What Is ADHD?
ADHD is an official diagnosis in the manual of the American Psychiatric Association. It has strict criteria for its diagnosis, and there are objective ways for evaluating it. You might hear the terms attention deficit disorder (ADD) and ADHD used almost interchangeably in many references. There are some technical differences between children with ADD and ADHD, but for the purpose of this discussion, we'll focus on ADHD. Most of the discussion applies equally well to either condition, and the treatments of ADD and ADHD are identical.
The difference between ADD and ADHD is rather minor. Children with ADD lack the outward hyperactivity aspect of the disorder, even though their mind is racing. Frequently, these children are diagnosed later because they are not disruptive in class and they do not call attention to their lack of focus.
Essential
If your child is performing poorly in school, ADHD should be in the back of your mind. No one, however, should jump to conclusions and automatically diagnose a child with ADHD with only a cursory understanding of the child's behavior. Remember, ADHD is a medical condition that can only be diagnosed by a medical professional.
Children with ADHD have a hard time controlling their thoughts and actions. They find it difficult to focus their attention on what they are doing, and they are easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli. While most young children have a shorter attention span than adults, children with ADHD generally have more problems focusing than other children of the same age.
A Common Diagnosis
According to the present medical database, about 8 percent of children in the United States are diagnosed with ADHD. That statistic translates into 4.5 million children. You may argue that the number is higher or lower, but you must admit there is no way to avoid this common issue.
The increasing prevalence of ADHD is probably due to a wider public awareness of the condition. It is unlikely that there are actually more children developing the condition than before. Instead, vigilant teachers, parents, and doctors are helping affected children to be appropriately diagnosed and treated.
Signs to Look For
What do you look for in your child if you suspect that he or she might have ADHD? Children with ADHD are often described as if they are being driven by a motor. The incessant activities usually do not involve the completion of any one task. Instead, they jump from one thing to the next, usually before finishing the tasks they have already started.
They also have a hard time paying attention to instructions. Frequently, they either fail to hear what you are saying to them or completely forget what you told them. Even though these children may actually have excellent memories, they often appear forgetful. It's their disorganization that prevents them from registering information.
Alert!
As social awareness of this disorder grows, some children are being diagnosed with ADHD at an extremely young age. Even though children may show signs of ADHD before the age of six, it is virtually impossible to make a diagnosis before school age. If a health professional made an ADHD diagnosis before your child reached age six, you should consider consulting a child psychiatrist.
Almost all children behave in ways that fit these descriptions at one time or another, and these findings tend to wane with age. By the time most children are ready to enter school, they do not always behave impulsively, and their attention span is long enough for them to digest a short lesson. For children with ADHD, on the other hand, the traits that constitute this disorder seem to affect them much more often and with greater intensity than their peers.
If you suspect your child might have ADHD, bring up your concern with your pediatrician. A formal evaluation by the pediatrician or a pediatric psychiatrist is necessary to diagnose your child with ADHD. Typically, this means you will go through several question-and-answer sessions. The doctor may also collect written questionnaires from your child's teachers. There is no blood test, brain scan, or any other physical test that can aid in the diagnosis of ADHD.
