Things You Need to Know about a Child with ADHD
While many people dismiss ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as an after-effect of modern life on children, it isn’t so. ADHD is not even a disorder of this age. It has been described in older medical literature as well.
Some modern researchers believe that this condition is a cluster of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder. It is quite disheartening to note that one out of ten kids in the United States have ADHD.
Despite being a relatively common mental disorder, there are many misconceptions about it. Honestly ADHD is trying to dispel these fallacies with few essential things you should know. Here they are:
Hyperactivity and Impulsivity Are the Main Symptoms
Mostly, kids having ADHD can be inattentive, impulsive, or hyperactive at all times. For diagnosis, these symptoms should make themselves significantly visible in different places. No wonder, it is often noticed at school and home.
Being a childhood disorder, you can notice the symptoms before adolescence hits the child. Sometimes, the symptoms begin while a child is in preschool, but mostly, ADHD is diagnosed in later childhood.
The symptoms may also change with time. Impulsivity and hyperactivity are more intense in smaller kids, while young adults struggle with inattentiveness.
Anxiety Disorder Can Also Occur with ADHD
Many kids and teens with ADHD also go through an anxiety disorder. Although most of the therapists, parents, and teachers know about this connection, they don’t respond well to it. The reason is they fail to acknowledge the emotional outburst of this situation.
Anger and opposition are often used as weapons against fear and shame of not matching up with others at school or home. So, kids try to push the people away from them with this interplay between anxiety and ADHD.
The best way to deal with this disorder is to give love and reassurance along with clinical intervention to affected children.
ADHD Is Related to Brain Activity
No matter what people believe, ADHD isn’t something that goes away by paying attention or concentrating harder on things. There have been many studies proving that those with ADHD have a malfunctioning that affects their brain circuitry.
The prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia regions of the brain in children with ADHD are smaller than other kids. The thickening of cortical tissues also leads to this disorder. Genes can be responsible for ADHD striking the kids in up to 50% of the cases.
At Honestly ADHD, it is believed that the diagnosis of a child is the first clue that one of their parents also has this disorder.
It Is Possible to Cure ADHD
Due to research-backed studies, it is possible to treat children who have ADHD. You can combine stimulant medications along with behavioral therapy, education, training, and ADHD coaching to relieve the symptoms.
There are communities of parents sharing the similar dilemma of handling their hyperactive and impulsive kids. You can connect with them to tell your story and seek their guidance to understand how they dealt with similar conditions.
Parenting the kids having ADHD is never easy. But, you can still deal with the situation by being informed and educated.