Just In Case You’ve Been Living Under a Rock: What is ADHD?
Parenting a Child with Mental Health Issues for the Glory of God
ADHD is real.
Can’t believe I have to type that in 2024! But, after researching ADHD from a Christian perspective, I’m shocked by the amount of people on Christian chat groups who still blame parents for feeding their kids fruit loops, letting them play on IPads, immunizing them, and don’t spank. Spoiler alert: None of these parenting choices cause ADHD.
ADHD is real. It is a medical condition. Although it causes behavioral issues, it is not a behavioral “problem” but, I repeat, a medical condition.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5)
“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by executive dysfunction occasioning symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapproriate.”
Let’s look a little closer at this statement. First and foremost, ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. “Neurodevelopmental” means development of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and all other nerves.) This is the core of what ADHD is — a physical difference in the brain.
An extensive study was recently published composed of 1,713 participants with ADHD and 1,529 controls, ranging from 4 to 63 years old, from 26 sites globally, and over a 13 year time span. Each participant received multiple brain scans.
The study found that the brain of those with ADHD is structured differently and grows at a delayed rate compared to those without. ADHD is not a behavior issue, but rather a difference in the brain’s structure and development which causes various behaviors.
Much of the confusion and skepticism of ADHD comes from the fact that it is diagnosed through symptoms or behaviors and not through brain scans, blood work or genetic testing.
There are three types of ADHD, Inattentive, Hyperactive/Impulsive, and Combination. The diagnosis comes from these common behaviors:
Inattentive
Poor listening
Loses stuff
Forgetful
Diminished attention span
Hard time following directions
Hard time focusing on details
Hyperactive/Impulsive
Can’t sit still
Lots of Energy
Unable to play quietly
Overly talkative and interrupts others
Hard time waiting
Impulsive physically and verbally
Someone needs to display 6 of these symptoms for at least six months in a variety of settings with a variety of witnesses. The behaviors must also negatively affect the individual’s ability to do age-appropriate things.
I have three kids with ADHD: one with Inattention; one with Hyperactive/Impulsive; and one with Combination. One has never been officially diagnosed, one got a diagnosis for himself when he went to college, and one was diagnosed at the age of five. They have a few things in common, but very few. Each displays ADHD differently, deals with it differently, and each has needed different things from me as their parent. ADHD is not a one size fits all diagnosis. The diagnosis, however, is a tool I use to help me parent.
My daughter recently made a very interesting art project. I was perplexed when I looked at it.
“Mom,” she exclaimed, five pitches too high, at too fast a rate, as she jumped up and down, “It’s my brain.”
And that, Folks, is the best definition of ADHD I could ever give you.
Sources
Illustration from Edwin D. Babbitt’s The Principles of Light and Color (1878)
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing. 2013. pp. 59–65. ISBN 978–0–89042–555–8.
Lugo-Candelas C, Posner J. Collective analytics: advancing the neuroscience of ADHD. Lancet Psychiatry. 2017 Apr;4(4):266–268. doi: 10.1016/S2215–0366(17)30056–1. Epub 2017 Feb 16. PMID: 28216024; PMCID: PMC5448463.
DSM-5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition; ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
