Characteristics of ADHD and SI problems

characteristics	problems	For ADHD child	For SI child
Level of Activity: amount of movement (e.g., during sleeping, eating, playing)	Level of Activity: amount of movement (e.g., during sleeping, eating, playing)	Restless, wriggling, or exaggerated movements; Constantly runs around; messy	Quickly tires or is never tired; wound up or dull; looks for stimuli or tries to reduce stimulation; always wants to move or does not want to move
Rhythm: regularity in body functions (e.g., hunger, sleeping, elimination)	Rhythm diverges from what is considered appropriate to The age; a child’s physical and sensory condition can influence rhythm	Eating or sleeping problems; being obstinate	Irregular sleep/wake cycles; obstinacy; delay in learning meaningful words
Approachability/ reserve: nature of the first reaction to new stimuli (e.g., new  situations, people, places, food, toys, procedures)	Social problems are created in reaction to new stimuli	Anxious, bashful, shy	Avoiding eye contact; not noticing if other people come into room
Adaptability: ease with which someone can relate to new stimuli	Environment is dominated by the child’s wishes	Always wants control over the situation, quickly overwrought by changes in the  environment	Overwrought if something changes with personal hygiene rituals (e.g. washing hair, brushing teeth)
Intensity of reactions: amount of energy used irrespective of the situation	Child has no control over the energy expended in his or her reactions	Impulsive, wound up; slumped shoulders; moody; cries easily or without provocation; oversensitivity to criticism; quickly over-stimulated	Emotional; aggressive reaction to sensory stimuli (e.g., light or touch); moody; frustrated when something does not work; self-directed anger and shyness
Humor: behavior that is pleasant and friendly or unpleasant and unfriendly	Child cannot always analyze a situation correctly (e.g., may feel threatened when no threat is present)	Sudden, drastic change of humor; moody	Exaggeratedly affectionate or attached; cannot express emotions; no sense of humor; Exaggeratedly sensitive; exaggerated reactions
Follow-through potential: being able to complete one activity	The child cannot satisfy the demands of his or her environment	No matter what child is doing, he or she cannot stop an activity	Gives up quickly; difficult to motivate; attempts tasks in an illogical order and is angry if efforts do not work
Distractibility: effect of internal and external stimuli on what one is attempting to do	Child cannot concentrate on the job at hand	Tries to complete things quickly and still is distracted; cannot pay attention for long enough to complete tasks (e.g., at home, at school, or when playing)	Seems to shut down in a busy environment; seeks stimulation or is distracted By light, sound, or sudden touch
Stimuli threshold: amount of stimuli (e.g., light and sound) needed to provoke a reaction	Child’s reaction to stimuli is disturbing to him or her and to everyone in the surroundings	Oversensitive to stimuli, even as a baby; reacts too much or Too little to stimuli in The environment	Negative behavioral reactions to loud sounds (e.g., holds hands over ears); does not care for strong odors or continually notices them; sensitive to certain fabrics and materials; has a different perception of pain and temperature; reacts too little or too much to touch or movement; has a negative reaction to certain types of food (e.g., grainy, raw, fine, hard, soft)