Being the parent of a child with ADHD can be frustrating. Careless mistakes, clutter, distraction, fighting over school, dealing with their messiness, and a slew of other “quirks” make their schooling and daily lives challenging to say the least. It’s no different for adults, who struggle with what appears to be absentmindedness, disorganization, or laziness. The truth is that what appears to be character flaws is actually a result of the portions of the brain that control executive functioning being less active. The effects of this condition appear to be chaotic and can often be mistaken for simple laziness or irresponsibility. This is part of the reason why parents get so frustrated with ADHD kids. Most of what is happening to make life difficult is happening in their brains. It isn’t visible. The visible part looks like laziness and irresponsibility. The frustration isn’t isolated to parents alone. Kids experience it just as much.
Last week, I was reading ADHD 2.0, by Edward Hallowell. Early in the book he talks about newer research in neurobiology that has shed some light on the inner workings of the brain. Using MRIs, scientists have discovered that different parts of the brain kick on when people are engaged in different types of activities. When people engage in task completion, the Task Positive Network (TPN) lights up. This is the part of the brain that deals with steps in a process, doing math homework, cleaning the house, or whatever else.
The other part of the brain related to our conversation is the Default Mode Network (DMN). The DMN deals with everything that is not task related. It is where daydreaming, creativity, memory of our lives, connecting concepts, emotional thinking, etc. happens.
Typically, the two networks take turns running the show. When task time sets in, a “switch” flips and the TPN powers up. At the same time, the DMN powers down. Conversely, when a person spends time thinking, remembering, imagining, etc, the DMN powers up and the TPN powers down.
MRIs performed on individuals with ADHD, on the other hand, show that the “switch” that transitions function between parts of the brain is glitchy. The TPN and DMN light up to different degrees at the same time and invade each other’s territory. This results in absentminded and distracted work because the imagining/planning/remembering parts of the brain are wandering into the picture, or taking over completely and diverting everything in a new direction. Many of the “irresponsible” or “distracted” behaviors are the result. Careless mistakes, in particular, were focused on in one study. Based on activity in the DMN, scientists were able to predict careless mistakes as much as 20 seconds before they happened in subjects working to accomplish tasks.
This is not the whole picture, when it comes to ADHD in kids and adults. It is a simplified example to illustrate that kids with ADHD who struggle with careless mistakes aren’t just being lazy or need to try harder. Forgetting appointments and losing important things (wallets or homework) are a byproduct of the neurobiological tug-o-war that takes place with ADHD. It’s tempting to yell, punish, cajole, and live in constant frustration in response to the patterns that arise.
There are exercises, meditations, and medications that can help kids navigate the strangeness associated with ADHD in kids. One of the best places to start in dealing with these parenting or personal struggles, is reading. There are a ton of great resources for understanding brain function and helping your kids succeed in school and life. ADHD 2.0 is an easy read and a good starting point. Feel free to reach out to me for recommendations.
