The answers to the question about what is ADHD disorder are neither simple nor straightforward. If they were, I would not be writing this article!
If you have noticed some strange behavior in your child and his symptoms have been present for at least six months and is noted in both home and schools settings, then you might well want to see if it is indeed ADHD or something else. I mention something else because very often the ADHD symptoms mimic those of other childhood disorders. They should be eliminated first by a visit to your family doctor.
Let us imagine that your child has been diagnosed with ADHD. What is ADHD disorder? Brain scans of normal children and those with ADHD show considerable differences in the frontal lobe areas. These are the areas which control our inhibitions, impulses, our executive functions and how we act and plan things. These neurotransmitters are not firing properly and the messages we would take for granted are just not getting through. Think of it as a rather weak mobile phone signal in the shopping mall or on a noisy street.
What does this mean in practical terms? It simply means that your child is going to have difficulty with certain tasks and he needs help. That help is not always medication and in some cases, it may actually hinder his development in that there are nasty side effects and in many cases, these meds do not even work.
The tasks that your child may find difficult are:-
• paying attention
• is distracted
• restless and hyperactive
• talks out of turn
• has a very short attention span
• cannot follow directions very easily
• cannot concentrate but at times can hyperfocus and remain on one task or activity for hours on end.
• is distracted
• restless and hyperactive
• talks out of turn
• has a very short attention span
• cannot follow directions very easily
• cannot concentrate but at times can hyperfocus and remain on one task or activity for hours on end.
Let us look at what the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommendations are about treatment. It is interesting to note that they only recommend medication when behavior therapy fails. It is a great pity that most doctors do not seem to follow these guidelines and prescribe psychostimulants as the first option. It should be the last!
Let us examine NICE's guidelines because they are based on sound research and experience with parents and children who have ADHD. They home in on the parents because they are key to the child's development and how he can be given the coping skills he needs. The child has difficulty with certain tasks so it is both the parents' and teacher's job to help if they can. In the latter case, many teachers opt out and refuse to deal with bad behavior. They recommend medication as an easy way out for them to have a quiet life and even put pressure on parents to do so.
Parents should be offered help with parenting skills, how to cope with stress and how to give their children the life skills they need, given that they have a few minor problems with getting their act together. It is only when this fails that medication should be sought or if there are very severe ADHD symptoms.
As we have seen, the answer to the question, what is ADHD disorder is a rather complex one but medication with psychostimulants should never be the first option.