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So my son, 10, was lying around the house today, complaining that he was super bored. Then he asked if I would make him a sandwich. "You know how to make a sandwich," I told him. "And you're bored. Perfect solution: make it yourself!" He threw a royal tizzy fit and said he couldn't make a sandwich because he hated doing it too much. I tried breaking it down into smaller tasks for him, but he wasn't having it. Finally he worked up the strength to pour himself a bowl of cereal. But this is not an uncommon scenario in our household. I have to wonder: is this lazy behavior related to his ADHD? Is there a more effective way to respond to him than saying, "Do it yourself?" (He really does know how and HAS made himself sandwiches before.)
Several of the kids with ADHD at the summer school I work at exhibit a similar behavior pattern. From my point of view, it's not so much "laziness", but a refusal to participate in activities that do not engage them. For example I have a student who will completely shut down during math and throw a tantrum when he is asked to participate because he "hated it and is bad at it". He is perfectly capable of doing the work, but it doesn't capture his focus. So yes, I would say that ADHD is correlated with this type of behavior.
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I am with you!! My 8 yr old son who has ADHD is exactly like that! I always just thought he was a bit on the whiny side. I never related the two. That's very interesting!
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