Understanding ADHD: Does Your Child Have ADHD?
Reena began to worry about her 9-year-old son Ansh as her kept getting pulled up at school for his hyperactive behaviour. Constant calls for parent teacher meetings and complaints about his disruptive behaviour and lack of attention made her feel it was time to seek help from a professional. Reena sought the advice of a counsellor who diagnosed Ansh as suffering from ADHD.
Like many parents, Reena was perplexed for she never heard of this condition before. However, with help and guidance from the counsellor and a bit of research on her own, Reena felt confident that she would be able to help her son through his recovery from ADHD symptoms. Let’s take a look and understand what is ADHD in children and look at the treatment options available.
ADHD in Children
ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder –is a condition marked by constant restlessness and a tendency for impulsive behaviour. The condition seems to run in families. Children with ADHD often find themselves pulled up at school and home for their lack of focus, disruptive behaviour and even dangerous antics.
It is important to note that restlessness is common in all young children and parents should never self-diagnose the condition as ADHD. ADHD is marked by a prolonged behaviour of recklessness, lack of respect for rules, and a tendency to be destructive to the self and surroundings. A very specific test for ADHD symptoms must be conducted by a psychologist to diagnose the condition.
Causes of ADHD in Children
ADHD is often seen to run in families. Psychologists hold that children who face mental or emotional trauma at a young age form a higher risk group. This includes children from violent homes, victims of child abuse, children from poorer backgrounds, an ignored child, orphaned children, and children who have faced trauma at an early age. ADHD often manifests as the child’s deep desire to feel loved and wanted. However, it adopts a destructive form.
Symptoms of ADHD
ADHD symptoms can be categorized as three main types: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Inattention: This is characterized by a very short attention span. Children with ADHD usually move from one task to another as they find it hard to focus their attention on a single activity for long. They often lose things required to perform tasks – wallets, pencils, tickets, and books – and find it difficult to recall something that they just did or said.
Hyperactivity: Children with ADHD have trouble sitting in one place for long or doing a group activity that requires them to function silently. They cannot control the urge to talk and need to be the centre of attention always or they might engage in destructive behaviour to draw attention. ADHD also causes children to fidget excessively or bite nails.
Impulsivity: ADHD often compels children to engage in risky behaviours without a judgement of consequences. If an adult tells them something is dangerous, they might still do it for the thrill. Children with ADHD have a hard time letting anyone speak and they constantly find themselves interrupting others. They also have a problem following social rules and observations for safety.
Possible Complications of ADHD
Contrary to popular belief, ADHD symptoms do not go away on their own. If left untreated, ADHD worsens over time and causes social and emotional difficulty for the child growing up. The childfinds it hard to make friends or get positive support from elders who always criticize him / her as disruptive. Studies have also shown that children with ADHD are at a higher risk of developing drug and alcohol abuse problems in their teenage years. On a more serious note, untreated ADHD can lead to clinical depression, bipolar disorder, Tourette syndrome, and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).
ADHD Treatment Options
Conventional treatment for ADHD involves brain stimulants which help improve the child’s concentration levels and focus span. Sometimes children are also prescribed anti-depressants. Medication is accompanied by psychotherapy sessions to help the child open up, behaviour therapy to help integrate into society and even parent support groups to help the parents cope with the situation.
Healing withHomeopathy
Conventional ADHD treatment using brain stimulant medications has been proven to come along with a number of side-effects. These include a decreased appetite, sleep troubles, and even clinical depression. By contrast, homeopathic medicines for ADHD offer holistic healing without any of the harmful side-effects. Homeopathy provides gentle relief from involuntary ADHD symptoms while helping control the condition for life. This makes homeopathic medicine the perfect choice for parents with very young children.
Homeopathy believes that healing should be a pleasant experience for the child and the parents. An insight into the causes of ADHD and customized treatment based on each child’s individual symptoms helps deliver the best recovery results. Homeopathic ADHD treatment focuses on helping reduce restlessness and hyperactivity while promoting confidence, attention span and an overall quality of life. If your child is exhibiting symptoms of ADHD do consult a homeopathic doctor for the best treatment options today.
