Attention Problems

ttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD) is one of the most common reasons for seeking a psychological evaluation. Before considering attention problems, it is important to understand normal variations in attention. Most people are inattentive at times, depending on their interest in an activity and the time spent on it. Fatigue, hunger and distractions also play a role. Attention also is quite different depending on the age of the person; a preschooler does not pay attention as well as an adolescent does, and adults pay attention more easily than do children. To determine whether a problem exists, a person should be evaluated through comparison people of the same age and sex in the same situation. To have an attention problem, it must impact the person's functioning in their daily life in more than one setting.

It may be tempting to conclude that a person has ADHD based on inattention; however, this would be a mistake. Many medical and mental health problems can lead to inattention, such as depression, anxiety, seizures, sleeping difficulties, allergies, learning disabilities and medication side effects. To further complicate matters, some people have a combination of problems including attention, learning, emotional and/or medical. Because of this, a comprehensive psychological evaluation is comprised of several important elements:

A psychological evaluation can document the presence of ADHD, clarify the severity and type and create a treatment plan for assisting the student. A person with ADHD can be treated effectively in many ways. These methods include:

Attentional problems are widely recognized in children, but many people ignore the impact that these same problems can have on adults. According to the World Health Organization, sixty percent of individuals with ADHD in childhood will continue to meet criteria as adults. Whereas some college students can sit down to read for hours without noticing the world around them, others will feel interrupted by the papers around them and the flickering light overhead. The high pitch of the television, the talking in the other room or even the distant noise of traffic can be distracting. Most people take attentional skills for granted, but the abilities to sustain attention and resist distractions are critical to adult life. In fact, adults must direct attention to one focus, divide attention between multiple tasks and monitor the background for important information. Here are some symptoms of attentional problems in adulthood:

Individuals with attentional problems often have broader deficits with executive functions, a set of related abilities necessary for goal-directed activities. They identify the ability to begin activities, pay attention, remember things, control impulses, change the focus of attention, plan for future events, organize behavior and control emotions. Think of an efficient executive in a company who oversees the projects of the employees he or she directs.

Executive functions control and direct virtually all learning and social interactions. Thus, it is important to evaluate these skills when considering attentional, learning, emotional or behavioral problems. Executive functions begin developing in infancy and continue into early adulthood. For example, an infant learns to pay attention to things briefly. A toddler then learns to inhibit some impulses. A young child can make simple plans and organize behavior. An adolescent is generally expected to juggle assignments from seven different teachers and monitor progress on long-term projects.

The demand for executive functions increases dramatically over the years, and proper development can only be judged in the context of age and intelligence. Even though every child develops at a different pace, some children have severe problems with these skills even when compared to children of the same age. Here are questions parents can use to guide their observations of executive functions. Does my child have difficulty:

ADHD can have a serious impact on family life, academic achievement, social skills and self-esteem. It is important to identify these problems early and intervene before they become a bigger problem. With the appropriate understanding and assistance, a child with ADHD can be happy and highly successful. If your child shows signs of ADHD, we suggest a psychological evaluation that will examine this in detail. If you have additional questions about attention problems or evaluations, please e-mail us at info@prattcenter.com.