Some Facts about Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Mental Health, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a legitimate psychological condition. Symptoms of ADHD usually occur before the age of seven and are as follows:
Hyperactivity. The term hyperactive is often confusing since, for some, it suggests a child racing around non-stop. A boy with ADHD playing a game, for instance, may have the same level of activity as another child without the syndrome. But when a high demand is placed on the ADHD child’s attention, his brain motor activity intensifies beyond the levels of the other children. In a busy environment, such as a classroom or a crowded store, ADHD children often become distracted and react by pulling items off the shelves, hitting people, or spinning out of control into erratic or strange behavior.
Impulsivity and Temper Explosions. The toddler may make erratic and aggressive gestures, such as hair pulling, pinching, and hitting. One of the most painful events a parent may experience is an aggressive attack that may occur after cuddling a young ADHD child. Often this reaction seems to be caused not by anger, but by the child’s apparent inability to endure overstimulation or displays of physical affection.
Attention and Concentration. ADHD children are usually distracted and made inattentive by an overstimulating environment (such as a large classroom). They are also inattentive when a situation is low-key or dull. Some experts believe that certain parts of the brain in ADHD children may be underactive, so the children fail to be aroused by nonstimulating activities. In contrast, they may exhibit a kind of “super concentration” to a highly stimulating activity (such as a video game or a highly specific interest). Such children may even become over-attentive — so absorbed in a project that they cannot modify or change the direction of their attention.
Impaired Short-Term Memory. People with ADHD can’t hold groups of sentences and images in their mind long enough to extract organized thoughts. They are not necessarily inattentive. Instead, an ADHA patient may be unable to remember a full explanation (such as a homework assignment), or unable to complete processes that require remembering sequences, such as model building. In general, children with ADHD are often attracted to activities (e.g., television, computer games, or active individual sports) that do not tax the working memory, or produce distractions. Children with ADHD have no differences in long-term memory compared with other children.
Inability to Manage Time. Studies suggest that children with ADHD have difficulties being on time and planning the correct amount of time to complete tasks.
Lack of Adaptability. ADHD children have a very difficult time adapting to even minor changes in routines, such as getting up in the morning, putting on shoes, eating new foods, or going to bed. Any shift in a situation can produce a strong and noisy negative response. Even being in a good mood, they may suddenly shift into a tantrum if met with an unexpected change or frustration.
Hypersensitivity and Sleep Problems. ADHD children are often hypersensitive to sights, sounds, and touch. Sleeping problems usually occur well after the point when most small children sleep through the night.
ADHD can be treated with behavioral therapies, medication, or simple mental health intervention. Combinations of behavioral therapy and medications appear to be best, however. Stimulants are not a cure-all; besides, children should not grow up believing that a pill will solve life’s problems without any self-efforts.