If It’s Not ADD, What Could It Be?

After a summer full of camps, swimming, and vacations, it’s natural for students to find it hard to sit still once school starts. But what if your child is still having some adjustment issues after a few weeks into the school year? Does that mean they have ADD (with or without the “H” for hyperactivity)?
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Here’s a closer look at some of the other behavior conditions that can be part of the reason why a child may not be able to concentrate in school:           
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Too Much Structure Too Soon: Depending on the activities over the summer, it can be a sudden shock to a child’s system to go from constant “fun” to following a routine where they have no input. Even at summer camp where there are schedules, children do have choices over swimming versus arts and crafts, or where they will sit during gatherings.   
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Some parents find it helpful to start a gradual transition back into the school routine during the month of August. This can include earlier bedtimes, morning alarms, adjusting naptime to fit in with school year demands and even adjusting snacks to prevent disrupting sleep patterns.           
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Vision or Hearing Impairments: Sometimes checking vision or hearing may be the last thing that a parent may think of if a child exhibits behavior problems. If a child can’t see what is being written on the chalkboard or hear their teacher over the typical sounds of other students coughing or moving their chairs, they may squirm, not follow directions, or look off and give their attention to something else.     
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): OCD does not just affect adults. Some children can show signs of aggravation and even aggression because of OCD tendencies.
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For instance, one mother was rocking her infant to sleep. Her toddler began to scream and hit the floor near the chair. As soon as the mother went into another room, the toddler adjusted the bottom of the rocker back into the grooves on the carpet, and was fine.   
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Children and adults with OCD have very specific routines, adhere perfectly to rules and guidelines, and if things are not perfectly clean and in order, they will have meltdowns.            
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Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD): Children who may have been in foster care from a young age, or who may have experienced a lack of social interaction, may display RAD. This condition occurs before the age of five and is present when a child doesn’t interact or respond to situations like most peers would. This is not common.           
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Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD): This has been diagnosed more in recent years and applies only to minors. ODD has repeating behaviors of a negative nature, including being defiant, disobedient, and hostile towards authority figures consistently for at least six months. In addition, children must show four additional types of behaviors from a list, such as losing their temper, arguing with adults, refusing to follow rules, trying to aggravate others on purpose, becoming easily annoyed with others, being resentful, and being vindictive.           
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Don’t read this and automatically think, “Wow… you just described my child.” Some of these behaviors are normal for toddlers and teens. With ODD, this type of attitude is going to be present most of the time - not just when your child is having a bad day.
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To work through any issues your child is having in school, communicate with your child’s teacher and use consistent efforts as you try to make changes and identify what may be happening. If you don’t feel comfortable with one professional’s advice, it’s always okay to keep trying other things or to seek out another opinion. 
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Tammy Whitten is the Community Director for Eastern Carolina Parent magazine, and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Family Life Educator. After years of working with challenging child behaviors, she believes that simple adjustments, consistent parental interaction and routines can give the most help with a majority of children’s behavior problems - even the most severe ones.

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