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What is ADHD and How do You Manage it?

By: Dr. Noel Swanson Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) show the following symptoms:

1) Poor concentration and attention span 2) Poor memory 3) Impulsiveness - the trait of doing things without thinking first 4) Easily frustrated - because of poor concentration and memory when they cannot remember things, they get frustrated. This causes behavioral patterns like temper tantrums and outbursts

The above traits are even shown by people who are not suffering from ADHD. Because of ADHD children suffer in various fields and activities in and out of school. They have to face defeat and failure in various areas like:

a) at school (getting work done, paying attention, daydreaming, losing homework, talking in class, being disruptive, etc.),

b) Participating in healthy activities at home such as getting chores finished, maintaining cordial relations with siblings, maintaining a modicum of efficiency and getting things done on time.

c) Participate and contribute actively in social activities such as being tolerant and accommodating of others, controlling temper and aggression, not playing practical jokes on others etc.

ADHD is not a disease or illness in the sense that it is caused by germs, by injury, or by a clearly defined physical malfunction (such as asthma or diabetes). It is simply the result of parts of the brain not working at full efficiency.

ADHD can be called a hereditary condition, where parents and children show similar symptoms. The symptoms and the ADHD condition does not go away in short span of time and takes a long time to get under control. Sometimes children suffer from ADHD through their teens into their adulthood also.

HOW IS ADHD MANAGED?

The big concern for children with ADHD is the danger of developing long term complications. For example:

a) Their fear of failure at school owing to poor concentration, leading to school drop out

b) Are constantly in trouble because of their impulsive behavior

c) may turn to social ills like drugs, crime, drink because of their constant failures.

All of these may then have long term implications even into adulthood.

The goal of management is, therefore, to prevent complications. This is a long term process, so the most important people to take charge of this are the parents. It is you as parents who have to live with the child, you who are most concerned about his/her long term well-being, and you who know your child best. If you do not take an active role in managing the difficulties then whatever else other people do will be unlikely to make much difference. However, if you do your part then there is much that others can do to help you along the way. Effective management is likely to include the following components:

COMMITTED PARENTS who will work for the best for their child. There is much information, including books and videos, on ADHD and how to help your child - borrow them, buy them, read them, and become informed. But remember there is also much mis-information (especially on the internet and in newspapers and magazines), so discuss what you read with your local support group and professionals. Be especially suspicious of groups who claim to have the "magic cure" for your child.

GOOD COMMUNICATION between home, school and other professionals. This especially applies to home and school, so do all that you can to meet regularly with the school to work together on solutions for your child.

ADJUSTMENTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT. Children with ADHD do best in a quiet, calm, structured, low-stimulation environment (e.g. one to one) and poorly in chaotic situations (e.g. busy classrooms, noisy, busy homes). As a family you may want to find ways to reorganise life so that it is less stressful for all of you. At school the teachers will be doing the same, and it is best if the two can be co-ordinated.

CLEAR BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGY. These children respond best to very clear expectations of behavior, and very clear rewards and punishments - with rewards being more frequent than punishments. If you are having difficulty in doing this at home you may want to talk about some strategies with your key worker.

SUPPORT FOR THE PARENTS. Looking after children with ADHD can be very stressful for the parents. Bringing up these children can be very taxing. At times it may lead to depression and marital breakdown in parents. To help the parents to cope with the stress of bringing up a ADHD child, the parents should also consult the parent support groups and parents training groups, marital counseling, and family therapy etc.

MEDICATION. Medication is not a cure, but can be an invaluable help. Getting it right is important and so you will need to work closely with your key worker and doctor. The goal of medication is to reduce the symptoms so as to give the child the opportunity to learn academic, social, and other life skills. By itself, however, it is unlikely to solve all the problems and so cannot be used as an excuse to opt out of the above ingredients.

There are several types of medication that are used. The most common are the "stimulants" (discussed on the next page), but increasingly common is the new medication atomoxetine, which seems to work very well with few side effects. Ask your doctor for full information.

As health professionals we cannot raise your child for you, nor can we solve all your problems as you travel with your child along life's journey. What we can do, however, is to assist you in getting unstuck when you get stuck along the way. We will try to help you to sort out all of the above points as best you can.

The person who has to cope with this is you and your family. Therefore, this is best addressed by you and the first step towards this is to learn as much as you can. Learning all you can results in better management and better results.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Need some tips for managing your kids' behaviors? Why not take a look at Dr. Noel Swanson's parenting help newsletter. His book, The GOOD CHILD Guide, is also one of the best available. You can get it from his website here: www.good-child-guide.com
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