When ADHD is properly diagnosed, medication can be very helpful, but it may take some trial and error to find the right drug and the right dose. Our suspicion is that the deficits are there from the very beginning but really come into focus when the child is in a situation, like the classroom, that requires concentration.” “Sometimes we see it in 3- or 4-year-olds who have difficulty sharing or can’t learn to wait their turn during circle time in preschool. “We have had moms tell us that even in utero their child was especially active,” Dr. Others may not get the diagnosis until high school or even later. Though the majority of children with ADHD are given the diagnosis in the early grade-school years, some show clear signs of the disorder early on. “To judge whether a child has inattention or hyperactivity, we have to look across the context of his or her life,” says Dr. Of course, all children act this way sometimes, making it tricky to pin down whether or not a particular child’s behavior actually reflects ADHD. The core symptom of ADHD is difficulty concentrating, and most children with ADHD are also hyperactive and impulsive. “We psychiatrists tend to say that it is both overdiagnosed, in the sense that people see a restless child and make the automatic assumption that he or she has ADHD-and underdiagnosed, in that many children who could be helped by medication and treatment aren’t getting the services they need.” “There has been a lot of controversy about ADHD over the years,” says Robert King, MD, a child psychiatrist and expert in ADHD at the Yale Medicine Child Study Center. ADHD is a chronic condition that interferes with concentration, impulse control and the ability to sit still.Īpproximately 11 percent of children in the United States between the ages of four and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Usually diagnosed in childhood, this lifelong condition can profoundly affect how well a child functions at home, at school and socially. A diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can be overwhelming, but thorough evaluation and treatment tailored to your child can help your family manage this condition effectively.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |