General Facts
ADHD most strongly affects these brain-based skills related to planning and organization.
What are executive functioning skills?
This nightly breathing disorder can mimic ADHD by causing daytime inattention and hyperactivity.
What is obstructive sleep apnea?
This support reduces overwhelm by limiting how many directions a student must remember, using step‑by‑step visuals.
What is simplifying and chunking instructions?
This occurs when a student’s existing diagnosis—like ADHD—causes educators or clinicians to overlook additional traits of autism, attributing all challenges to just one condition.
What is diagnostic overshadowing?
People with ADHD often experience this form of distorted time awareness where future deadlines don’t feel real until the last minute
What is time blindness?
Name the ADHD look-alike that has the same symptoms of inattention or not following directions mixed with squinting, headaches and missing auditory cues.
What is hearing and/or vision sensory factors?
This proactive EA strategy helps students succeed by preparing them before transitions or lessons.
What is pre‑teaching expectations and giving transition warnings?
Give the informal name of the co-occurrence of ADHD and Autism in a person.
What is AuDHD?
This chemical reward system in the ADHD brain makes urgent tasks feel more appealing because they provide a fast hit of stimulation.
What is dopamine dysregulation?
Name three of the overlapping features of ADHD and Trauma/Stress-related presentations.
What are: hyperarousal or distractibility or emotional dysregulation or executive-skills impact?
This classroom practice improves focus by meeting sensory or movement needs before learning tasks.
What is providing planned movement or sensory breaks?
This occurs when a student with ADHD believes their struggles with focus or organization mean they are “lazy” or “not smart,” rather than understanding these as differences in how their brain works.
What is internalized ableism?
This ADHD presentation is often missed because it does not involve obvious hyperactivity.
What is Predominantly Inattentive Presentation?
Name four possible medical contributors that look like ADHD.
What are Anemia/iron deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, seizures and head injury?
This strategy boosts positive behaviour by giving a student a specific, immediate response—like praise or a point—right after they demonstrate the desired behaviour.
What is providing immediate, behaviour‑specific positive reinforcement?
Name the network in the brain that often fails to properly deactivate during tasks, contributing to distractibility and difficulty sustaining attention.
What is the Default Mode Network (DMN)?
Name three factors are researchers looking into as potential causes of ADHD.
What are genetics, environment and central nervous system?
Name five of the classroom low-risk supports which can improve attention/behaviour for students with ADHD and all other Look-Alikes.
What are: Morning predictability, pacing supports after transitions, warm relationship with student, clear signals & choices, co-regulation, chunk tasks, visible steps/checklist, timers, easier font size, extra processing time and explicit instructions?
To prevent overwhelm and mental fatigue, this strategy structures learning time into short, predictable work periods followed by brief, intentional breaks
What is using a structured work‑break cycle?
This cognitive pattern in ADHD causes a student to experience one continuous “blur", making it hard to notice transitions, remember specific parts, or break events into meaningful steps.
What is coarser segmentation?