Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Things Moms and Dads Will Want to Know About ADHD Tendencies

By Regina DeLangia


For parents of younger children, it is important to be able to recognize the signs your child may have ADHD. However, it's also important to know that all children exhibit many of these symptoms, but not all children have ADHD. The difference concerns the length of time the behavior seems to last.

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, often referred to as ADHD,appears to be approaching epidemic proportions as more and more children in the US are diagnosed. Child behavior on average varies greatly from the behavior of those with ADHD behavior. Many parents can start to worry unnecessarily because their child seems to have a short attention span. Having a short attention span however, is common among preschool aged children. The same can be said for older children and even adults, an ADHD diagnosis is made based on a persons level of interest in something and what holds their attention, not on a short attention span. Children with ADHD most often show the three symptoms that are below.

The symptoms of ADHD vary from child to child and can be exhibited in children of all ages. Normally a child with ADHD will tend to loose things, which of course will drive their parents crazy. Of course no one is exempt from this, but their is an obvious difference in the case of a child with ADHD.

Frequent in attention or inability to focus on details is a classic symptom of ADHD in children. Often a child with ADHD will make careless mistakes on common activities or on their school work. We all know that those so-called symptoms are seen in many children and even adults, we may add. Don't jump to conclusions to quickly just because you see this symptom. Guidance from you doctor, can make you more comfortable with where your child really is.

Another common symptom is a child who is disruptive in school. Does your child cause even normal disruptive actives to be more difficult? Then, does this sort of behavior also exist at home? If you answered yes to any of the above, you may want to consider that your child is ADHD. It could be something else if this is not long term persistent behavior. If that is the situation, then you really should make an appointment with your doctor and have a chat about it.

Children who appear normal will sometimes have a difficult time maintaining sufficient attention during certain tasks or play time. A child who become easily frustrated with something is also a normal reaction for many children. For normal behavior the person's interest and attention will begin to wane. However, the average person will take into account how important the task is and what that task is. Normal behavior would see a drop in attention for a task that is not important. However, with something that is important, you would tend to think the attention will be sustained long enough to accomplish whatever the task is.

Once a child ages, the symptoms will begin to impact more areas because they will be involved in more activities. There could be cause for concern with older children if they begin to show signs of inattentiveness. For the most part, the older child is doing things he or she likes to do. Of course this doesn't include household chores or tasks no one likes to do.

In extreme cases, a child with ADHD may engage in physically dangerous activities. The child that reaches this point does so without consideration of any possible consequences. Another common behavior is unable to wait their turn for a favorite activity. Constantly trying to answer questions prior to knowing the full question is also common. Lack of patience is the similar factor among these behaviors.

When these behaviors are continually observed over time, the possibility that your child has ADHD becomes more real. Before and ADHD diagnosis is made, the behavior should be observed for over a 6 month time frame. If you have met this criteria with your child, then seek professional help for evaluation and then on to the assessment stage. Of course start with your doctor, who may then send you on to a specialist.




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