Not all students are at risk for dangerous behaviors. What about an unfulfilled life or diminished expectations or just plain old depression….which sometimes could lead to risky or dangerous behavior? Here are some psychological conditions that may contribute to unhappiness, bullying and depression.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

This a condition that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity, but there is so much more to this condition than people ever realize. The Learning Disabilities Association reports that “Although ADHD is not considered a learning disability, research indicates that from 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging.”

Dyspraxia

This is a condition that is characterized by “difficulty in muscle control, which causes problems with movement and coordination, language and speech, and can also affect learning.” Although also not considered a learning disability, dyspraxia is considered by some to often exist along with dyslexia, dyscalculia or ADHD.

Executive Functioning

This is an all encompassing term similar to sensory or cognitive impairment and is considered to be “an inefficiency in the cognitive management systems of the brain that affects a variety of neuropsychological processes such as planning, organization, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space. Although not a learning disability, different patterns of weakness in executive functioning are almost always seen in the learning profiles of individuals who have specific learning disabilities or ADHD.”

Memory

Memory is a complex construct and what is often considered a “memory” problem is really a series of problems with attention, concentration and encoding information. Any deficits in these areas results in what is commonly seen as “memory problems.”