| What us ADHD Disorder? ADHD is an acronym that | | | | also helps the parents avoid the nervous breakdowns |
| stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This | | | | that usually accompany raising a kid with ADHD. |
| condition was formerly known as the attention deficit | | | | ADHD, is generally regarded as a relatively minor and |
| disorder, though the name was modified when it was | | | | non-fatal disorder (except maybe for cases when |
| noted that the affected people were also prone to | | | | parents want to kill their kids out of sheer frustration |
| severe hyperactivity. | | | | and annoyance). The fact of the matter is, any child |
| ADHD commonly manifests in young children, though | | | | afflicted with ADHD will eventually learn enough self |
| most of them carry the traits over into adulthood as | | | | control to overcome the biggest of it's effects. |
| well. ADHD is also referred to by some people as the | | | | However, even in adulthood these people will still retain |
| "single-synapse" or the "short attention span" problem. | | | | some semblance of ADHD, manifesting in various |
| The reasons for this is because ADHD's main | | | | ways like absent-mindedness, fickleness, and impulsive |
| characteristics are a marked inability to concentrate on | | | | behavior. It has also been shown in studies that the |
| any one thing for very long, accompanied by | | | | traits of ADHD that carry over into adulthood make |
| extremely impulsive behavior where the person | | | | these same adults more prone than their peers to |
| doesn't stop to think at all when they get an idea or | | | | more serious psychological afflictions like |
| react to a situation. | | | | manic-depression or melancholia. |
| One of the most common indicators in a young child of | | | | Lastly, on a perverse note, ADHD has been proven to |
| ADHD is that they get bored easily. ADHD actually | | | | be 100% hereditary. This basically proves the old lines |
| causes a decrease in the mind's capacity to focus on | | | | that your parents used to tell you when you were |
| a single act for very long, so anything repetitive or | | | | younger, that "Some day, your children will put you |
| requiring attention will tax the person's mental | | | | through what I'm going through". ADHD can also be |
| endurance far more than it would for a normal person. | | | | triggered in a child whose parents don't have ADHD |
| Kids who avoid homework because it's "boring" or | | | | by various environmental influences like verbal abuse |
| don't want to do chores for the same reason often | | | | or a mother's ingestion of drugs or alcohol while |
| have ADHD. | | | | pregnant. |
| ADHD also shows up in what parents call the "My child | | | | What are the symptoms of ADHD? ADHD, or the |
| is a living ball of yippee" problem. It has other similar | | | | attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a partially |
| names, most of which are unprintable in polite | | | | neurological, partially psychological problem that crops |
| company, but I'm sure you get the point. Afflicted | | | | up in some kids. It's genetically hereditary, but can also |
| children constantly fidget, never stop moving, run/climb | | | | be triggered by various social and environmental |
| crawl/jump everywhere, seem to have boundless | | | | influences. What ADHD basically does is that the parts |
| energy and undirected curiosity about anything and | | | | of a child's mind and nervous system that deal with |
| everything, and are almost always getting into trouble | | | | control and focus suffer from a slower growth rate |
| as a result. This is often accompanied by a total lack | | | | than normal, meaning children afflicted by it will learn |
| of discipline and self-control. | | | | self control and discipline more slowly than their peers. |
| While the above factors are actually present in almost | | | | This fact usually leads to it's own sets of problems |
| every child ever born in the history of the planet, | | | | that manifest as symptoms you can watch for to see |
| ADHD is only applicable IF the child doesn't "grow out" | | | | if your child has ADHD. These are given below in |
| of the symptoms. This is the reason why ADHD is | | | | terms that any parent will understand. |
| referred to as a deficiency-type of disorder; because, | | | | The perpetual yippee factor; ADHD afflicted kids will |
| while children will display these symptoms early on and | | | | have boundless energy, screaming and laughing at the |
| then mature later in life, learning self-discipline and | | | | top of their lungs and generally being hyperactive pests |
| focus, ADHD-afflicted children will develop much | | | | that skitter around all over the place in an ecstatic |
| slower in their abilities to mentally focus and think | | | | state of whoopee. Trying to get them to sit still for |
| logically. If your child still retains the same symptoms | | | | more than a minute will lead to their fussing and |
| well after everyone else his or her age has "outgrown" | | | | fidgeting. |
| it, then it usually indicates ADHD. | | | | I'm bored mom! - There are two things that an ADHD |
| ADHD is present in adults as well, though because this | | | | afflicted kid will be unable to do. One, they will be |
| disorder doesn't completely stunt a persons mental | | | | unable to focus on or pay attention to anything for |
| development, only slows it in certain areas, all adults will | | | | more than a few minutes at a time, and forget things |
| have the same symptoms but in a lesser and more | | | | that you tell them mere minutes after you say it. Two, |
| controllable fashion. ADHD is classified as an incurable | | | | they will avoid repetitive and monotonous acts (like |
| psychological disorder, though modern methods of | | | | schoolwork, taking a bath, or mowing the lawn) like the |
| therapy are available to help ADHD afflicted children | | | | plague. |
| (and their parents!) cope with the effects. | | | | The plan? What's that? - Kids with ADHD have a very |
| The therapy sessions for the kids are geared towards | | | | hard time focusing on anything, which also leads to |
| teaching them to take the boundless energy that often | | | | difficulty in arranging their thoughts in a controlled and |
| accompanies ADHD and redirect it in a more | | | | logical fashion. Trying to teach them anything to do |
| constructive fashion. The parental therapy sessions | | | | with organization, planning, and forethought is a trial in |
| teach the parents how to properly address the ADHD | | | | extreme patience. |
| problem and teach their kids discipline. The therapy | | | | |