Child ADHD As a parent, have you noticed that your kid is lacking attention and seems to be living in a world of his own? Did you also notice that your child often appear to be distracted and his answers are vague and not forthcoming? These are some of the common traits that a child experiences at some point of time and these symptoms usually go away as they age. However, if these symptoms persist and appear to get worse then consult your physician immediately as you child might have ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Let us look at it in depth. Symptoms of ADHD in a child: The symptoms of ADHD in kids may include Constant motion Interrupts others repeatedly Gets easily distracted Does not finish the activities he/she started Talks in an unnatural way Does not listen attentively If you feel that your child is having these symptoms for a long duration, then it would be safe to get medical help. There is no specific diagnosis for child ADHD. However, your doctor or the psychiatrist can look at the work environment of the child and his behavior at school to judge the nature of the patterns. The doctor can also take a medical exam of your child, and in some cases, can give him/her a non-invasive brain scan.

About ADHD Pay attention- These are the words that everyone would have heard at some point of time in their early life especially from their kindergarten teacher. However once in an adult stage people are expected to be serious and also have their concentration in its peak at all times. This is easier said than done and in some people, the situation can turn abnormal sometimes. This is the front line for the condition ADHD “ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This is one of the rare conditions that affect about 3 to 4% of the population where the people are unable to concentrate or be attentive to the immediate surroundings. Let us take a look at it in depth. Symptoms of ADHD Some of the common symptoms of ADHD in adults can include facing difficulty in: Following directions Concentrating Remembering Information Organizing The above symptoms can bring complications to many aspects of your normal life and can severely curtail your day to day activities. People who are affected with ADHD may also have the symptoms of headaches, depression, mood swings, relationship problems, anger management issues, and boredom. Diagnosis The finest way to address this problem is to take professional help from a psychiatrist.

It can be very challenging to travel with your ADHD child because it disturbs their daily routine. But with some planning, you can make your trip very pleasant and enjoyable. To keep your child happy and have fun during your vacation, you need to follow these simple strategies. Preparation: Children with ADHD don’t like it when their routine is disturbed. So prepare your child in advance. Talk to him/her about your travel plans. Sit down with them and discuss why you are traveling and to where so that your child is aware of the plans ahead of time rather than taking it as a surprise. Also, tell them what you are going to do on your vacation. Ask them for their suggestions and try to include their inputs in the plan so that they can feel included. Be flexible and offer them various options to choose from so that their choices are open. Traveling schedule: Your child will find it stressful to keep up with a tight travel schedule. So, plan some breaks every two hours. Find a place where your can child can play for a while before resuming the journey again. If you are traveling on back to back flights, opt for a long layover so that your child can eat and relax.

Sometimes, parents have to take little more care than usual to identify if their kids have any disorder in them or not. It can be a big deal for the parents to learn that their toddler may have a disorder that would require special attention. As a parent, it is not an easy information to digest and at times, the disorders are not easy to identify. ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder) is once such disorders that is hard to find in toddlers as the symptoms are very close to the natural behavior of toddlers. For the parents to find out if their child has ADHD, it is important they learn about all the ADHD symptoms toddlers have. ADHD symptoms in toddlers can be tricky and most symptoms are how toddlers generally behave. Some ADHD symptoms in toddlers are: Short term attention span Unable to pay attention Always fidgets Low to no patience Interruptive behavior Takes risk (unaware of consequences) Even after knowing the symptoms in detail, parents need to sit and observe their child carefully so they don’t miss out of any ADHD symptoms in their toddler. Here is a checklist parents can follow to identify if their child has ADHD or not:

The attention deficit disorder (ADHD) can only be diagnosed in a patient if they show at least six of the nine major symptoms associated with different types of this condition. There are two different types for this condition: predominantly inattentive and predominantly hyper-impulsive. In any case, the symptoms must be observed for at least six months in two different settings. A school and a home can be examples of settings to observe behavioral changes. Let us look at some of the symptoms for predominantly inattentive ADHD. The patient losses attention toward details or makes silly mistakes in schoolwork, homework, at work, or during other activities that require undivided attention. Their attention span is comparatively low. The patient starts having trouble in sustaining their attention in performing longer activities or tasks. For example, they have difficulty in remaining focused during long lectures, conversations, or meetings; lengthy reading is also affected on a large basis. The patient loses attention even when spoken to directly. They are unable to focus on what is being said to them as their mind is focused on something else, without the requirement of any distraction. The patient has difficulty in understanding, gauging, and following instructions given by their seniors or teachers.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often considered to be a result of a poor upbringing and lack of motivation and a cause of low energy and laziness. However, it is not a condition that is induced by any one of the abovementioned factors. If you have ADHD, you are prone to come across these factors. ADHD can be caused by a number of factors that affect the functioning and development of the brain. Let us look at some of the categories of causing factors. Heredity Heredity is one of the most prominent causes of ADHD. It is considered to be the most prominent factor on the basis of studies related to family, adoption, molecular genetic research, and research on twins. Family studies Family studies have shown that if a trait has a genetic basis, the chances of its occurrence among the biological family is significantly higher. Similar to other traits, ADHD also runs through families. It is observed that over 25% of the children suffering from ADHD have acquired it from their relatives. Adoption studies It is a fact that children will inherit more traits from their biological parents as compared to their adoptive parents. The conditions of hyperactivity in children suffering from ADHD were compared to the occurrence of ADHD in their biological and adoptive parents.

Most children diagnosed with ADHD will continue to have the symptoms in their teens as well. ADHD teenagers have similar symptoms to that they had when they were younger. The symptoms include disorganization, distractibility, hyperactivity, poor concentration, and impulsivity. It is to be noted that during teen years, ADHD symptoms may take a turn for the worse. The reasons are hormonal changes that adolescents go through and also the demands of the school as well as extracurricular activities which are on the rise. ADHD’s Affect on a Teenager’s Life It is unfortunate to note that poor concentration and distractibility lead to several problems in school. Grades are subject to fall, especially if the adolescent is not getting proper treatment for ADHD. It is fairly common in youngsters suffering from ADHD to lose textbooks, forget assignments, become bored with routine classwork, etc. Teens tend to get either inattentive or excessively attentive which makes them blurt out answers even before they were asked. They may interrupt other students or teachers in class and rush through assignments. They could become fidgety and find it difficult to manage sitting still in the class. ADHD teens focus so much on other things that they forget to focus on the job at hand.

One of the very common psychiatric conditions that affect both children and adults is ADHD. However, many of the symptoms that are associated with ADHD often are dismissed as being a personality quirk or merely attributed to stress. Hence, the condition goes untreated resulting in a number of physical and mental health complications. Here is an overview of some of the common signs that are likely to be indicative of ADHD in adults. Lack of time management skills  – adults who have ADHD are usually very poor in terms of managing time-based activities and completing tasks on time. Either they tend to lose focus and get easily distracted, thereby taking inordinately longer than a given task warrants. At other times, they tend to get overly engrossed in a specific task and therefore devote a large amount of time to its completion. For tasks that do not interest them, they tend to procrastinate by putting off or delaying what they do not like to do. Memory loss – As we age, it might be common to experience some small slips of memory, but these are usually occasional. For those with ADHD, memory loss is a persistent and frequent aspect of their lives.

Both attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affect the brain, causing abnormalities in focusing on things, which include schoolwork, social interactions, and everyday activities, such as brushing teeth and getting dressed. The significant difference between these two disorders is that ADHD unlike ADD is associated with hyperactivity disorder. Children affected by ADD are not expected to be hyperactive. ADHD or ADD affects people of any age group, although the symptoms are more severe in the case of adults. Treatment for ADHD/ADD: There is no specific set of treatment for ADHD or ADD; still, through developments in the medical fields, various FDA approved ADD ADHD medications are introduced one by one to eliminate the symptoms of the disorder. Inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness are some of the most common symptoms of the disease. The various ADD ADHD medications available now for the treatment of ADD or ADHD fall under two major categories, stimulants and non-stimulants. The stimulant medications include- Amphetamines: These are used to treat ADHD and are available as immediate release, which is released immediately into the body, and as extended release, which is released slowly into the body. Brand names of these drugs include Adderal XR, Dexedrine, Dyanavel XR, etc.

A chronic, mental condition that affects children, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) impacts one’s self-control, concentration, and social skills. These symptoms can grow through one’s teenage years and adulthood. As compared to adults, this condition is easier to diagnose in children. Primarily, because adults might have subtle or specific symptoms which often might be misunderstood as inefficiency, insincerity, tardiness or anger issues. The ADHD symptoms in children are categorized into three categories, i.e. inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD symptoms Inattention: Children with ADHD are often poor listeners, easily distracted, don’t follow instructions, face problems with organization, punctuality, and simple tasks. Moreover, they can also tend to daydream, lose things and can be forgetful. Hyperactivity: Hyperactivity is a group of ADHD symptoms which comprises trouble staying in one place quietly, talking excessively or continuous movement. Impulsivity: A child with impulsivity symptoms typically faces difficulty waiting for his or her turn, because of which they might interrupt others by blurting out answers in social settings. Causes of ADHD The experts aren’t sure what exactly triggers the ADHD symptoms, however, the following possibilities might be responsible for it: Genetic factors: ADHD might be a hereditary disorder in some families. Challenges during pregnancy:  Any complications like health problems, lack of essential nutrition, drinking, smoking or substance abuse by the mother can impact the development of baby’s brain, leading to the onset of ADHD.