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Description:
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Despite society growing to understand ADD/ ADHD better, it still reminds mysterious illness. Cases of it are not clearly researched, treatments are still under discussions and considerations, but at least symptoms of disorder become the common knowledge. Just twenty years ago children who were constantly not able “to behave”, were difficult to manage, children who were jumping and running and making noises all the time and performing at school badly – those children were considering in eyes of society as result of poor upbringing. Today, the typical behavior of ADD/ADHD children is commonly recognized as symptoms of the disorder. Those symptoms can be set in three main groups – inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity and depends on their combination give different variations of the disorder. Inability ADD/ADHD kid to pay permanent attention to his activities results in careless mistakes in schoolwork, failure to follow instructions from his teacher or other significant adult, inability to finish anything that he started – from school assignments to home chores. It also makes him very easy destructed. All of these obviously do not help in academic performance. Symptoms of hyperactivity show themselves in constant restless - child with ADD/ADHD just can stay still, even for short time, even in situations where it is expected. He needs to do something all the time, and often he is excessively talkative. Impulsivity of ADD/ADHD kid does not allow him to be patient; he can not wait for his turn and blurts out answer before question has been finished. He also often interrupts when other are talking. All those symptoms can make life of the child and his parents very difficult. And we need to admit recognize that between 3 and 5 percent of children world’s population has ADD/ADHD. This figure means that there are about 2 million ADD/ADHD children in United States alone ( at least one child in every classroom). Can this disorder be cured? Unfortunately, not. But it can be treated and kept under control. Correctly applied treatment can improve quality of life for family with ADHD child dramatically. The treatment usually is multimodal and includes medication, behavioral therapy, family counseling, parent’s education and school adjustments to meet child special needs. Medications which are used to treat the disorder are divided into two groups – stimulants and non-stimulants. Stimulants are the best known as have been used for more than 50 years and they include Ritalin, Concerta, Dexedrine, Cylert etc. This medicine is very effective in eliminating symptoms of ADHD giving to child relieve practically instantly. Example of non-stimulants is Strattera. However, both groups also can have long and short term side effects – physical and mental. So, it is necessary to discuss with the doctor the health status of the child before starting on medicine. The alternative treatments such as herbal therapy, vitamins, body massage, chiropractic treatments, and different types of psychological training can be also recommended. The main purpose of the behavior therapy is to help the child to understand and change his behavior patterns by learning and applying new social skills and adjustments. Family counseling helps to improve communication within the family and form the bonds between its members. Parent’s education is indispensable part of multimodal approach as it provides parents with all necessary information about disorder and treatments giving them better understanding of the situation. All this psychological help allows family to become a child active supporter and guide in his long journey with the disorder. The part of the school in social and academic development of the children with ADHD also should not be underestimated… There are more here that we can discuss about ADD/ADHD and, finally, you can find all necessary information on disorder in one single guide. It covers everything there is to know about ADD/ADHD: its causes, symptoms, treatments (both conventional and alternative), tips for living with ADD/ADHD and everything betweenMoreover, all - in plain English, very understandable for ordinary parents.
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