ADHD in children
If a child is unusually restless and finds it difficult to find peace and balance, the term “hyperactivity” springs to mind for many parents. The media is now talking about a fashion diagnosis and parents are unsure: Is my child just more active than others, or is ADHD really the case?
The fact is that the problem of ADHD – sick people has been known for a long time, but has only been researched more intensively in recent years. There is an estimated amount of around 2,4 million affected children between the ages of 6 to 11. ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The hyperactivity is therefore only a side effect of a complex clinical picture, which can also be diagnosed without the hyperactivity.
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What to do with hyperactive children?
Parents of children affected by ADHD often have to deal with allegations that a lack of strictness has led to the conspicuous behavior of their children. Stern looks, incomprehension and disapproval of those around them make the already difficult situations even more difficult for the parents. Am I unable to raise my child? What am I doing wrong? Why is my child not like other children? Such questions and accusations torment parents.
Watch your child closely. Besides being easily distracted, does he have any other difficulties? Can’t organize well, keeps sliding around on the chair? Does it constantly burst into the middle of a conversation or does it talk a lot? Is your child forgetful? Is he impatient and prone to suddenly changing moods from “elevated to death”?
What is ADHD? ( hyperactivity in children )
Once the diagnosis has been made by a qualified psychologist, a socio-educational agency or an early intervention agency, the problem has finally been given a name. Children with ADHD show typical characteristics in three areas of behavior. As already mentioned in the name, it is an attention disorder. The children are unfocused and easily distracted. Furthermore, they act absolutely impulsively. Completely unpredictable, they push themselves into unfamiliar situations, suddenly changing their behavior and goals. And the third area of behavior is hyperactivity. The children have an unbelievable inner restlessness and an absolute motor urge to move. While ADD children tend to appear as “little dreamers” with often unclear symptoms,
Children sometimes already have this disorder in infancy, it runs through the entire childhood. Especially in the time before school starts, parents get scared and anxious. And not without reason. ADHD kids are not stupid. On the contrary, you often even have a high IQ. It is just too easy for you to get distracted by everything and cannot concentrate on one thing. So they have problems at school. It is also difficult for them to find social contacts. In connection with ADHD, other diagnoses can also be connected. ADHD sufferers sometimes have secondary diseases such as a reading – spelling – weakness or arithmetic weaknesses. While the brain of a healthy person can use a kind of filter to separate important and unimportant stimuli, people with ADHD lack this ability. These are not just acoustic stimuli. They are also immediately thrown off course by smells or touches. The ADHD disease persists from now on, even in adulthood.
However, adults can handle it better. Children have to learn this first. In order to give them the opportunity to acquire this knowledge at all, doctors and parents resort to medication if necessary. Children become calmer with stimulants. For the first time, they can play without interference. This gives parents the option of working with and approaching their children. Suddenly they can concentrate and don’t constantly tick off. Drug treatment is not the only way to help. In addition, there are still no reliable long-term studies on most drugs. Alternatively or as a supplement to this, occupational therapy and behavioral therapies can be used. Clearly structured processes and daily plans provide additional support for the families. But also stays in the great outdoors give the child the necessary space to escape the diverse stimuli of everyday life. Drug treatment should be carefully considered and given only when absolutely necessary.
People with ADHD have to live with the neurological disorder. You can keep them under control, but you will always have to deal with the diagnosis.