About JCKAK
About ADHD
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. According to the guidelines of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) of the United States, students with ADHD have challenges with attention control, activity regulation and behavioural self-regulation.
In Hong Kong, ADHD is generally diagnosed by psychiatrists. However, from the perspective of neurodiversity, ADHD can be viewed as a manifestation of developmental diversity. Different brain developmental trajectories may lead people with ADHD to receive and process information differently from the general population, resulting in difficulties in attention control, activity regulation, and behavioral inhibition, as well as challenges in other areas such as executive functioning, delayed gratification, time perception, and emotion regulation.
On the other hand, recent studies have found that some people with ADHD also possess exceptional creativity, vigor, and hyperfocus (a state in which a person ignores surrounding distractions and devotes his or her full attention to them, resulting in extraordinary performance).
While more research is needed to understand the strengths and benefits associated with ADHD, it is particularly important to understand the characteristics of people with ADHD in a positive light and to work towards creating a positive environment through which they can grow and develop.
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