Student Wellbeing

What is ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder that begins in early childhood. ADHD used to be called attention deficit disorder (ADD).

ADHD is often misunderstood. It can cause problems:

• concentrating
• becoming distracted
• being hyperactive (sometimes)
• being impulsive

This may cause people with ADHD to have problems with their:

• schooling
• friendships
• work
• family life

Around 1 in every 20 Australians has ADHD. While ADHD is more common in boys — it’s under diagnosed in girls and adults.

More than 3 in 4 children diagnosed with ADHD still have symptoms as an adult.

What are the symptoms of ADHD?

ADHD can present in 3 ways:

1. Inattentive symptoms — a person is easily distractible but isn’t hyperactive or impulsive.
2. Hyperactive-impulsive symptoms — a person has symptoms of impulsivity and hyperactivity.
3. Combined symptoms — a person has a mixture of symptoms including hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity.

What does SJV do to support some of our ADHD students?

• Consider how we communicate with students 
• Design and tailor inclusive activities for all students
• Support students to self-manage using Resilience Project- Social and Emotional Learning explicit lessons and Positive Behaviour for Learning Framework
• Consider where students are seated and give opportunities to move
• Structure classes displaying using visual prompts as well as verbal
• Provide feedback to ensure our students are confident and successful
• Teach academics using explicit direct instruction
• Work with families and allied professionals 

• Create learning plans where necessary to support our students                                                                                                                      

   

   

Jenny Willmott

Deputy Principal and Student Wellbeing