“My report card always said, ‘Jim finishes first then he disrupts the other students.”
– Jim Carrey, actor with adhd
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
An impairment of the executive functions.
Executive Functions
A set of processes that all have to do with managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal. It is an umbrella term for the neurologically-based skills involving mental control and self-regulation.
For children with ADHD, school too often starts with failure. The consequences only magnify as time progresses into adulthood, if untreated. The following statistics are alarming, considering children with ADHD compose approximately 10% of the school-age population.
The Early Years
50%
REPEAT A GRADE BY ADOLESCENCE
10x
MORE LIKELY TO HAVE DIFFICULTIES WITH FRIENDSHIPS(20.6% VS. 2.0%)
80%
ARE TWO YEARS BEHIND ACADEMICALLY BY AGE 11
46%
OF CHILDREN WITH ADHD HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED
Higher Education
GRADUATE FROM A 4 YEAR INSTITUTION
82%
TOOK ON AVERAGE 10 YEARS TO GRADUATE
↓GPA
WHILE ATTENDING A UNIVERSITY
35%
EVENTUALLY DROP OUT
Social Costs
4-9X
MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT CRIMES AND GO TO JAIL
143.8M
DAYS OF LOST PRODUCTIVITY ACROSS 10 NATIONS
21-45%
OF PRISONERS HAVE ADHD ACCORDING TO 15 STUDIES FROM PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS
$36-$52B