If your son displays ADHD symptoms, you’ve probably heard his behaviour classified as lazy, unruly, or disrespectful. Sometimes, you may wonder why he behaves the way he does. For example, how can he spend hours playing video games but can’t spend fifteen minutes on homework?
It is important to recognize that ADHD is a neuro-developmental disorder related to the prefrontal cortex that affects twice as many boys as girls. There are many theories but no definitive answers as to why boys are more affected. What is known is that ADHD impacts the prefrontal cortex, which is central to our thought processes.
A Day in the Life of Your Son with ADHD
The prefrontal cortex regulates our behaviour and choices. It impacts our ability to focus and to predict outcomes. When it doesn’t operate appropriately, messages passing through the cortex get lost or misdirected.
Let’s imagine a hypothetical scenario. For example, your son is getting ready for school. As he leaves his room, he notices the food plate from the night before. He remembers he isn’t to leave plates in his room, so he drops his backpack, picks up the plate, and takes it to the kitchen. While in the kitchen, his sister yells at him because he will miss the bus, so he grabs his coat, lunch and heads out the door, leaving his backpack in his room.
His brain doesn’t regulate the incoming messages. He doesn’t think to put his backpack on and carry the plate to the kitchen because his routine is to carry the backpack until he puts on his coat as he heads out the door. His brain lacks the ability to predict a possible outcome if he changes his routine. Once he is in the kitchen, his sister’s yelling distracts him, and he forgets his backpack as he heads out the door.
Now that he’s on the bus, he remembers his backpack. He becomes anxious, wondering what to do. Before he knows it, he runs to the front of the bus, yelling for the bus driver to stop. The message to his brain that says wait until you are at school is overshadowed by the message that says get off the bus and retrieve the backpack. Of course, the bus driver doesn’t stop and yells at your son to sit down. The confrontation escalates so that your son is heading to the office by the time he arrives at school.
This is just one example of your son’s struggles in school. Assignments are not turned in or are incomplete. He can’t sit still and disrupts the class. Often, teachers complain that he doesn’t listen or follow instructions. These behaviours are common symptoms of ADHD.
Symptoms of ADHD
Children with symptoms of ADHD exhibit the following behaviours:
- Does not listen or pay attention
- Makes careless mistakes
- Easily distracted
- Struggles in school
- Has difficulty being still
- Talks non-stop
- Blurts out thoughts and interrupt others
Unfortunately, many of these behaviours are labelled as lazy, disrespectful or disruptive.
Treatment for ADHD
Imagine going through life bombarded by conflicting messages that you can’t process. What would life be like if you were unable to determine how long a task would take? How would you plan? What about distractions? We all have days when we are easily distracted, and little work gets done. What if every day was like that?
At Venture Academy, our goal is to provide highly structured residential treatment for ADHD with intensive counselling to prepare clients with needed coping skills to manage their re-entry into their homes, schools, and communities. Our healthcare professionals create individualized strategies that include on-campus education and activities to ensure our clients can reach their full potential. We believe that children with ADHD can be successful academically and socially with caring treatment and guidance.
Get Your Son the Best Treatment for ADHD Now
If you would like to explore ADHD treatment programs for your child, contact Venture Academy to speak with our staff. Let us help your child receive the treatment he needs to achieve his full potential. Reach out to our compassionate team today by calling 866.762.2211.
