Useful ADHD Facts for Parents
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Why You Need to Know the ADHD Facts
Knowing facts about ADHD will allow you to make the best decisions regarding your child's treatment.
Understanding facts regarding ADHD behaviour can give parents a clear direction in the best ways to parent their child, and ADHD facts regarding treatment can allow parents to consider all of the options available today.
What is ADHD?
ADHD facts regarding a straightforward definition can be confusing. Some people describe this condition as ADD, or ADHD, 'being hyperactive' or 'attention deficit'.
Children with ADHD... Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder... have difficulty paying attention, staying focused and concentrating, to the point where it has a negative affect on their life.
They have a difficult time following directions, waiting their turn and sharing and they are also often impulsive and constantly on the move.
ADHD is broken into three sub-types. After extensive testing a child's specific diagnosis for ADHD is typically one of these three...
- ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type
- ADHD Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type
- ADHD Predominantly Combined Type
Facts Regarding ADHD Symptoms
The three major symptoms of ADHD are...
- Hyperactivity:
The child has difficulty staying still, staying seated and playing quietly. They are constantly moving, and are often running and jumping off objects inappropriately. - Inattention:
The child is easily distracted and therefore makes careless mistakes and often doesn't finish tasks. The child often appears not to listen when being spoken to. They have trouble organizing their things, often lose things and appear to be day dreaming often. - Impulsiveness:
The child acts without thinking, has difficulty waiting for their turn and interrupts conversations inappropriately. The child may engage in reckless behaviour without thinking of the consequences, such as running into traffic or jumping off a high incline.
Facts Regarding Additional ADHD Challenges
Children with ADHD have a slower rate of emotional development... 30% slower... than non-ADHD children, which is why many ADHD children appear immature for their age.
ADHD children can also be prone to temper tantrums, defiance and hostility.
ADHD children also are more likely to have sleep problems and have problems with expressive language compared to non-ADHD children.
ADHD Facts Regarding Treatment
ADHD is a medical condition linked to a chemical imbalance in a child's brain.
Medication is sometimes prescribed for a child in order to provide a stimulant for the child, which effectively controls hyperactivity and impulse control and also increases a child's attention span.
Some common medical treatments include Ritalin, Methylin, Dexedrine, Focalin and Metadate.
Psychosocial therapy is also used to treat ADHD. Common psychosocial therapies used to treat ADHD include special education, social skills training, behaviour modification and psychotherapy.
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