Let us look deeper into ADHD and understand how this disorder came to be. Some experts believe that people who have ADHD retain some of the “hunter” characteristics associated with pre-agricultural humans. ADHD behavior works well when applied in work that require searching, such as treasure hunting, or tasks that take risks or involves competition, such as sports.

Thus, in-home tutors who work closely with children with ADHD must integrate physical activities with learning. For example, instead of asking a child to write down the answers to a short quiz, the in-home tutor creates large cutouts of words and asks the child to select the right answer from the words and stick them on a large corkboard.

Another idea for in-home tutoring children with ADHD is to create a game wherein the child quickly finds answers to questions in different areas inside the study room. The child receives a reward for every correct answer found.

In another perspective, ADHD may have developed during pregnancy. The mother could have been drinking or smoking or she had exposure to lead, which causes pregnancy-related mutations. Likewise, a 2007 study linked to delays in learning rates and behavioral problems in children with the use of organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos on fruits and vegetables

Among schoolchildren, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the most common diagnosis by child psychiatrists today. This disorder has been controversial for many reasons, one of which is the frequent over-diagnosis of ADHD.

Some teachers, in-home tutors and parents see children who display too much energy or talk too much as disruptive, which leads them to think that those children have ADHD or ADD. Precociousness used to be an adorable quality in children. However, this same quality now elicits suspicion and disapproval.

ADHD has three subtypes:

• Subtype I – predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
• Subtype II – predominantly inattentive
• Subtype III – combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive

A child with subtype II ADHD may sit quietly, but may not be paying attention to what they are doing. Because the children get along well with other children and do not display behavioral problems, parents, teachers and some in-home tutors often overlook this subtype of ADHD. Children who commonly receive an ADHD diagnosis have subtype III, which shows six or more symptoms of inattention and six or more symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity.

Subtype I and Subtype III are what we understand as ADHD and Subtype II is actually ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder. All types exist along with other behavioral problems or learning disorders.

More than thirty years ago, the existence of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder were unheard of. Today, these three disorders were the bane of many children who had to take medication, undergo counseling, and go to special classes that help them cope with schoolwork. As a result, in-home tutors and one-one-one tutoring sessions for these children have become more important than ever to help them cope with life, their surroundings and their studies.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Since its discovery in the 1970s, ADHD continues to be the most studied and diagnosed psychiatric condition in children. Doctors diagnose ADHD more commonly in boys than girls, though this may be due to subjective bias from teachers. The frequency of diagnosis and the mode of treatment for ADHD made it a controversial disorder in children.

Children with ADHD struggle with their homework, often lose their things, and have difficulty following instructions. They fidget and squirm, which shows they cannot stay in one place too long. Constant motion and talking non-stop disrupt their day-to-day activities as well as the work of their classmates and family members.

Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)

Relatively new to modern psychiatry, Central Auditory Processing Disorder or CAPD is an umbrella term for a variety of disorders affecting the way a brain processes auditory information. The children do not have any hearing impairment; they find it difficult to recognize and interpret sounds of speech.

Doctors often misdiagnose CAPD as ADHD, Asperger syndrome or other forms of autism. Although the problem exists in auditory processing, this disorder extends to reading because the written word is just a visual notation of verbal language. In effect, children with CAPD have difficulty reading and writing as well as comprehending speech.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

The most recent of the three disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, is predominantly a behavioral problem. Because of the ongoing pattern of disobedience, hostility and defiance, children diagnosed with ODD have difficulty with authoritative figures, such as teachers and parents. Most children with ODD grow up as juvenile delinquents with anti-social behavior.

Temper tantrums, stealing, bullying and vandalism are some of the key symptoms of ODD. The child’s behaviors often disrupt his or her daily activities as well as those of others around them. They may deliberately disturb the work of other people or blame them for failures.