Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD is a behavioral disorder where the child displays symptoms such as over-activity, inattentiveness, impulsivity, over-activity, or a combination of all these behaviors. For a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, these behaviors need to exceed of what is considered to be normal behavior for a particular age.
The symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be categorized into 3 groups
- Lack of Attention
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsivity
If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, don’t worry. Remember that treating ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder requires that the caregivers, the health care provider, and child work together in partnership. It is important that you set specific goals to ensure that the therapy is moving in the right direction and that you start behavior and medication therapy as soon as the condition is diagnosed. You also need to follow-up regularly with your doctor to ensure that you are moving towards your goals and getting results. Also, make sure that there are no side-effects from the medications. Apart from this, it is equally important to involve both the teacher and child in the check-ups and gather as much information to help the therapy. If it looks like the treatment is not working, then make sure that your child is really suffering from ADHD. If the answer is no, then find out if some other medical condition is causing similar symptoms in your child. It is also important that you follow the treatment plan carefully. Remember that a combination of behavioral treatment and medication works best in treating ADHD. Here are some tips to help you if your child is suffering from ADHD.
- Make sure that you communicate with your child’s teacher on a regular basis.
- Keep a fixed schedule for your child. This would mean that your child has regular times for meals, homework, and outdoor activities. Any changes to the child’s schedule need to be made in advance.
- Try and limit any kind of distractions in the environment.
- Your child needs to get a healthy diet with plenty of basic nutrients and fiber in it.
- Make sure that your child sleeps well.
- Enforce good behavior with praise and rewards.
- Set rules that are clear and consistent and make sure your child follows them.
answered by S S