Attention deficit or selective attention in ADHD

What is Attention Deficit and how do people with Attention Deficit Disorder suffer from it?

Nowadays it is common to see cases related to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in consultation, and parents are often distressed because years ago this term was not heard of as it is nowadays, which is why, sometimes, they do not know how to manage this type of cases well.

When parents or teachers ask me: How do I get him to be quiet, because he spends a lot of time making noises and does not allow other children to concentrate? I usually answer that asking them not to move or make noise is like asking you not to blink your eyes. These are children who have all the will to obey, but simply cannot.

Therefore, the first thing to do is to understand what this disorder, which affects both children and adults, is all about. Let's see what is attentional deficit.

Attention and attention deficit

Let's start with the basics. what is attention? It is a process of selective concentration on one or several discrete units of information about elements of the environment or thoughts in which other units of information are ignored.

In the case of attentional deficit, what happens is that the subject fixes his attention on that information that is attractive, useful or significant, according to criteria that do not always obey what is socially expected in each situation and context. of each situation and context. Therefore, it is not an attention deficiency, but a selective attention. In other words, these people involuntarily concentrate on details that in the eyes of others should be ignored.

Because of this, parents report that they appear "deaf". In fact, the term fictitious deafness is used, because they only listen to what is of interest or benefit to them, and sometimes they can become unfocused by their own thoughts. We all have dreams and long for things, but we learn to control our dreams in such a way that they do not affect our performance; people with attentional deficits, however, do not achieve this control and tend to fantasize or dream. and tend to fantasize or daydream at times when very specific actions are expected of them.

Different priorities and selective attention

In addition to this, behaviors are present that affect the organization and sense of priority, causing people with attentional deficit to causing people with attention deficit to easily forget their obligations, as well as to lose toys, books, school supplies or clothes. Difficulty in time management is also common, which leads them to be unpunctual or unfulfilled.

Likewise, following orders is usually complicated if an instruction contains several actions or steps, since they are unable to retain it unless it is very clearly stated, or they make mistakes due to lack of attention to details.

Main symptoms of attention deficit

Let us now look at the ways in which attention deficit is expressed.

Impulsivity in attention deficit

In addition, many of these people present impulsivity problems, many of these individuals present impulsivity problems.. This is in addition to the symptoms of inattention, but is actually partly a consequence of inattention.

I usually explain to parents that, as we grow up, we learn to use, without realizing it, regulation brakes, i.e., we learn when to give our opinion and when to give our opinion and when to give our opinion and when to give our opinion and when to give our opinion, we learn when to give our opinion and when to keep quiet.When to intervene in a matter and when to keep our distance; even though we feel the need to get involved, we must restrain ourselves in order to foster healthy relationships or to fulfill assigned objectives or tasks.

However, in the case of children with this disorder, they feel the impulse but cannot stop it, they have no brakes to regulate their desires (impulsivity). Therefore, usual behaviors can be: interrupting people and not stopping talking, touching and playing with everything they see, saying inappropriate comments, using lies to get out of the way, answering before the end of the question or showing difficulty to keep their turn in group activities.

Likewise, the attentional deficit affects these individuals causing them to seek to quickly change activities to be carried away by other interests that are more attractive and do not require continuous effort, but most likely not a priority, causing them to fail to finish their chores and household chores..

Hyperactivity

In addition to this, people with attention deficit need to release the excess of energy they have (hyperactivity), so they tend to keep constantly moving or twisting in one place, or constantly looking for new activities (hyperactivity).Therefore, they tend to keep in constant movement or twist in the same place, or constantly look for new activities that are attractive to them. Cases of insomnia are also frequent. They prefer to be on their feet or "on the go", that is why they prefer "active" play activities, quiet games are not usually to their liking.

It is also frequent that they tend to entertain themselves with their own body (hands, arms, hair, mouth, etc.), which involves making sounds or noises that disturb other people.

Frustration tolerance

Finally, people with attention deficits have a low tolerance to frustration. As a result, they tend to be very impatient, which leads to tantrums and inappropriate expressions of anger. This often makes them appear explosive, anxious or frustrated.

How is adhd diagnosed?

Thus, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that involves a certain immaturity in the systems that regulate the level of attention, impulsivity and movement. An important fact is that it belongs to disorders of onset in infancy, childhood or adolescence, i.e., symptoms must occur before the age of twelve to be classified in this category.

A very common question asked by parents is: How exactly is ADHD diagnosed?

In these cases, it is best to consult a professional (child psychiatrist, pediatrician, neurologist), who will conduct an interview with the parents and then assess the child. Only specialists of this type can make a diagnosis, and they must do so after a personalized review. Questions that are usually asked in the interview would be:

• What is your mood like most of the time?
• Does he/she have trouble keeping order and/or getting organized?
• Is he/she usually punctual?
• Are there people in the family with similar characteristics?
• Is his/her behavior the same at school, home and other environments?
• Has he/she had problems since he/she was a child?

Also may delve into the history of pregnancy and childbirth or request medical tests to rule out another cause..

Helping in the diagnosis

In short, although it is true that sometimes it takes time to establish the diagnosis, they are not complicated tests, the most advisable thing is always to provide the professional with the most honest and accurate information possible.

Many times, parents do not accept that their children have some difficulty, and believe that by hiding information they avoid the diagnosis. This only complicates the intervention on attention deficit problems.