what it a.d.h.d.......?

Question

my friends wee brother has this...........i thought he was just a spoilt little boy who gets what he wasnt if he take a tantrum..he is 9 years old....how are u supose to treat in .my friend says it a disablity....huh...its it...or is he just spoilt..a dont know...

Answer 1

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
What is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral condition in which children have difficulties paying attention and focusing on tasks. This common disorder begins in early childhood and can continue into adulthood. If not recognized and treated, it can cause problems at home, school, and work and with relationships.

What are the symptoms of ADHD?

The three types of ADHD symptoms are:

Inattention. This is the most common symptom. In addition to having difficulty paying attention, people with this symptom often are unable to consistently focus, remember, and organize. They may be careless and have a hard time starting and completing tasks that are boring, repetitive, or challenging.
Impulsivity. People who frequently act before thinking may not make sound judgments or solve problems well. They may also have trouble developing and maintaining personal relationships. An adult may not keep the same job for long or spend money wisely.
Hyperactivity. A hyperactive child may squirm, fidget, and climb or run when it is not appropriate. These children often have difficulty playing with others. They may talk a great deal and not be able to sit still for even a short time. Teenagers and adults who are hyperactive don't usually have the more obvious physical behaviors seen in children. Rather, they often feel restless and fidgety and are not able to enjoy reading or other quiet activities.
Many children with ADHD have signs of both hyperactivity and attention problems. This is called combined type ADHD. When children have significant problems with hyperactivity and impulsivity and fewer problems with attention, it is called predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type ADHD. Some children mainly have problems with inattention and fewer problems with hyperactivity and impulsivity. This is called predominantly inattentive type ADHD.

Symptoms of all types of ADHD can range from mild to severe.

Other conditions, such as learning disabilities, depression, anxiety disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder, are sometimes mistaken for ADHD. They may also occur along with ADHD, which can make diagnosis of the primary problem difficult.

What causes ADHD?

While the exact cause is not clear, researchers have found that ADHD tends to run in families, so a genetic factor is likely. Ongoing research is focused on identifying genes that cause a person to be susceptible to ADHD.

Studies have also shown a possible link between alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy and ADHD. 1

How is ADHD diagnosed?

ADHD is often diagnosed when a child is 6 to 12 years of age. Children in this age group are most easily diagnosed because symptoms become more noticeable in school. It is more difficult to diagnose ADHD in a child younger than age 6 because the symptoms can also occur periodically during normal development.

ADHD is diagnosed by first having a thorough medical examination to rule out other conditions. An evaluation by a pediatrician, family doctor, psychologist, or child and adolescent psychiatrist uses specific criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). 2 Observations of a child's behavior documented by parents, classroom teachers, and others who have regular contact with the child are evaluated.

How is it treated?

Although there is no cure for ADHD, treatment can help control symptoms. Stimulant medications, such as amphetamine (examples include Dexedrine or Adderall) and methylphenidate (examples include Ritalin, Concerta, or Metadate CD), are effective in controlling symptoms in children. 3

Studies show that some children who receive behavioral therapy along with medication improve more than those who receive medication alone. 4 Often, extra support at home and at school and counseling help children find success at school and feel better about themselves.

Doctors recommend that children be closely followed after they begin to take medications for ADHD. Side effects—including loss of appetite, headaches or stomachaches, tics or twitches, and problems sleeping—usually decrease after a few weeks on the medication, or the dosage can be lowered to offset them.


In my personal opinion, ADHD is overdiagnosed and children are being overdrugged.

Answer 2

ADD/ADHD are considered a psychological disability because (depending on the extent) it can affect a persons life. More boys than girls get it and some thought it stops in adulthood but that has been proven incorrect.

It is best to try all avenues with diet, biofeedback, behavioral modification, etc., first before medications. These medications are not the best for children and recently teens become quite depressed on them with their hormonal changes.

Several websites to try CHADD, myDNA.com, addresources.org are just a few. There is a great book written by two doctors "The ADD Book", by Sears and Thompson I highly recommend.

There is a difference between spoiled children and ADD/ADHD children. A good way to test if he is ADD/ADHD is give him a cup of coffee and see if it has any affect. It should if he really has this disorder. There are many behavioral problems he could have and those need to be checked out too.

Answer 3

First of all, ADHD or ADD is not just a label given to difficult kids. I used to think it was, but my current job has changed my opinion completely. The long explanation from the teacher pretty much sums up the symptoms.

I work as a teacher in an EBD (Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties) school and a number of my pupils have ADHD and their behaviour is markedly different from other pupils who are ill-disciplined at home and not particularly pleasant characters. However, I don't always agree with medication as it does have a tendency to suppress the child's personality.

I'd also like to scotch the myth that these children want attention as several answerers seem to think; they simply have difficulty focusing for more than a few minutes at a time! Hence their problems at school where the set up of curriculum does not cater for their needs at all. We recently had a child sent back to us from mainstream, not because he had assualted a teacher, but because he couldn't sustain his concentration through an entire 45 minute lesson. I think the lack of understanding of this disorder is appalling.

Another thing - my partner was one of the first children in the UK to be diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder - no hyperactivity) and he is certainly not an ill-disciplined, unruly person. He has a degree and is doing very well for himself. However, his behaviour can be very strange at times, not a problem for me or people who know him. He will never not have ADD and does still take ritalin when he thinks he needs it. I was not happy about this at first, but he is aware of the focus it brings him and it helps him. If we have a child it will have ADD or ADHD; he's been told that much - at least we both know how to cope!

So, ADHD isn't a life sentence and it can affect anyone and with the right attitude it can believe it or not be a great positive. More understanding please!

Answer 4

I think generally speaking ADHD is way over diagnosed. Its a good way for parents who don't want to parent to medicate their children and have little drones that sit and stare out into space all day. Now granted, I'm sure there are a few actual real cases of ADHD. I think all you have to do is mention to a health care professional that your child is a discipline problem and you can get some type of medication. Lack of discipline certainly is a problem today. Parents need to realize that a spanking is not going to be the end of the world, and it works a lot better than time out.

Answer 5

ADHD is a name for some naturally occurring personality traits that are labeld so when they are in the extreme. "extreme" is subjective, so someone may be more likely to get an ADHD diagnosis in one area or one culture than another.

The traits that are labeled so are
* being poorly organized
* being impulsive or emotional
* getting bored easily with chores or work.

So you can see that it's a very subjective diagnosis. Drugs can relieve some of those traits, although people find that after they take meds, they still need to make adjustments to their way of living.

by the way, I wrote this myself based on research over time, I didn't plagerize anything from another website.

Answer 6

I believe it stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Unfortunately I think this label is thrown around a lot when a child is just active and the parents either choose not to or don't discipline their children. The doctors prescribe a pill and it calms the child down. Ridilyn (sp) is usually the drug of choice. When my children started running around like a bunch of heathens I put them to work weeding my flower beds.

Answer 7

Attention Dephisit Hyperactive Disorder, it is a disability and children with were usually those of smoke addicted parents, not in all cases though, it can be treated with medication and as the child matures, they start to slowly overcome it.

Answer 8

If he has the actual medical condition it is not that he is a brat or spoiled or mean. It is a chemical imbalance in the brain that the child can't control. It is called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It means that their brains is constantly going and their body doesn't know how to keep up with it.

Answer 9

attention deficit hypertensive disorder. You didn't say his age but my opinion is unless they have problems learning because their attention span is short or unless they are a danger to themselves(running into glass doors, etc.) I think it should not be given to children until they are old enough to understand the effects it has on them. If they are to young they won't be able to tell you what is wrong. Sorry to say, but I think teachers and some parents just don't have the patience anymore and it's easier to get things done with a bunch of zombies than overactive children

Answer 10

Attention
Deficit
Hyperactivity or Hyperactive
Disorder
i agree with the teacher that replied it is overrated sometimes and some children that are diagnosed with it might not even have it. since this has come out now every one that sees a kid acting up automatically thinks they have a.d.h.d. some kids are just overactive its in their nature. most of them could just be wanting attention that they are not getting so they act up for the attention.