Object Permanency Problems And ADHD – One must understand that object permanence is not a clinically recognized problem in adults suffering from ADHD
Object permanence is an old psychological concept coined by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget who for the first time had seen this phenomenon in infants. You must have observed how when you hide a toy from your infant at a certain age, they might simply forget about its existence. As they grow up, this behavior might change. They might start looking for the hidden toy. This means that your child is developing object permanence. It could be defined as the ability to understand that an object continues to exist even if you are not able to see it or hear it.
For instance, just because you don’t stay with your family, you don’t forget that you have a mother or a sibling at home. This psychological phenomenon is an important developmental milestone. Most infants can grasp the concept within a year. The concept of object permanency is very close to the phrase ‘out of sight, out of mind’ which is also a characteristic problem of people suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some studies have tried exploring the connection between object permanency and ADHD while others have ruled out any correlation between the two.
Object Permanency Problems And ADHD – Why is this connection in question?
The reason for studying the connection between object permanency problems and ADHD is people affected by the latter suffer from inattention, and forgetfulness and often lose objects at school or work. ADHD often begins in childhood and is a neurodevelopmental disorder. The close resemblance of the symptoms to the concept of object impermanency has encouraged scholars to see if the two are anyhow connected. However, one must understand that object permanence is not a clinically recognized problem in adults suffering from ADHD.
They know what exists and what not
On the contrary, as per reports, some studies have shown that people affected with ADHD have a sound understanding of the concept of permanency. They know that objects, work and relationships exist and might just need some helpful cues that could save them from forgetting things. As per reports, ADHD has a lot to do with one’s memory. People affected by the condition have poor short-term memory which makes them forget what needs to be done at that time. The concept of permanency of things and relationships is often a function of long-term memory which isn’t that much affected in these individuals. As per experts, people suffering from ADHD have attention deficit that makes it hard for their brain to filter out relevant details from irrelevant ones.
Difficulty maintaining relationships
People suffering from ADHD might also suffer from maintaining healthy relationships. They might often forget to text people back or call them or even visit them. As per a review conducted on children affected by ADHD, it was found that they were less liked by their peers, have fewer friends, and have fewer mutual relationships. This behaviour distantly runs parallel to object impermanency where the person forgets other people who are not in sight. However, the comparison has been contradicted by saying that ADHD-affected people might forget to interact with their loved ones at that time but they very well understand that they exist. Home Page
