| It is usually fairly easy for classroom teachers to | | | | Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities |
| distinguish the students who are on-task from | | | | (April, 2002): |
| those who are not. Those on-task students tend | | | | Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) - A pattern |
| to be those who are using their time productively | | | | of negative, hostile, and defiant behavior. |
| towards completing assigned work. These | | | | Symptoms include frequent loss of temper, |
| students tend to listen closely to teacher | | | | arguing (especially with adults), refusal to obey |
| instructions so they may be able to accurately | | | | rules, intentionally annoying others, blaming others. |
| complete the assignment. Generally, on-task | | | | The person is angry, resentful, possibly spiteful, |
| students work quietly and purposely during the | | | | and touchy. (Many of these symptoms disappear |
| allotted independent seat work time. However, | | | | with AD/HD treatments.) |
| there are usually a small number of students in | | | | Conduct Disorder (CD) - A pattern of behavior |
| the same classroom who tend to be off-task a | | | | that persistently violates the basic rights of others |
| majority of the time. These students may be | | | | or society's rules. Behaviors may include |
| quietly avoiding work completion, or they may be | | | | aggression toward people and animals, destruction |
| actively pursuing other interests in a manner that | | | | of property, deceitfulness or theft, or serious rule |
| is disruptive and noticeable. Regardless of the | | | | violations. |
| nature of off-task behavior, these students are | | | | Anxiety - Excessive worry that occurs frequently |
| showing some amount of inattention and under | | | | and is difficult to control. Symptoms include feeling |
| performance in the classroom. Although a few of | | | | restless or on edge, easily fatigued, difficulty |
| these off-task students may have a genuine | | | | concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep |
| impairment observed as ADHD, many other | | | | disturbances. |
| students may struggle with inattention due to | | | | Depression - A condition marked by trouble |
| other reasons. These latter students show | | | | concentrating, sleeping, and feelings of dejection |
| ADHD-like symptom as a result of alternative | | | | and guilt. There are many types of depression. |
| conditions which can effectively interfere with | | | | With AD/HD you might commonly see dysthymia, |
| classroom learning. | | | | which consists of a depressed mood for many |
| The most common disruptor to learning in the | | | | days, over or under eating, sleeping too much or |
| classroom is low motivation, weak work-study | | | | too little, low energy, low self-esteem, poor |
| skills, poor organization, and inefficiency of time | | | | concentration, and feeling hopeless. Other forms |
| usage. These students tend to be average to low | | | | of depression may also be present. |
| academic performers who will consistently have | | | | Learning Disabilities - Problems with reading, |
| difficulty producing a volume of high quality work. | | | | writing, or mathematics. When given standardized |
| Fortunately, their work efforts will improve with | | | | tests, the student's ability or intelligence is |
| additional monitoring and reinforcement offered by | | | | substantially higher than his or her achievement. |
| the classroom teacher. | | | | Underachievement is generally considered |
| Aside from these less efficient and under | | | | age-inappropriate. [Note: Children with AD/HD |
| motivated students, there are usually a smaller | | | | frequently have problems with reading fluency and |
| number of students who are purposely avoiding | | | | mathematical calculations. AD/HD learning |
| work completion. The inattention and off-task | | | | problems have to do with attention, memory and |
| behavior of these students easily mimics the core | | | | executive function difficulties rather than dyslexia, |
| symptoms of ADHD. These students are often | | | | dysgraphia, or dyscalculia, which are learning |
| targeted for ADHD evaluations due their under | | | | disabilities.] |
| performance in the classroom. There are number | | | | Fowler goes on to describe ADHD as still the |
| of alternative conditions that can demonstrate | | | | most commonly diagnosed behavior disorder of |
| with ADHD like symptoms. These include mental | | | | childhood. The core symptoms must reflect |
| health disruptions resulting from divorce, child | | | | inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that |
| abuse, death and loss, family moves, parent | | | | consistently disrupt one or more life areas and |
| unavailability due to occupational travel, sudden | | | | are developmentally inappropriate when compared |
| traumatic experience, or even dysfunctional | | | | to the chronological age of the child. To |
| parenting. Although these disruptors generally tend | | | | successfully evaluate, a professional must |
| to be temporary in a child's life, they can still | | | | examine the number of symptoms present, the |
| introduce high amounts of stress that can easily | | | | severity of symptoms, and the extent of the |
| disrupt attention and learning in the classroom. | | | | disruption evident in two or more critical life areas. |
| In addition to these emotional disruptions, there | | | | In essence, the professional diagnostician must |
| are other mental health conditions that can occur | | | | attempt a comprehensive assessment that |
| in addition to ADHD, or perhaps be mistaken for | | | | evaluates the child globally. In so doing, the |
| ADHD. These conditions are outlined by Mary | | | | alternative diagnostic conditions can be |
| Fowler in a publication of the National | | | | differentiated from a true presentation of ADHD. |