ADHD PLUS

One challenge with an ADHD diagnosis comes with the variety of types and severity of the disorder. Johns Hopkins Medicine identifies three major types of ADHD: 

1. ADHD, Combined Type (the most common) is characterized by behaviors like hyperactivity and impulsivity as well as distraction and inattention. 

2. ADHD, inattentive and distractable type in which students have inattention and distractibility without hyperactivity or impulsivity.

3. ADHD, Impulsive Type (the least common) in which the hyperactive and impulsive behaviors are not paired with a lack of attention or tendency toward distraction. Boys are more likely to be diagnosed with a form of hyperactive ADHD than girls.[i]

ADHD is often found with other learning disabilities. Dyscalculia, for example, is present in about 20% of ADHD students. An ADHD student with dyscalculia will not only have trouble paying attention, but also struggle with mathematics like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They may take longer working with numbers and could be more prone to making mistakes.[i] 

About 30 percent of students with dyslexia also have ADHD.[ii]People with dyslexia may have trouble reading, spelling, writing in cursive, and learning foreign languages. According to Roberto Olivardia (2020), because the symptoms often overlap (problems with working memory, speed, and information processing, for example), some students are unaware that they have both disorders.[iii] 

Half of people with ADHD also have other conditions present. These may include depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Oppositional defiant disorder. Sometimes these disorders can be triggered by the concerns and frustrations of living with ADHD. For example, a student who struggles in a class because of their ADHD may cause a spike in anxiety or depression. Because these are different conditions, medications or treatments for ADHD will not resolve them.[iv] 

[i]Dyscalculia in Adults (September 8, 2020). National Center for Learning Disabilities. https://ncld.org/resources-type/dyscalculia-in-adults/#:~:text=Dyscalculia%20is%20a%20learning%20difficulty,to%20making%20mistakes%20in%20calculations. Accessed June 29, 2022

[ii]Martins, K. (2020). ADHD and Dyslexia: How to Tell Them Apart. WebMD https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/adhd-dyslexia-tell-apart#:~:text=ADHD%20and%20dyslexia%20are%20different,learning%20disorder%20such%20as%20dyslexia.

[iii]Olivardia, R. (2020). The Dyslexia and ADHD Connection . ADDitutde: Inside the ADHD Mind. https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-dyslexia-connection/

[iv]Silver, L. (2022). When It’s Not Just ADHD: Symptoms of Comorbid Conditions. ADDitutde: Inside the ADHD Mind. https://www.additudemag.com/when-its-not-just-adhd/

[i]Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/adhdaddAccessed 6/29/2022