Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can have a serious impact on your child’s development. It may cause problems both academically and socially. Eventually it might lead to psychological issues such as anxiety and depression.
Luckily, if diagnosed correctly, there are techniques that both you and your kid’s teachers can take to vastly improve a child’s prospects. The most important factor to recognise is that ADHD is a brain condition and not a behavioural issue. Punishing a kid based on the assumption that they are disobedient can cause long-term issues so it’s vital that if you suspect your child has attention issues or hyperactivity, you should seek professional advice to establish if it indicates a health issue.
Fadi Shkour, a Senior Occupational Therapist at Mirdif Center for Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation, reiterates the importance of seeking expert support if you suspect your child has the condition. “For ADHD, it’s very important for the parents to seek an expert evaluation,” he says. “For example, there is something called sensory processing disorder, which may appear to be hyperactivity. The vestibular system in the inner ear is mainly responsible for detecting movement. If the system is underactive, signals are sent to the brain, which sends messages for more movement.”
Dr Sheetal Kini, Clinical Psychologist at The LightHouse Arabia believes that, if diagnosed, everyone involved in the child’s life must be aware of his or her situation. “Treating someone with ADHD, especially a child, requires efforts from all individuals in the child’s life,” she says. “A comprehensive treatment involves pharmacological and psychological intervention along with support and effort from parents, siblings, teachers and sometimes even the friends of children with ADHD. As such, there could be challenges on multiple fronts.”
In Shkour’s experience, parents are often reluctant to place their children on medication, regardless of whether there are side effects or not. “There are medications, which don’t have side effects, but many parents don’t like it, so they seek therapy instead,” he says.
If parents opt for a therapeutic treatment plan for their child, Shkour explains that it is usually a combination of cognitive and behavioural therapy. “Cognitive therapy uses attention-based games or memory exercises such as computer games, to improve their attention,” he says.
Shkour adheres to Dr Kini’s view that all authority figures in an ADHD sufferer’s life should be educated and aware of their situation. “We send reports to teachers with certain changes that might help the child focus in class,” he says. “For instance, instead of using a chair, they are allowed to stand. Secondly, many classrooms at school are very distracting because there are too many things on the walls. We also try to increase the teachers’ awareness of ADHD and make them understand that it’s a brain disorder and that the child is not misbehaving.”
The therapist also alludes to forming a sign language with children with ADHD, where you can send a subtle signal to the kid if they are starting to stray from what is considered reasonable behaviour. He mentions that in some cases, children are incentivised with rewards for conventional behaviour and while he agrees with this concept, he emphasises that it needs to be gradually phased out as the child matures, so that they can become functioning members of an adult society, where obedience isn’t necessarily acknowledged.
“The problem is you can’t reward the child for their entire life to behave properly, so it shouldn’t be applied all of the time and it should be reduced gradually,” he says.
Happy home life
While an appreciation of the disruptive nature of ADHD in the classroom is imperative for the quality of a student’s life, it’s also important to consider the condition in the child’s home. “We show parents massage techniques to calm children down but there are alternatives that we don’t practise, such as meditation,” says Shkour.
Dr Kini underlines the importance of creating an environment where the child feels at ease. “Having a specific place that is their “relaxation space”. It may not be large, even a little corner where they can experience a sense of calm (preferably away from high activity areas),” she says. “It is important to remind your child and encourage them to use this space and let them know this is their protected space to settle down or even gather their thoughts when upset. Also, do not make this the place for anything except for relaxation, particularly not for punishment.”
Social issues
Children with hyperactivity or attention issues often find it difficult to socialise. Their apparently selfish attitude can alienate ADHD sufferers from their peers, especially if the condition isn’t recognised by the authority figures and their behaviour is viewed as disruptive.
“When children experience difficulties in their social functioning, the first step is to help them understand this condition and provide psychoeducation to them about its impact in a non-shaming way,” says Dr Kini. “Distress tolerance skills such as mindfulness that help regulate impulsivity, create self-awareness, and help with restlessness can be helpful.”
A report by the Center for Disease Control released in November 2013, showed that up to 11 per cent of children aged 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives, with the condition being more common in boys than girls. With so many affected by ADHD, a correct diagnosis is critical. According to Dr Kini, “It is imperative that if the symptoms are present, people must take their children to a clinical professional and appropriate treatment options.”
DECIPHERING CHILD DISORDERS
By understanding the basics you may be able to identify why your kid is struggling and seek professional help
Dyslexia
The world’s most common learning disability is a reading disorder that causes children difficulties with reading, writing, spelling and pronouncing words. The disorder affects different people to varying degrees and there is no cure. Dyslexia affects between 3 and 7 per cent of the population and if diagnosed, different methods such as multisensory structured language education, which utilises children’s senses to facilitate reading, can be used to improve their literacy.
Dyspraxia
This coordination disorder makes some children appear clumsy and less able to complete physical tasks than others. Generally, the condition is between four and five times more common in men than it is in women. Signs that your child may suffer from dyspraxia include a delay in physical development such as their ability crawl and walk as well as difficulty writing and drawing. Although there are no cures, there are a number of therapies that concentrate on overcoming physical obstacles.
Dyscalculia
If your offspring struggles with rudimentary maths problems, it could indicate an underlying issue and even be a sign your child is suffering from dyscalculia. The disorder causes children difficulty understanding number-related problems, symbols and equations. Sufferers also have issues recognising patterns and trouble with simple maths puzzles, which can lead to financial problems. As with dyslexia, a multisensory, therapeutic approach to maths can improve arithmetic skills significantly.
