By Tim Shannon, PsyD, OSF Medical Group
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been around for over 100 years. The disorder has taken the media by storm since the early 1990s due to a dramatic increase of ADHD diagnoses and treatment in school-aged children. But before you jump to the conclusion your energetic child has ADHD, it is important to know the causes and be able to recognize the signs and symptoms.
A Family Affair
ADHD is a psychiatric genetic disorder that exists in approximately 5 percent of children in the United States. However, roughly 75 percent of children will outgrow ADHD by the time they are 16 years old. Children with ADHD carry specific genes, and research shows the disorder often runs in families.
Approximately 1 percent of the adult population in the United States has ADHD, but the disorder does not develop in adulthood. Rather, individuals who are diagnosed in adulthood have had symptoms since childhood, but the disorder has simply gone undiagnosed. If symptoms of ADHD start in adulthood, it is typically a different psychiatric disorder, such as depression or anxiety.
Signs and Symptoms
Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. Before every parent self-diagnoses their child with ADHD after reading that sentence, keep in mind it is normal for children to be inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive sometimes.
For children who truly have ADHD, these symptoms are pervasive. If the symptoms only occur at school and not at home, the child does not have ADHD. In addition, a key factor to ADHD is underachievement. A telltale sign a child has ADHD is if the inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity accompanies underachievement, such as repeatedly bringing home report cards with D’s and F’s.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Accurately diagnosing a child with ADHD can be done by evaluating and observing the child’s behaviors and administering a test. A primary care physician or a licensed clinical psychologist can perform the test on children as young as 6 years old. This test is highly conclusive and can rule out other disorders commonly mistaken for ADHD, such as undetected hearing or vision problems, learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, autistic spectrum disorder, or gifted IQ’s.
The most common treatment for ADHD is prescription stimulant medications. These medications help reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity and improve a child’s ability to focus, work, and learn. Like any medication, stimulants can have some adverse side effects such as decreased appetite, anxiety, mild headaches, and sleep problems. Therefore, it is crucial for a child to be properly diagnosed with ADHD before medication is prescribed.
Parenting a Child with ADHD
Above all else, children with ADHD need guidance and understanding from their parents and families in order to reach their full potential. Frustration, blame, and anger are common emotions parents of ADHD children experience; however, there are some helpful techniques to overcome these feelings in order to provide the best guidance possible:
- Give immediate and positive feedback for good behaviors.
- Ignore or redirect unwanted behaviors.
- Share pleasant and relaxing activities with your child.
- Praise your child’s strengths and abilities.
- Learn stress-management techniques in order to calmly respond to your child’s behavior.
- Join a support group to connect with others in similar situations.
- Talk to a licensed therapist.
Today, ADHD is one of the most extensively studied pediatric mental health disorders. However, there continues to be a widespread public debate over the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD regarding the overdiagnosis of the disorder in youths and the overprescribing of stimulant medications. If you suspect your child may have ADHD, the best thing to do is see your primary care physician or a licensed clinical psychologist to receive a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
Tim Shannon, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with OSF Medical Group – Behavioral Health. Dr. Shannon received his doctorate from the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology and has been practicing psychology for more than 25 years. Located at 405 Kays Drive in Normal, OSF Behavioral Health provides a wide-range of outpatient-based counseling services. To schedule an appointment or to learn more about OSF Behavioral Health, please visit osfmedicalgroup.org or call 309-664-3130.
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