attention deficit and hyperactivity
disorder is characterized by
difficulties with sustaining attention
over activity and poor impulse control
for a diagnosis these core symptoms
should be present by the age of seven
years even if they're not recognized
until later in the child's life they
should also be severe enough to affect
the child's learning school and family
life
about 1.5 percent of children aged
between five and fifteen will be
correctly diagnosed with ADHD it is more
common in voice in children with
learning disabilities the rates go up to
20 percent and in those with an autism
spectrum disorder the rates of ADHD can
be found in about a third of them
[Music]
difficulty maintaining attention is a
key symptom of ADHD in children this is
characterized by listening difficulties
not following instructions and making
careless mistakes in their work a child
will be very easily distracted
daydreaming forgetting and losing things
not finishing tasks and easily bored
children with ADHD will also be
overactive frequently fidgety and
restless leave their seat in the
classroom without permission or talk
excessively they may move quickly and
forcefully without considering others
they may find it difficult to resist
their impulses be unable to wait their
turn in a queue or a game they may
control the interrupt conversations and
blurt out answers before the question is
complete some may be prone to
risk-taking behavior doing things
without taking time to think about
whether it's safe displaying little or
no sense of danger
many children with ADHD will have
tantrums disruptive and destructive
behavior quite a few of them will
receive a diagnosis of oppositional
defiant disorder and some of conduct
disorder children with ADHD are at
higher risk of having other
developmental and learning difficulties
such as dyslexia dyspraxia speech and
language delay or other impairment of
speech they may also have social
communication difficulties repetitive
behaviors and some of these children
will experience low self-esteem anxiety
and depression it is often difficult to
identify anxiety and depression because
the disruptive behaviors become the
focus of concern for teachers and
parents and therefore anxiety and
depression can go overlooked for a
diagnosis of ADHD the difficulties are
expected to be present at home and
school however some children will show
more difficulties in one context it is
often the case that when the schools are
very supportive and structure the
child's time the difficulties at home
are more apparent ADHD is not caused by
bad parenting and that's important to
remember
it is a highly heritable disorder it
runs in families it can also be caused
by brain damage during pregnancy or
birth complications a very low birth
weight in the child as well as use of
alcohol and smoking during pregnancy are
all associated with high rates of ADHD
there may be other risk factors such as
the presence of intellectual disability
or other medical conditions that affect
how the brain functions
ADHD symptoms lead to poor educational
attainment and long term educational
outcomes their learning is affected a
great deal
the impulsivity in particular can affect
relationships with family members
teachers and others who are involved in
the children's lives children with ADHD
frequently get into arguments friends
and siblings are less likely to want to
play and spend time with them they
experience low social confidence and
competence with implications for their
long-term development they're also at
risk of engaging in substance misuse and
under social behaviors all of which
increase the risk of becoming involved
with the criminal justice systems in the
future there are strategies that parents
can learn to use to optimize the child's
functioning at home for example giving
simple instructions and creating a quiet
setting for the child to do the homework
teachers play a key role in adapting the
individual educational plan for the
child to accommodate the ADHD
difficulties for example placing the
child near the teacher and structuring
their time in order to facilitate their
interactions with other peers many
children will show difficulties with
concentration level of activity or
impulse control during their lives
however when symptoms of ADHD impact on
the child's learning as well as on their
social functioning then that is a time
to refer
we would advise the parents to share
their concerns with the general
practitioner who then may refer to a
local pediatrician or to a child Mental
Health Service in the area the special
educational needs teachers in the school
may also be able to refer directly to
some of these services
you
[Music]
you