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 What is ADHD?
Important Note: ADHD is usually diagnosed when the child is between 5 and 7 years old. This article has been added to this section for parents' future reference. Toddlers are still too young to be diagnosed with ADHD.
A lot is being said today about ADHD and there are two schools of thought. Some people agree that yes this condition exists, others are convinced it is just a New Age diagnosis for spoilt, uncontrollable children of busy, working parents.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
ADHD stands for children who are inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive. To be more precise there are three types of ADHD; those children who are primarily inattentive (more about that later), those who are impulsive and hyperactive and those who have all three components.
Before I describe some of the symptoms I think it is important to say at the outset that many children exhibit some of these symptoms at one time or another but they do not interfere with how the child develops emotionally, behaviorally or academically. Rather like if a child sneezes or coughs occasionally we think nothing of it, but if the child is sneezing or coughing continuously then we go to the doctor to see if there is an allergy or other medical condition underlying these symptoms.
The child who is primarily inattentive is greatly at risk of being overlooked since they are not a nuisance, do not interrupt and are generally compliant if a little slow. Not due to a lack of intelligence but simply because they are always daydreaming or thinking of something which to them is infinitely more interesting than what they should be thinking of.
The impulsive and hyperactive child is a handful and requires constant supervision and attention and is more accident prone with a generally high pain threshold.
The child with the combined type of ADHD is perhaps the one who gives greatest cause for concern, especially when it is a boy. All but the most experienced and innovative teachers find them difficult to control and parents’ wits are pitted against them and each other in an effort to control difficult and exhausting situations in public and at home.
Other Articles on ADHD
> What are the symptoms of ADHD
Special thanks to the ADHD Family Support Group for this article. For more information you can visit their website: www.adhdmalta.org or call on 21233749.
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