word age-appropriate with the child, but as long as you are aware of what that phrase means, you can explain it to the child in a positive way)
o the change in the expectations for him for the next school year
It will be interesting to hear if by explaining the child’s expectations to him, he will become more flexible and responsive as related to how you and his teacher can help him to become accountable, as well as to begin to meet the daily expectations that others delineate for him.
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