What is the difference between ADHD and Learning Disability?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a mental disorder that can affect children, teens, and adults. It is most frequently diagnosed in children and boys more than girls. The person is easily distracted, is hyperactive, and exhibits uncontrolled behaviors. Other symptoms would be difficulty listening, completing tasks, sitting still, and lacks organizational skills. The cause of ADHD is not known; however, there could be a chemical imbalance in the brain.

This disorder is usually treated with stimulants, which help increase attention span and calm the hyperactivity. ADHD is not believed to be a learning disability, but it can cause difficulties with learning due to the symptoms. There are learning disabilities that include Dyslexia, where reading is difficult because the letters look scrambled, Dyscalculia, which is math-based. There is difficulty with problem-solving, and there is no concept of time and Processing Deficits where the brain has difficulty processing visually perceived information.

ADHD is often thought of as a learning disability, but they are two different things. ADHD stands for Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it is a mental health disorder. It impacts a person able to focus on one thing. There are three types of ADHD, which are ADHD-I, inattentive, ADHD-H/I, which is hyperactive-impulsive, and ADHD-C.

The C stands for combined, for this type is a mixture of hyperactive and inattentive. A learning disorder is a brain disorder. It impacts how a person learns or processes information. A learning disability does not mean that a person is less intelligent, but instead that it may take them longer to learn information.

A child with ADHD has three issues. He finds it difficult to stay focused or to pay attention to instructions while doing a task. He can also be extremely hyperactive. About 30-50 percent of children suffering from ADHD also suffer from learning disabilities because learning, memorizing, and recalling amounts to a mountainous task.

ADHD can actually be diagnosed with accuracy only by the age of 4 at the time the child begins schooling. While any child that is suffering from learning disabilities will also find it very difficult to listen, understand, interpret, and work according to instructions.

These kinds of children would have real-time issues in speech, writing, reading, and solving problems at school and work. The children are not dumb, nor are they imbecile who have an abnormally low IQ. They are also slightly different from some other children because their brains are wired a bit differently, and therefore they interpret things differently.