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What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

What is it? Is ADHD a real thing or is it just a faddish creation of people who want to make excuses for kids who are difficult for teachers to control? The medical and educational professionals are in agreement that children with ADHD seem to have a brain that causes them to behave differently than other children. These children are not bad or uncooperative. They just think and behave differently.

When you read about ADHD you will be struck by the fact that some of the behaviors described in the condition will fit you. ADHD is a condition of degree. Many of us have aspects of this condition, but some children have so many aspects that their behaviors get in the way of their social interactions and school work.

The official diagnosis

In order to be diagnosed officially as having ADHD, a licensed mental health professional will evaluate a child based on the standards noted in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association. Specialists will look for certain behaviors that have persisted for at least six months and that are different that most children in the child's age group.

What behaviors will you see in a child?

The identifying factor of ADHD is a persistent pattern of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity that is more frequent and more severe than is observed in other children of their age level.

Inattention Professionals will look to see if a child:

often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, or other activities; often has difficulty sustaining attention in task or play activities; often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly; often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork; often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities; often avoids, or is reluctant to engage in, tasks like homework which require sustained mental effort; often loses things necessary for school assignments such as pencils, papers, and books; is easily distracted in the classroom by extraneous stimuli; is often forgetful in daily activities.

Hyperactivity and Impulsivity

To evaluate a child's level of hyperactivity and impulsivity, professionals will also look to see if a child:

often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat; often leaves their seat in the classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected; often runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate (an adolescent may have feelings of restlessness); often has difficulty playing quietly; is often " on the go" or acts as if "driven by a motor;" often talks excessively; often blurts out answers before questions have been completed; often has difficulty awaiting a turn; often interrupts or intrudes on others conversations or games.

A child will have to have a sufficient number of these symptoms before a diagnosis of ADHD will be made.

Treatment Once a diagnosis is made, physicians, mental health professionals, and teachers can work together to help the child. There are several conventional treatments for this condition. Often various treatment strategies can be used in combination. Because raising a youngster with this condition can be difficult for parents, professionals suggest that family therapy be made available to help. Parents are often taught how to structure a child's day and give him rewards for doing certain expected behaviors. The most common form of treatment for ADHD is the use of medications such as Ritalin. This medicine tends to help the child focus and be more successful in school. Of course this medication like all others has side effects and should only be used under the careful monitoring of a physician.

The future ADHD is by no means an educationally fatal disorder. With understanding, parents and teachers can help these children learn how to be successful. They can learn a collection of skills and techniques that will help them cope with the things that their brain does not do naturally.

(BBF)