ADHD Basics

     Because ADHD is such a difficult problem, I will write a number of articles on it. This first article will attempt to cover the basic things parents should know about ADHD.

     ADHD is a disorder that causes many symptoms, but these symptoms can be generally placed into three major categories: inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Because all children are, at one time or another, inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive, people often question whether ADHD isn’t just a kid being a kid. The difference is that, with ADHD, these things impair the child’s ability to do the things he wants to do. The symptoms are present almost all the time and the child cannot control them. Parents complain that the child “Doesn’t listen”, “Can’t focus”, “Doesn’t finish tasks”, “Gets frustrated easily”, “Doesn’t think about consequences”, Can’t sit still” and “Can’t organize tasks or time”. As the child advances in school, these problems only get worse. These children usually have higher intelligence but are not able to work up to their ability because of the ADHD symptoms.

     ADHD is not a result of either bad parenting or misbehavior in the child. It is not due to allergy or a dietary problem. It is not due to toxins in the environment or a lack of vitamins in the child. Some children who have had brain trauma develop ADHD symptoms, but most ADHD clearly is hereditary. The genetic cause for ADHD has not been identified yet, but there is no doubt that it exists. People who have ADHD have it as a part of the neurologic makeup they are born with. It is usually easy to find the parent or relative who had the same problems when in school even though they may not have been diagnosed as having ADHD. I frequently saw parents who, when they understood ADHD and saw their child getting better, would go to their own doctor for help.

      Part of the frustration that comes with ADHD is caused by the child being smart enough to recognize that, no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t “get things right”. I always felt the name “attention deficit disorder” was misleading because these children don’t seem to have a deficit in their ability to pay attention – just the opposite! They pay attention to everything going on around them! Through the day, we have lots of things happening around us – sights, sounds, and smells – but we can tune out the things we don’t care about and focus on the things we want to. Imagine how hard it would be for you if you were sitting in class, the teacher was writing on the board and the kid behind you sneezes. You turn to look at the kid and then a truck goes by outside the window and your attention is drawn to that and when you turn back to the teacher, she has gone from “A” to “D” and you’ve missed a portion of what she was saying. We all have problems staying focused if the subject we are trying to pay attention to isn’t very interesting to us but, if you have ADHD, it is almost impossible.

     Along with being more intelligent, there are other positive traits that come along with having ADHD. These children seem to be more creative and inventive. They have more energy and, if they are really interested in something, they can “hyper-focus” and stay engrossed in one thing for hours. They can be the inventors, the scientists, the poets, and the entrepreneurs, but, just as easily, they can be the drop-outs, the misfits and the failures.

     In future articles, I’ll discuss the criterion used to diagnose ADHD and the treatments for it.