Understanding ADHD

ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurological disorder that affects a large portion of the population and is not exclusive to children. A person of any age can have ADHD. Some children will outgrow it, or find ways to manage it as they go into adulthood. The most common ADHD symptoms are the inability to maintain focus, inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Kids diagnosed with this disorder are often labeled “strong-willed,” “challenging,” and “disruptive” to name a few.

Kids with this disorder are not “bad” but many are misunderstood because there is still a lot of research to be done into this disorder and how it affects the brain and thinking processes. Many of the disciplinary tools that work well for other children don’t work with kids with ADHD. It’s like their brains are wired differently. This is exactly true, by the way. Their brains are different. A study using brain imaging discovered that certain areas of the brain are smaller or under-developed in kids with ADHD.

What Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Does

ADHD affects the executive functioning parts of the brain that govern problem-solving, critical thinking, organization, and impulse control. The study looked at brain scans from kids as well as adults with the disorder. The differences were less noticeable in the adult brains, which may indicate that something changes as they get older. They still have the disorder but they are more able to manage the condition as they mature.

As a mom to 4 kids, all of whom have the disorder, I can attest to the fact that the symptoms do not disappear as they get older but they do change. My two older sons have learned to channel their hyperactivity into work and their careers. They are always on the go, take on extra projects, and hate being bored. As teenagers they were never at home, always had something to do, and would work two jobs sometimes to avoid boredom. They learned to use their challenges to their advantage.

My youngest, however, is a different story. He is hyperactive, impulsive, aggressive, and gets in trouble a lot. He was diagnosed with ADHD Hyperactive/Impulsive with ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) and shows many signs of ASD as well. We’re still working on getting a complete diagnosis for him because the last psychiatrist I took him to said that he shows a lot of signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder, but not enough for a diagnosis. Basically, she said he is “borderline.”

Other Conditions That Often Accompany ADHD:

• ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)
• ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder)
• OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
• SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder)
• Anxiety

Ways to Treat ADHD

Medications combined with Applied Behavior Therapy is how many families treat this condition. Medications used to treat this condition include stimulants, non-stimulants, and sometimes anti-depressants. Finding the right balance takes time and is sometimes hard on the child having to adjust to changes in dosage and dealing with possible side-effects. For this reason, many families choose not to medicate their child and opt for natural remedies and dietary changes to manage problem behaviors.

The choice to medicate or not to medicate is a personal one. Nobody should shame you for deciding to use medication to make your child’s symptoms more manageable for them and the family. Kids with ADHD are often ostracized by peers, made to feel like their bad, and other adults who don’t understand the condition will say they just “need discipline.”

I totally support any parents choice when it comes to their choice of treatment options. This condition can be treated but not cured, so whatever works to bring peace and family harmony to the home is worth its weight in gold.