As
the name itself is explanatory, kids with ADHD suffer from lack of attention, are
very hyper or restless and are very impulsive which is not appropriate for a
kid’s age. They are unable to control their anger, pay attention to one
particular task at hand, or sit in one place for even a short duration of time.
Now many people say it’s common for kids to be inattentive in class or be hyper
or impulsive but when situations become very hard to control that’s when kids
need to be intervened through correct diagnosis and therapy and/or medications.
Now
next question which arises is what causes ADHD in kids? Reasons may vary.
Environmental
factors: Intake of alcohol or smoking by pregnant mother, even exposure to
tobacco smoke, high level of stress or tension during pregnancy, intake of junk
food or more amount of caffeine etc. effects the foetus brain development. Kids
prefer crunchy & processed food like wafers, etc. sugary foods, cocoa,
coffee, aerated drinks contains high level of caffeine, which affect their
moods, and also affects their attention capacity and trigger hyper-activeness.
Also now-a-days kids are addicted playing games on smartphones and laptops.
That can also trigger or it may be one of reasons which trigger ADHD.
Genetic
factors: Many doctors say if dad had trait of hyperactive or impulsive nature
it gets carried to the kid.
Other
factors: Premature birth, low birth weight of the kid, or infections during
pregnancy or birth or early childhood also can result in ADHD in later stages.
Family dysfunction or poor educational system, high academic expectations or
emotional abuse can also be some of reasons for ADHD. The youngest child in a
class can develop ADHD traits as being youngest and developmentally behind than
their older classmates and constant comparison can affect their moods too.
Reasons
may be numerous but how to tackle this behavior in kids? The only remedy is
once you realize the kid’s behavior is not normal or you feel he/she is getting
more restless or is getting difficult to control, get the child diagnosed by
your pediatrician. Most of the kids get late treatment mainly because most of
parents have difficulty in accepting that their kid needs help. They just treat
their kids behavior as normal childhood behavior until something big or
untoward happens.
My 1
request to all parents, if you ever find anything different in your kid’s
behavior, please speak to your pediatrician and get it ruled out. It’s not only
for their betterment but also for ours.
Very nice and informative article thanks Aparna
ReplyDeleteThanks Sangee :)
DeleteAs a teacher I found this post informative :) I teach children from economically deprived backgrounds and many of them are attension seekers.
ReplyDeleteThanks Vidya...m happy that this was helpful to u :)
DeleteTotally agree with you Aparna. If parents are unsure they should take their child to a pediatrician - better to know and deal with it!
ReplyDeleteYes AJ ..its better to get checked by doctor rather then living in doubt
DeleteA very informative post...thanks for sharing:)
ReplyDeletevery informative Aparna....not knowing about ADHD can make people insensitive to the kids and the parents of such kids..and yea like u said, the parents have to recognise the symptoms and approach it in a positive way first.
ReplyDeleteThank u Little princess :) main n important step is taking in positive way
DeleteIt's so important that parents know about this and realize how it affects their children's behaviour.
ReplyDeleteYes Corinne :)
DeleteThanks for sharing an insightful post, Aparna! It is so important that parents recognize the symptoms early on and address it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shilpa...recognize the symptoms n also differentiating it n getting it diagnosed is also important
DeleteGood post. These days most hyperactive kids are labelled to be having ADHD which shows the ignorance even amongst the educated.
ReplyDeleteThank u Janu.. I kno...they are unable to differentiate between hyper n mischievous
DeleteA helpful article. I guess these days parents are coming up in a logical way of upbringing instead of ruling them on the tip punishment.
ReplyDeleteI am also taking part in A to Z challenge. My take is A for Acceptance.
All the very best Namrata...n thanks :)
DeleteNice post. If it weren't for my ADD, I would get a lot more accomplished each day.
ReplyDeleteThank u .. no accomplishment is small :)
DeleteGood post Aparna. Many parents shy away from accepting the fact that their child can have behavioral and neurological disorders. Even if the parents are aware, they need to act upon it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Arpita .. so true.. parents find it hard to accept that their child might have some issue...
DeleteIt's hard because there are so many misdiagnoses and kids who should be diagnosed but aren't :P
ReplyDeleteMichael D'Agostino, A-Z Challenge participant #612 :)
True Michael... and by the time the kids are diagnosed n treated its too late ... All the best for the challenge
Delete