Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Reena is a 4-year-old girl. She has recently started going to school. Her school reports indicate that Reena is a naughty child and often disturbs others in class. She does not complete the task assigned to her and aimlessly roams around in class. She often has difficulty following instructions. Reena's new school teacher, after reading her previous reports, decides to observe her closely for a month. The teacher noticed that Reena enjoyed activities that required less reading and involved step-wise instructions. Her teacher helped Reena organise her bag as she would often forget to pack properly or would leave her things all over the class. Reena also had to be seated close to the teacher during circle time to avoid fidgeting and running around in the room or speaking out of turn. To keep Reena's interest in an activity, the teacher ensured frequent breaks and used puzzles that required scanning and canceling. With these small interventions, there was improvement in Reena's concentration, instruction following and waiting for her turn to speak. The teacher advised Reena's mother to follow the same strategies at home and get a psychoeducational assessment done to help Reena get the right intervention.
Based on Reena's behavioural symptoms what do you think her assessment reports would indicate?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Reena shows the two main features of ADHD. She has inattention (she does not complete her task, has difficulty following instructions, forgets to pack her bag) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (she roams around aimlessly, fidgets, runs around and speaks out of turn).
Option (1) Autism Spectrum Disorder — Incorrect. Autism spectrum disorder shows widespread impairments in social interaction and communication, a restricted range of interests, a strong desire for routine, and repetitive behaviours such as rocking or hand flapping. Reena shows none of these.
Option (2) Mild Intellectual Disability — Incorrect. Intellectual disability means below average intellectual functioning with deficits in adaptive behaviour. Reena’s trouble is with attention and restlessness, and it improved with frequent breaks and seating near the teacher.
Option (3) Dyslexia — Incorrect. Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder in reading: the child has difficulty in reading words accurately and fluently, though her or his intelligence is normal. For example, a child may keep confusing ‘b’ and ‘d’ or read ‘was’ as ‘saw’. Reena enjoyed activities that needed less reading, but her main problems, restlessness and poor attention, were not about reading.
Option (4) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — Correct. Inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity together, appearing in the early years of school, point to ADHD.
Note: The concept in Option (3), ‘dyslexia’, is not in the NCERT book (2023-24), which NTA followed in 2025, and not in NCERT (2025-26) either; explained here for the benefit of the students. The book speaks of it only under the broader name ‘specific learning disorder’.
NCERT (2025-26): “Neurodevelopmental Disorders … The two main features of ADHD are inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. Children who are inattentive find it difficult to sustain mental effort during work or play. They have a hard time keeping their minds on any one thing or in following instructions. Common complaints are that the child does not listen, cannot concentrate, does not follow instructions, is disorganised, easily distracted, forgetful, does not finish assignments, and is quick to lose interest in boring activities. Children who are impulsive seem unable to control their immediate reactions or to think before they act. They find it difficult to wait or take turns, have difficulty resisting immediate temptations or delaying gratification. Minor mishaps such as knocking things over are common whereas more serious accidents and injuries can also occur. Hyperactivity also takes many forms. Children with ADHD are in constant motion. Sitting still through a lesson is impossible for them. The child may fidget, squirm, climb and run around the room aimlessly. Parents and teachers describe them as ‘driven by a motor’, always on the go, and talk incessantly.…” |