Information for Children With Attention Deficit Disorder

The first signs of attention deficit disorder are often noticed during the early school years, when the inability to sit still and pay attention begins to affect your child's grades. No matter how hard they try, children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) can't focus. While everyone has trouble paying attention from time to time, children with this disorder find it almost impossible to focus on anything for a sustained period of time. There is no cure for AD/HD, but medication and behavioral modifications can help your child cope with the most troubling symptoms of the disorder.

Hyperactivity/Impulsive Symptoms

• Children with the primarily hyperactive/impulsive form of the disorder have extreme difficulty remaining still. They squirm, fidget and can't stay seated. Your child's teacher may complain that your child won't stop talking, interrupts the class and doesn't like to wait or take turns.

Inattentive Symptoms

• Children with the primarily inattentive type of AD/HD have trouble paying attention and listening. They often make mistakes or don't pay attention to details. Following through on instructions can be difficult and organizational skills may be lacking. Children with this form of the disorder often avoid tasks that will require sustained mental effort and are easily distracted and forgetful.
  It is possible for a child to have a combined form of the disorder and experience both the symptoms of the primarily inattentive type and primarily hyperactive/impulse form of AD/HD.

Diagnosis

• Because there is no definitive test used to diagnose AD/HD, your doctor will ask many questions about your child's behavior, both at home and at school, before making a diagnosis. A physical examination must be performed in order to rule out illnesses or other problems, such as hearing or vision difficulties, that could be causing your child's symptoms. The doctor will ask if anyone else in the family has had similar symptoms, as AD/HD tends to run in families. Observations from your child's teachers and school or private psychologists may also be used to help your doctor understand the scope of the problem.

Behavioral Modifications

• Your child may need to learn new ways to complete schoolwork and may benefit from learning organizational techniques. Maintaining a consistent structure in both school and home life is very important in helping a child with AD/HD to thrive despite the obstacles his disorder presents. Therapists can help children who have trouble interacting with others appropriately learn to read body language and facial cues of their friends and classmates. Learning how to share, how to take turns and how to react to being teased can greatly improve your child's social skills.

Medication

• Medicating children with AD/HD is often a controversial subject, with some parents adamantly opposed to giving their child any type of medication to control the disorder. In some children, behavioral modification alone can improve behavior enough that medication is not needed. Other children will benefit from a combination of medication and behavioral medications.
  Your child may need to try several types of medication before finding the one that is the most effective with the least side effects. Stimulant medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin, are commonly used to treat AD/HD and actually seem to calm children. Stimulants improve focus and reduce hyperactivity. Non-stimulant medications may also be used if stimulants don't help your child.