underachievement, peer rejection, and family dysfunction.
In terms of inattention, children with ADHD have their greatest difficulty with tasks that require sustained attention or watchfulness. This characteristic is manifest even when the child is at play, but is particularly evident when the child must perform uninteresting, repetitive tasks such as working independently at school or at home, homework, or household chores (Barkley, 1990, p. 40). Although research indicates that ADHD children are no more susceptible to distractibility than normal children, some studies find that ADHD children are more vulnerable to irrelevant stimulation (Barkley, 1990, p. 41). For instance, for a child with ADHD, the ticking of a clock might drown out a teacher's voice.
Another characteristic of children with ADHD is impulsivity. These children often blurt out answers in class or act before thinking. Interrupting the conversations or activities of others is another characteristic. Antisocial behavior such as grabbing, shoving, or hitting other children is also manifest. Children with ADHD are rarely able to play by the rules or wait their turn. At home, the ADHD child often engages in dangerous activity such as running into the streets without looking or climbing on unsafe objects. This behavior makes ADHD children prone to accidents or injuries.
The familial stress involved with parenting ADHD children affects the eventual course of the disorder (Hinshaw, 1994, p. 18). Parents commonly express exasperation at the formidable task of keeping up with their hyperkinetic ADHD offspring. Discordant parent-child interactions are routine; a lowered sense of parental competence results.
The impulsivity of ADHD children leads to stigmatization and rejection by peers. Studies indicate that such youngsters, whether aggressive or nonaggressive, are frequently negatively appraised by their cohorts (Hinshaw, 1994, p. 17). Peer rej...