Spin of Attention

Last week I promised to look into span of attention as it relates to ADHD. I got distracted to another topic. Now I got distracted back to this topic. But I will give it my owns spin. To do that, I will call up my Un. That is the unsocial part of my brain. The perpetual adolescent that remains unregimented, unconventional, and undisciplined. You have that part, too. But you may be unaware of it.

Google turned up a convenient summary from West Virginia University. Here are some excerpts, along with undisciplined annotations from my Un.

To be diagnosed as having ADHD a student must display, for six months or more, at least eight of the following characteristics prior to the age of seven:
1) fidgets, squirms, or is restless
Un: When? You know this is when adults want the child to sit and be quiet.
2) has difficulty remaining seated
Un: You mean even on the floor in front of the television?
3) is easily distracted
Un: It is a good thing this only applies to children under the age of seven. And by the way, does this really mean that when the child is busy watching TV, the child is easily distracted by a call to dinner?
4) has difficulty waiting for his/her turn
Un: As contrasted with adults, who have difficulty waiting in traffic and check out lines.
5) blurts out answers
Un: What do adults do when you ask them questions? They give you an answer. Why is that not blurting?
6) has difficulty following instructions
Un: As contrasted with adults, who always read and easily follow the instructions that come with consumer goods that they buy.
7) has difficulty sustaining attention
Un: Watch the typical male adult at the TV. When the commercials come on, how long does he sustain attention?
8) shifts from one uncompleted task to another
Un: Task? What is a task for a six year old? It is something the parent or teacher want the kid to do. When a you kid doesn’t do what you say, that’s a disorder. Right?
9) has difficulty playing quietly
Un: And why is it important for kids to play quietly? Because the noise bothers the adults around. Is that really a treatable disorder?
10) talks excessively
Un: I have heard adults talk a lot. But never excessively. Just ask them. If you have time to listen to the answer.
11) interrupts or is rude to others
Un: Undisciplined, in other words. Obviously calls for medication.
12) does not appear to listen
Un: So the kid has not learned to give the appearance of listening. Actually, this means “attend carefully to what is being said to you by adults.”
13) often loses things necessary for tasks
Un: Remember, this only applies to little kids. It is perfectly normal for adults to lose keys, TV remotes, and cell phones.
14) frequently engages in dangerous actions
Un: Well, look. You told the kid the action was dangerous. The kid should have paid attention and stopped doing it. Everybody says that being fat is dangerous. That’s why everybody stopped being fat.

I’ll have more to say about this in a few days. If I don’t get distracted.