How to Manage ADHD Syndrome in Your Kid?

By | July 29, 2022

Is your kid not able to catch up with other children in the class? A kid may face lots of difficulties due to ADHD but you can help your kid to manage this syndrome. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a type of brain disorder that affects behavior and way of thinking. Kids are more prone to ADHD but adults can also face this mental condition. This is one of the most common mental disorders in kids and boys face more ADHD issues than girls. Symptoms of ADHD usually start appearing in early school days. Kids with ADHD face lots of problems paying attention in class. There is no permanent cure for ADHD however ADHD treatment Pennsylvania can help in managing the symptoms.

How to Manage ADHD Syndrome in Your Kid?

Common ADHD Symptoms

  1. Inattentive ADHD symptoms in child
  2. Get distracted easily
  3. Unable to finish tasks 
  4. Forget daily activities
  5. Forget to do or bring homework
  6. Unable to pay attention
  7. Often make careless mistakes
  8. Lose things
  9. Always seems daydreaming
  10. Can’t organize things

Hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms in child

  1. Can’t stay seated
  2. Talks excessively
  3. Gives brunt answers
  4. Always interrupts others
  5. Often bounces while sitting
  6. Can’t play quietly
  7. Can’t wait for their turn
  8. Always ready to go
  9. Climb walls, trees, etc
  10. Always running in alleys, streets, roads, etc.

There is a combined ADHD in which the kid faces symptoms of both hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive ADHD.  

Common ADHD symptoms in Adults

If you didn’t treat ADHD in childhood then the kid may carry ADHD till adulthood. However, the symptoms of ADHD in adults are different. 

  1. Low self-esteem
  2. Often get late to work
  3. Can’t perform well at work
  4. Issues in controlling anger
  5. Anxiety
  6. Impulsiveness
  7. Get frustrated easily
  8. Often feel bored
  9. Face too many mood swings
  10. Trouble in organizing things
  11. Relationship problems
  12. Alcohol and drug misuse
  13. Depression

Causes of ADHD in children

There is no exact known cause behind ADHD. But some brain chemistry and other factors can lead to ADHD syndrome. 

Genes: ADHD syndrome can run in families. If any of the parents had ADHD in childhood, their kids may face the same mental condition. 

Brain changes: A child can develop ADHD when attention-controlling parts of the brain are less active.

Brain chemistry: ADHD can appear if the brain chemicals are not balanced.

Toxin exposure: Kids living near factories get ADHD. This is due to exposure to toxins such as lead. These toxins often cause problems in brain development.

Smoking or drinking during pregnancy: A kid may be born with ADHD if the woman smokes or drinks alcohol. Any kind of substance misuse can lead to mental or physical disorders. 

Brain injury: Any damage to the frontal lobe can cause problems in controlling emotions and impulses. Brain injury to the frontal lobe can lead to ADHD. 

Diagnosing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Diagnosing any mental disorder in kids is difficult. Your doctor needs to discuss the symptoms and monitor the kid to observe his behavior. To confirm ADHD, a doctor may ask to run some neurological and psychological tests. You need to talk to a pediatrician or a psychiatrist for a proper diagnosis. These tests for diagnosing ADHD may include: 

  1. The medical status of the kid and his family
  2. Few physical tests like hearing, vision, verbal, and motor. These tests help to eliminate other physical problems.
  3. The therapist may evaluate the kid for aptitude, intelligence, and processing skills. 
  4. Your doctor may ask for a NEBA test that measures theta and beta waves of the brain. The theta/beta ratio is higher in kids with ADHD than in other kids. 

With these tests, doctors will eliminate other mental conditions like anxiety, etc. After confirming ADHD, you should seek proper treatment. The treatment will help to reduce the symptoms of ADHD in your kid. 

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment

There are lots of medications and therapies available to treat ADHD syndrome. There is no permanent cure for this mental illness. But with a good approach, the symptoms of ADHD will get reduced and your kid can manage his school and other activities easily.

Medication

Medication is always a controversial topic in treating ADHD. Regular use of medication for kids is not good for the body. However, these medications help to reduce the symptoms of ADHD. So, most doctors advise medication with therapies to treat ADHD. Your doctor may prescribe stimulant drugs to treat ADHD. These stimulants balance the brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters. When the brain chemicals are balanced, the person can concentrate easily. Common stimulants for ADHD are amphetamines and methylphenidate. The dose of these medicines depends on the child as the wrong dose may cause other problems. Medications can be very helpful in treating ADHD but it causes many side effects.

Natural medications

Lots of natural medications are also available to treat ADHD. These medications like Homeopathy or Ayurveda, etc treat the causes behind ADHD. The advantage of adopting ADHD is that it works as a whole. Natural medications are fully safe to take and do not cause any kind of side effects to the body.

ADHD therapies

The doctors often suggest adopting therapies for treating ADHD. There are different types of therapies that help to treat the mental condition of your kid. 

Behavior therapy: In this therapy, you have to teach how to teach in different situations.

Painting skills training: Parents also need to learn several things to understand a kid’s behavior.  

Social skill training: Kids with ADHD often lag in social situations. This training will help to learn appropriate behavior in social situations. 

Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy is good for older kids or teenagers. It helps to eliminate negative thoughts from the mind. The kid gets to know about their symptoms and learns to manage them.