The Social and Emotional Challenges of Students with ADHD

The American Psychiatric Association (2018) reports that approximately 8.2% of American children have ADHD, a condition known to substantially influence social and emotional functioning. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019) state that as many as 11% of American children, aged two to 17, may have this difference in self-regulation. These reporting differences are believed to be the result of the different survey methods used by each institution. Another potential reason for this discrepancy is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently expanded age ranges to include children two and three years of age, due to increased occurrences of ADHD in younger children. Previously, diagnosis and reporting were completed only for children aged four to 17 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019).

Due to differences in the functioning of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, those with ADHD often have a decreased ability to self-regulate their actions and reactions toward others (Aduen et al., 2018; Brown, 2014; Laver-Bradbury, 2012). But because ADHD is considered to be an invisible disability, the socially inappropriate behaviors that result from ADHD symptoms are frequently misinterpreted as flaws in character. Impulsive, disorganized, intense, emotional, and disruptive behaviors are regularly attributed to rude, self-centered, and irresponsible tendencies. These misinterpretations may result in damaging teacher-student interactions and poor overall school experiences for the student with ADHD (Aduen et al., 2018; Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 2019). Moreover, these damaging characterizations may also lead to social rejection of the individual with ADHD and have been known to have harmful influences on the student’s self-esteem in both the short-term and long-term (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 2019; Dodson, 2019; Hallowell & Ratey, 1994). 

I have founded A New Narrative as a way to remedy these misperceptions and resulting consequences. Understanding the development aspect of the neurodiverse is vital, but is only one part of the work that we do here. Stay tuned for the my next blog post, where I will explain why a teacher’s level of Emotional Intelligence is also incredibly important in positively relating to students with challenging behavior.