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ADHD and Learning Disabilities
 
At GoVa Counseling, we recognize that each individual is unique, and understanding where our challenges come from can lift the barriers to our frustration and illuminate our path to success. Whether you're worried about your loved one's ability to focus in school or are an adult navigating the complexities of life with ADHD and/or a learning disability, we're here to tell you that you are definitely not alone. Over 20 million people in the US today have a diagnosis or ADD/ADHD and/or a Learning Disability. That's approximately 10-15% of the US population, and more and more people are discovering that they too may struggle with these issues. Getting an ADHD or Learning Disability Assessment to confirm this can be essential to your future well-being.
 
Getting a professional assessment can lead to greater self-awareness and the support needed to thrive. The importance of understanding ADHD and Learning Disabilities are many. Often, people carry multiple diagnoses and have overlapping symptoms so it can be confusing to understand what's going on and how to get the right support.
 
Let's dive a little deeper into some of the details to get you started in weighing out what kind of evaluation may be best for you.
 
ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADD is without the hyperactive component) affects how people pay attention, manage impulses, and maintain focus. Symptoms can include difficulty staying on task, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Let's compare the two...
 
ADD vs. ADHD
 
ADD: Often used to refer to a subtype of ADHD is characterized primarily by inattention without the hyperactive symptoms. This term is less commonly used in clinical settings today, as it falls under the broader category of ADHD.
Some people are predominantly Inattentive (often referred to as ADD), other are predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive (known as ADHD), and some are a combination of both.
 
What are the typical signs of Attention Deficit?
 
1. ATTENTION
(Inattentiveness = Difficulties with attention): Individuals with inattention often struggle to focus on tasks and may display the following symptoms:
 
Difficulty Sustaining Attention: Trouble staying focused on tasks or activities, particularly those that require prolonged mental effort. This can commonly be seen in a student who may start their homework but frequently gets distracted by their phone or other noises, leading to incomplete assignments, or start an assignment and then remember that they needed to check their email, and then get distracted responding to other messages, and then decide to get a snack, and then realize they needed to clean up a mess on the counter they had left earlier, and then decide to take the dog for a walk, and then end up on the phone with their friend who invited over to game and completely forgot about their homework.
 
Careless Mistakes: Tendency to make careless errors in schoolwork or other activities. An example of this might be that you submit a report for work or school with multiple typos or errors due to a lack of attention to detail.
 
Difficulty Organizing Tasks: Struggles with organizing tasks and activities, leading to missed deadlines and disorganized workspaces. An example might be having trouble keeping track of appointments and frequently forgetting to attend them, or having a chaotic schedule with poor time management and unrealistic commitments that are too lofty and not possible to complete without lateness, missed commitments, skimming over duties, or jumbled and messy presentations.
 
Avoiding Tasks Requiring Sustained Mental Effort: Commonly people struggle with procrastination or avoidance of tasks that require careful thought. A child or adult may resist doing homework or reading because it feels overwhelming or tedious, and have difficulties with reading comprehension or find themselves needing to distract themselves with tapping or other repetitive behaviors in order to concentrate.
 
Easily Distracted: Frequently distracted by random thoughts or things around us.
If you have ADHD you may find yourself distracted when a person is talking to you, like a teacher, boss or spouse. This is particularly noticeable when that person is trying to explain something, and you find yourself getting distracted with something that pops up on your phone or an idea you had forgotten about to the extent that you may even walk away while someone is talking or start doing something else without even realizing that person is still talking to you. This can come across as rude and disinterested, leading to domestic arguments, punishment from parents, or getting written up at work.
 
Forgetfulness: Often forgetful in daily activities, such as forgetting to turn in assignments or follow through on tasks.
You may for example forget to pick up groceries after work, or go to the grocery store for something specific and then forget to pick up the item you went to shop for because you got distracted with some unrelated grocery item you found as you walked through the isle for the thing you went to buy.
 
If you're laughing and shaking your head, thinking this sounds exactly like you or someone you care about, it might be helpful to get an official ADHD assessment. There are tools to help you manage your ADHD and may be helpful to distinguish from an Anxiety Disorder, which can also look very similar. Either way, having help to recognize what's going on so you can get the support that's right for you is important.
 
2. HYPERACTIVITY
Now let's look at the H in ADHD! H is for Hyperactivity and symptoms are characterized by excessive movement and impulsivity. What are some examples? Let's check it out:
 
Fidgeting: Constantly tapping hands or feet, or squirming in a seat. Such issues can also stem from Anxiety Disorders, in which our mental health causes us to having difficulties sitting still. Additionally, many people confuse fidgeting associated with ADHD with Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS).
 
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder characterized by an uncontrollable urge to move one's legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. This urge typically occurs when the person is at rest, particularly in the evening or at night. Individuals may experience tingling, crawling, or aching sensations in their legs and have a strong desire to move their legs to relieve discomfort. Movement, such as walking or stretching, often temporarily alleviates the symptoms, but discomfort tends to worsen when sitting or lying still, particularly during the evening or night, which can disrupt sleep, resulting in daytime fatigue and decreased quality of life. Although there are similarities with ADHD, they are ultimately neurologically different and RLS does not accompany the other symptoms related to attention deficit that are found with ADHD.
 
So what are some examples of ADHD type fidgeting? A child may be unable to sit still during a movie, constantly shifting in their seat, even though they're concentrating on the movie itself. A person with ADHD may have difficulty remaining seated in situations where it is expected for them to stay put, such as during a presentation or work meeting.
 
Sometimes, especially for children, they may find themselves running or climbing in inappropriate situations. People with ADHD may engage in physically active behaviors at times when it's not appropriate, such as teenager moving around the classroom when they're supposed to be seated, or getting up and walking around during a meeting at work.
 
Talking Excessively: Often speaking more than is socially acceptable, interrupting others, or blurting out answers. A common place we see this is in conversations, where an individual frequently interrupt others, eager to share their thoughts before others finish speaking, because they fear they will lose their train of thought and need to speak what's on their mind before they forget.
 
3. IMPULSIVITY
Impulsivity is also a common feature of ADHD. Impulsivity involves acting without thinking and can lead to various challenges, such as difficulties with patience and waiting, and making decisions without thinking.
 
Often people with impulsivity issues related to an ADHD diagnosis will struggles with patience waiting in lines or taking their turn during conversations or games. People with ADHD may, for example, get frustrated in a long line and try to cut ahead, unable to wait their turn, or rush through the process of placing an order without checking the details to make sure mistakes weren't made. They also might make a big purchase without checking their budget or whether they even need the item, or find themselves not thinking through things carefully, taking the time to plan, or follow the plan that's already been established and agreed upon. These issues can lead to damaging consequences, anger from others, and add complicated, and unnecessary challenges to daily life if left untreated.
 
ADHD symptoms can vary widely in presentation and severity. While some individuals may primarily struggle with inattention, others may exhibit more hyperactive or impulsive behaviors, and many experience a combination of both. Additionally, Anxiety Disorders can also share many similar patterns and be co-occurring with an ADHD disorder making it all-the-more confusing to manage and overcome. At GoVa Counseling we want to support you on recognizing these symptoms as we know that it's essential for you to get appropriate support and intervention you need so you can live your life stress free!
 
 
NOW LETS TALK ABOUT LEARNING DISABILITIES
 
How are they different and how can you tell if you may have one?
 
Learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia, specifically hinder the ability to read, write, or understand math concepts. These conditions can impact academic performance, self-esteem, and social interactions.
 
When individuals struggle without a clear understanding of what's holding them back, they may face feelings of frustration, anxiety, and even isolation. They might wonder why school or work feels so challenging while others seem to excel effortlessly. This is where the value of a thorough assessment comes in handy. It can not only explain what's going on, but guide the best treatment, and become a powerful tool for advocacy and needed support so you don't end up held back or marginalized because of these undiagnosed challenges.
 
What are some common signs of having a Learning Disability?
 
Learning disabilities (LD) refer to a variety of disorders that affect the ability to acquire and use information. These disabilities can impact skills such as reading, writing, math, and reasoning. Here's a detailed overview of common symptoms associated with learning disabilities:
 
1. Dyslexia (Reading Disability) Difficulty Reading: Trouble with decoding words, reading fluency, and comprehension.
You may struggle to read aloud, often pausing or mispronouncing words, feeling you're "dumb" or "just not good at reading".
 
Poor Spelling: Frequent misspellings or difficulty remembering common words.
Do you have a tough time spelling common words like "friend" ... spelling it as "frend" or "freind" consistently?
 
Slow Reading Speed: Takes longer than peers to read passages or complete reading assignments. Do you take significantly longer to finish a short story than other people reading the same article?
 
2. Dysgraphia (Writing Disability)
Illegible Handwriting: Inconsistent, messy, or difficult-to-read handwriting. Do people tell you that you have "doctor's hand-writing" because your hand writing is so difficult to read with inconsistent spacing and letters, that even you have a hard time reading it?
 
Difficulty Organizing Thoughts: Trouble organizing ideas on paper, resulting in disjointed writing. You may struggle to write a clear and coherent essay with a logical flow.
 
Problems with Spelling and Grammar: Frequent spelling and grammatical errors in written work. You may write sentences with incorrect punctuation, missing words, or improper verb tenses, and completely rely on auto-correct for things you probably should know on your own.
 
3. Dyscalculia (Math Disability) Difficulty with Numbers: Trouble understanding basic number concepts, counting, or performing simple calculations. You may struggle to grasp the concept of addition or subtraction, even with visual aids, and feel "you just can't do math", even though you're clearly intelligent enough to understand the concepts.
 
Problems with Math Vocabulary: Difficulty understanding math-related terms and instructions may lead to struggles to comprehend what "sum" or "difference" means in a math context, or how to manage basic accounting of your bank statements or checkbook.
 
Difficulty with Time Management: Challenges in understanding time concepts, including telling time or managing schedules. You may frequently arrive late to meetings or timely social events or misunderstand time-related assignments because you think you can do more things in the time you have allotted than is possible.
 
4. General Learning Disabilities are often related to poor occupational and academic performance. Struggles in one or more subject areas despite adequate instruction and effort.
 
Difficulty Following Instructions: Trouble understanding and following multi-step directions. You may forget steps in a task or become confused by instructions given at your job.
 
Memory Issues: Difficulty retaining information or recalling learned material.
You may struggle to remember facts from a work training manual or details from instructions you were recently given.
 
Lack of Motivation or Frustration: Feelings of frustration or low self-esteem due to academic struggles. Your teen might express a lack of interest in school or avoid tasks they find challenging, even though they're intelligent and capable of doing the work.
 
Why Seek an Assessment?
 
At GoVa Counseling, we believe that gaining insight into cognitive functioning is the key to unlocking potential. Individuals and families commonly seek assessments from our clinic for ADHD and learning disabilities for a variety of reasons.
 
They provide clarity and understanding. Assessments provide a clear picture of one's strengths and challenges. This understanding is vital in addressing specific needs, whether in school, at work, or in daily life.
 
They provide personalized support. With a thorough evaluation, our skilled psychologists can craft tailored recommendations and support plans. This means that you can receive accommodations at school or work that make a real difference in your daily life and how it will shape your future.
 
Emotional Relief- At GoVa Counseling, we believe that knowing is half the battle. Knowing the reasons behind your struggles can reduce feelings of anxiety and frustration, leading to improved self-esteem and emotional well-being and lead us away from negative associations with school and work that stem from frustrations based on having undiagnosed ADHD or a Learning Disability. It's empowering to have the knowledge to advocate for yourself, or for the person you love.
 
How GoVa Counseling Can Help!
 
At GoVa Counseling, we are committed to providing the support you need to navigate these challenges effectively. Our compassionate team is comprised of some of the best psychologists Hawai'i can offer and they specialize in understanding the differences between ADHD, Learning Disabilities, and Anxiety Disorders.
 
What will you get with our services? We offer:
 
Comprehensive Evaluations: We use highly effective and well established assessment tools to accurately identify the reasons for the symptoms and learning challenges you struggle with. This process helps to create a detailed cognitive profile, which we will then use to guide your future steps in getting the best support to fit your needs.
 
We follow through with strategic support plans. After evaluations, we work with you to develop personalized strategies that cater to your unique needs, giving you or professional recommendations on what steps would be best to take next and why. Whether it's working with schools for accommodations or developing coping strategies for everyday tasks, we are here every step of the way.
 
Ongoing Guidance- Our support doesn't end with an evaluation and recommendations. We're dedicated to helping you implement strategies and stay connected as you navigate life's challenges, ensuring you feel supported and empowered. We have a dedicated team of therapists who can help you, or your loved one, take the next steps forward in getting the support you need, or make recommendations to refer you to other specialized care in the community if we think other resources would be most helpful for you.
 
Every step taken toward understanding ADHD and learning disabilities is a step toward a brighter future. By finding the right support and guidance, you can create a more fulfilling life for yourself or your loved ones. At GoVa Counseling, we know that seeking help is a sign of strength, and we're honored to be a part of your journey.
 
You and your loved ones deserve the best support available, and together, we can foster an environment where you feel valued and understood. If you think you or someone you care about may be struggling with ADHD or a learning disability, don't hesitate to reach out. Our knowledgeable and caring team is ready to help you explore these important issues.
 
Life is hard enough as it is. Having answers can be the key to open the doors you need to have a more productive and easy life!
Let's work together to build a future filled with hope, understanding, and success. Contact us GoVa Counseling today and take the first step toward a brighter tomorrow because together, we can take you there!