Life in Canada

ADHD Checklist.

The child is much less likely than the other children in class to pay attention to school work and makes seemingly inexplicable mistakes.

The young person appears to have substantially more difficulty sustaining concentration when engaged in practical or play activities.

The child is described as failing to listen even when spoken to directly.

When the child is given a task which they are motivated to engage with, they do not complete it.

The child does not seem able to get hold of themselves and the set task sufficiently to be able to organize their thoughts and plan a reasonable plan of action, yet they do understand what is expected of them when questioned about the task.

Will actively avoid and clearly dislikes tasks and activities that demand sustained concentration and thought.

Teachers and parents complain that the child always manages to loose things. This becomes particularly apparent with respect to school essentials like pens, pencils etc. but they will also be mislaying items precious to them such as toys.

The child is easily distracted. When observed they appear to turn toward movement and noise. The child appears to be over alert.

Routine tasks are often forgotten, leading to frustration in those who have to manage the child, who may complain of the child deliberately avoiding routine tasks.

When observed the child appears much more restless than peers. When on the carpet for instance they may squirm from one side of the carpet to the other seemingly oblivious to what they are doing.

There is a very clear pattern of wandering around the classroom when the task demands the children are seated. They appear to be on the look out for any reason to leave their seat.

The child will take any opportunity to engage in running around or climbing this is particularly noticeable when it is an inappropriate activity and other children in the class are not engaging in these activities.

Quiet play is not something you would associate with the child.

An observer would see the child as persistently active having little need for rest periods.

The child would be described as saying things which are not thought out and as talking for the sake of it.

Answers are blurted out and hands are raised well before any of the other children in the class because the question has not been completed and the child would therefore have no real chance of knowing the answer.

Has real problems with turn taking.

Social skills are weak, using few appropriate strategies to join conversation or play beyond barging in.

The current position is not a recent phenomenon. There were strong signs of this type of behaviour pattern pre-school.