Hyperactivity Attention Deficit Disorder.
It’s hard to miss
Hyperactivity Attention Deficit
Disorder children. They are the whirlwinds of frenzied activity
that seem to have 12 flailing arms and two high-speed legs. The ADHD
child leave messes, throw tantrums, start
fights, act obstinate and destroy property. These are the ones who find themselves in
trouble at school, can't finish a game and often have trouble keeping
friends.
If anyone thinks being an
ADHD child is difficult, try parenting one. For as out of control
as these children act, their parents often feel
equally out of control in their ability to tame the ADHD symptoms. The
usual methods of discipline don't work with Hyperactivity Attention Deficit
Disorder children, mostly because ADHD children do not “work” like their
non-ADHD counterparts.
ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders
among children that affects three to five percent of all children. Boys
are two to three times more likely to be affected than girls.
ADHD symptoms commonly include aggressive behavior,
constant activity, easy distractibility, impulsiveness and/or the
inability to concentrate. These ADHD symptoms may include fidgeting or
constant movement, excessive talking and difficulty participating in
"quiet" activities like reading.
Common ADHD symptoms:
-
Often fidgets with hands
or feet or squirms in seat.
-
Often runs about
excessively in situations where it is inappropriate.
-
Has difficulty
playing quietly in leisure activities.
-
Is often "on the go" or
often acts as if "driven by a motor."
-
Talks excessively,
often blurts out answers before hearing the entire question.
-
Has difficulty
awaiting for a turn.
-
Interrupts or
intrudes on others at school or at home.
-
Often feels or acts
restless.
-
Often runs, climbs or
leaves seat in settings where remaining in seat is expected.
There are two important
facts that parents of Hyperactivity Attention Deficit
Disorder
children should know. First and foremost,
your child do not
choose their symptoms and they really cannot help that they posses this incredible
amount of unfocused energy. They are what they are - kids who have
a different way of dealing with the world. It helps to realize that
ADHD children are not "sick." They are high energy –
and typically high intelligence – kids who have a great deal of
trouble bridling their energy.
Secondly, parents need to know that the ADHD
symptoms their children display are not produced by parenting flaws. Parents often blame themselves for not
having control of their child. Friends and relatives might also
want to quickly blame parenting styles or the home environment for
the ADHD symptoms. Yet, there is no clear evidence that the home
environment produces ADHD symptoms. Not all
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD children from
unstable homes and not all dysfunctional families produce
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD children.
Although many in the medical community
believe in drug treatment as the first course of Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder treatment, there are many other health professionals, parents
and educators alike that do not agree that a long-term course of
medication is the answer to calming symptoms.
ADHD children respond less well to the stimulants, with only about
60 percent responding well to ADHD medications. ADHD children may do very well or they may
do very poorly. There are some children who require medical treatment to help
their symptoms but this treatment does not necessarily have
to include Ritalin or other ADHD medications. Many parents and clinicians alike believe
that a change in diet, family counseling, patience and acceptance
produce more positive results than medicating Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD children so they exhibit "good"
behaviors.
All Hyperactivity Attention Deficit Disorder
children have natural talents and abilities that they can draw.
Many people feel that the ADHD patterns of behavior give them unique
advantages. And, the very symptoms that tend to cause so much
trouble in childhood can produce great affects in adults. ADHD adults are often the ones that can run
full steam ahead and still have enough energy to jog a few miles
at the end of the day. They are the ones who can easily manage a
number of tasks at one time without trouble.
ADHD
people tend to be outgoing, intelligent and ready for action.
Their drive for excitement and stimulation, if channeled
correctly, can produce high degrees of success later in life in
business, sports and other areas that require quick thinking,
quick action and creativity.
Medicating to mask ADHD symptoms can also
mask some of these great attributes. By solving the root causes of
ADHD symptoms through diet and supplementation while developing
parenting and life skills to handle this energetic blessing in
disguise, children
can find and develop their strengths. Many people prefer to use
effective
ADHD remedies to
alleviate symptoms.
Study after study consistently shows that
children with ADHD
symptoms lack nutrients necessary to proper brain functioning.
When the body lacks certain key nutrients, the brain suffers. Essential
fatty acids, amino acids, zinc, Phosphatidyl Serine (PS), a natural extract of lecithin, and "B"
vitamins often improve symptoms. By incorporating a diet rich in these
brain foods, parents almost always find the ADHD symptoms
decreased or alleviated.
The Attend formula includes key ingredients
to help alleviate Attention Deficit Disorder symptoms.
Attend is a safe, all natural nutraceutical specifically
engineered to relieve distraction, inattentiveness and possible
over activity while enabling the body to balance both neural
growth and neurotransmitter production within the brain and
central nervous system. For children with marked hyperactivity, we also recommend
supplementing with EXTRESS. This nutraceutical formula aids the
body's natural process in minimizing and controlling unpredictable
mood fluctuations.
Although supplementation can greatly control
behavior problems, there are other aspects of the problem that
might need attention.
ADHD symptoms stem from physiological
differences but the symptoms can have broad emotional repercussions. For some
Hyperactivity Attention Deficit Disorder children, years of constant scolding have chiseled their
sense of worth and competence. Facing the daily frustrations that
the symptoms produced can make these children believe they are strange, abnormal, or
stupid.
Mental health professionals can undo some of
the emotional damage the ADHD symptoms caused by counseling the
child and the family to help them to develop new skills,
attitudes, and ways of relating to each other. Counseling can help children learn to feel better about themselves,
identify and build on their strengths, cope with daily problems,
and control their attention and aggression. In counseling, children can talk about upsetting thoughts and
feelings, explore self-defeating patterns of behavior, and learn
alternative ways to handle their emotions.
Just as ADHD
children need training to better conduct themselves, so do parents
of these children. The therapist
can give parents tools and techniques for managing their child's
behavior. There are parenting techniques that can help
ADHD children develop their
personal strengths, control their attention and minimize their
disruptive behaviors. Positive parenting alone cannot cure
ADHD but it goes a long way in encouraging positive behavior.
ADHD children often have difficulty focusing
on long-range tasks or multi-faceted tasks. Simply telling the child to "Clean the room" may not produce
the desired results the parent expects. Clearly listing the expectations – "Make
your bed, put the dirty clothes in the hamper and then put your
toys back on the shelf" - can often yield better results. After
all, the parent’s definition of clean is often widely different
than the child’s definition. Along with clearly outlining the
expectations, parents can offer rewards for tasks completed; "When
you are finished cleaning your room, we can read a book (go for a
walk, have a snack…)"
"Time out" when the child becomes too unruly
or out of control often works well for ADHD children.
Another highly effective way to modify the
behavior of children is
through a system of praise and rewards. A comment as simple as "I
really appreciate the way you asked for the toy instead of
grabbing it" highlights successes instead of failures. The more
positive response from successes that ADHD children can experience, the more likely they
will put an extra effort into repeating that behavior.
Parents can also structure situations to
allow their child to succeed. This may include allowing only one
or two playmates at a time to avoid over stimulation.
Parents can divide a large task into small
steps if the child has trouble completing tasks, then praise the
child as each step is completed.
If at all possible, parents should try to
place their child in
smaller classroom settings to allow for more individualized
attention.
Parents can also learn stress management
methods so that they can respond more calmly to their child's
behavior. Meditation,
relaxation techniques for children, and exercise all work
to decrease frustration.
Sports and other high-energy activities help
channel excess energy. A walk around the block, a tromp through
the woods or laps around the yard do wonders for burning off
bouncy behavior.
Parenting an ADHD child takes more work and effort than parenting non-ADHD children. The ADHD symptoms
absolutely demand extra work and effort but this effort does offer
its own rewards. Many parents of ADHD children report that the
positive parenting skills learned to handle their ADHD child better prepared them for
parenting their non-ADHD children.
Parents who spend the energy managing their
home environment instead of ignoring or ineffectively dealing with
the ADHD symptoms typically report less stress and better
relationships with their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity ADHD
children.
Also consider
ADHD remedies like
Attend to help manage the symptoms of ADHD.
