By GABRIELLE ADAMS
ADHD – four of the scariest letters a parent doesn’t want to hear.
What is ADHD?
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It occurs when a child has unexplained bouts of hyperactivity combined with poor, or a lack of, concentration. The Australian Psychological Society says that ADHD can impair social and academic functioning and is often noticed in children who are failing to learn at school. ADHD is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.
How do I know if my child has it?
It is important not to jump to conclusions when looking if your child has ADHD. Child psychologist Diana Roe says that it can be quite obvious if a child has the disorder. She says, “A child with ADHD has behaviour difficulties as result of not being able to focus, not being able to curve their impulsivity and not being able to sit still in a class room.”
Two areas to be looked at are inattention and hyperactivity. Symptoms of inattention include failing to give close attention to details and difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play, not listening when spoken to, not following through on instructions and failure to finish tasks, difficulty organising tasks and activities, avoiding, disliking or being reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort, losing things necessary for tasks or activities and being easily distracted.
Symptoms of hyperactivity include fidgeting with hands or feet, squirming in their seat, leaving their seat when remaining sitting is expected, running about or climbing excessively, difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities and often “on the go” , talking excessively and blurting out answers before a question is completed and interrupting others.
To fulfil a diagnosis, each symptom must last for six months or more.
How is ADHD diagnosed?
Unfortunately ADHD is difficult to diagnose, especially in young children. There are no blood tests to give you an immediate answer and the process can be costly and time consuming. ADHD is usually diagnosed by a child psychologist who will complete a series of observations, check lists and sometimes computer-stimulant tests where a child’s focus is tested. This is usually done for a few weeks to a few months.
How is it treated?
ADHD is usually treated with drugs called Ritalin or Dexamphetamine and they have similar results. They work on the brain as a stimulant. In people who don’t have ADHD, these drugs cause more hyperactivity; whereas in those who have it, the drug makes them concentrate and work better because their brains are wired a little differently. Diana Roe says, “By putting a child on Ritalin it is often a good way to see if they have the disorder, because if the child becomes more out of control, they will not have ADHD .”
If parents do not want to use medication, there are some good results of improvement with behavioural management. There needs to be very clear boundaries for the child and rules so they know what to do.
If a child does have ADHD, however, they will find it very difficult to stay focused, not to act impulsively and control their behaviour. Mild ADHD suffers can try to control it with managing their behaviour, but for those with severe cases, Ritalin can make a huge difference in their lives.
What are the side effects?
The most common side effects of using Ritalin can be loss of appetite and sleeping difficulties, which are normal reactions to stimulant medication. There are some things that are generally done to prevent that happening including giving it after breakfast and stop taking it after lunch time so they can have a good dinner and the effect of the drug will be worn off.
Children are occasionally taken off Ritalin because they lose too much weight. Other methods are then investigated to try and control their behaviour.
Other effects include a severe drop in attention when the medication wears off, causing an extreme difference in their behaviour when it is first taken. This often wears off after a period of taking the medication.
There have been quite a lot of reports about Ritalin and the link to depression in children. Diana Roe says she has never seen a child become depressed on stimulant medication but does know children with ADHD who become depressed because their behaviour causes them so much difficulty.
Is it being over diagnosed?
It can be found that ADHD is being over diagnosed. This can be seen as response to parental and teacher pressure.
Diana Roe says that the over diagnosis is “because a lot of parents and teachers are looking for answers for behaviour difficulties in their children and ADHD is a much less threatening thing to have diagnosed than difficulties with parenting or the result of family breakups.”
Children with ADHD may be violent but they don’t have the intention to hurt anyone, they just lash out without thinking, whereas a child who has other underlying psychological problems can be quite angry or aggressive and this has nothing to do with impulsivity.
A US study has recently found the use of drugs to treat ADHD had more than tripled worldwide since 1993 and Australia was among the heaviest users of these drugs. It was reported that about 30 per cent of Australian children diagnosed with ADHD were misdiagnosed and one in 100 children were medicated for it. The reason ADHD was often misdiagnosed was through a misunderstanding of the disorder.
If you would like more information on ADHD, contact the Australian Psychological Society or visit HERE
