ADHD and Head Injuries
A concerned mom recently received a diagnosis of ADHD for her son, and wondered whether a head injury he had suffered a year or so earlier could have caused his ADHD.
Almost anything that affects the brain can cause symptoms similar to ADHD, including head trauma, lead poisoning, hypothyroidism, birth trauma, prematurity, exposure to drugs, alcohol, or nicotine in utero, meningitis or encephalitis, etc.
It is probably more common for someone with ADHD to experience head trauma from a bicycle accident than for someone without ADHD to develop symptoms of ADHD following such an accident, given the extremely high rate of accidental injury in children with ADHD.
Bright children with ADHD often do well in the early grades because they don't have to pay too much attention to do well. However, with each new school year comes an increase in the amount and difficulty of work, the amount of homework (detailed and often boring busywork), and long-term assignments (the nemesis of everyone with ADHD).
Fifth grade is often when ADHD is first apparent for bright students. The next hurdle is middle school, when suddenly there are multiple teachers, multiple assignments that are more difficult requiring more work, and more long-term assignments. The same increase in demands that require planning, organization, time management, study skills, and follow-through, issues related to ADHD, occurs with the transition to high school, and again with the transition into college.
Related Topics: ADHD: Diagnosing a Disorder, Diagnosing ADHD
Almost anything that affects the brain can cause symptoms similar to ADHD, including head trauma, lead poisoning, hypothyroidism, birth trauma, prematurity, exposure to drugs, alcohol, or nicotine in utero, meningitis or encephalitis, etc.
It is probably more common for someone with ADHD to experience head trauma from a bicycle accident than for someone without ADHD to develop symptoms of ADHD following such an accident, given the extremely high rate of accidental injury in children with ADHD.
Bright children with ADHD often do well in the early grades because they don't have to pay too much attention to do well. However, with each new school year comes an increase in the amount and difficulty of work, the amount of homework (detailed and often boring busywork), and long-term assignments (the nemesis of everyone with ADHD).
Fifth grade is often when ADHD is first apparent for bright students. The next hurdle is middle school, when suddenly there are multiple teachers, multiple assignments that are more difficult requiring more work, and more long-term assignments. The same increase in demands that require planning, organization, time management, study skills, and follow-through, issues related to ADHD, occurs with the transition to high school, and again with the transition into college.
Related Topics: ADHD: Diagnosing a Disorder, Diagnosing ADHD
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