Was That ADD—or AAD?
Post submitted by Educational Leadership Senior Associate Editor Amy Azzam
We can't Velcro our minds to boring for the long term. Whether we're children or adults, we end up allocating our attention to the things we really like.
That was the gist of developmental cognitive neurologist Martha Denckla's presentation at last week's Learning and the Brain Conference in Washington, D.C.
Denckla quibbled with the acronym ADD (attention deficit disorder) because it implies a deficit in attention. And that's really not the case, she said. Things of interest, intrinsically rewarding activities, grab a student's attention. She prefers to use the acronym AAD: attention allocation deficit. The student's attention is there; it just depends on where he or she is allocating it.
Denckla discussed the two subtypes of ADD/ADHD: the type that's mostly characterized by inattentiveness and the type that's mostly characterized by hyperactivity. In the first case, it's not that students are inattentive; it's just that they have trouble switching their attention away from what currently interests them toward the new thing that you, as a parent or teacher, want them to do.
In the hyperactive type, which is characterized by impulsive behavior, cognitive impulsivity resembles inattention. It's not really inattention, though. It's that the child is unable to inhibit certain behaviors. As one articulate child said, "I can sit still or pay attention. Take your pick."
Although Denckla didn't have enough time to suggest strategies for teachers—other than giving students clear cues in the classroom, being familiar with motor control tests (which can show early on who's at risk for ADD), and being able to ignore excessive movement—she did leave attendees with a good metaphor: ADHD is like a radar beam that continually sweeps over its surroundings.
From an evolutionary standpoint, constantly scanning for danger is a good survival trait. However, ADHD is weak in spotlight capabilities—that narrow, steady, intense beam that focuses on one thing—unless the target is interesting or intrinsically rewarding. Something to think about in our classrooms.
