ecoPharmacist

What is ADHD?

Time can heal, and time can give you the opportunity for growth. Growth that is needed to stabilize your life and wellbeing as a whole. During that growth, and discovery period, learning what makes you tick and tock, is the most important element. Time for me has allowed growth in many areas, and a healing process continues. Not every step has been easy, but was necessary.

As a parent, setting a good example for your children is a key element to being an effective or good parent. One of the big influences in this period of growth and healing has been counseling. Finding a safe place to explore and expose the things in life that can be inhibiting growth and fulfillment, is scary but necessary. You can learn so much about your self, good and bad. Counseling is where those areas can be addressed and corrected over time. In our most recent period of growth, it was noticed that small traits in one of my children, may have grown into a larger issue. Its scary, but the issue is being met with an open mind, and a positive approach. One of the most common childhood disorders today, which can continue through adolescence and adulthood, is ADHD. What is ADHD? Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) includes symptoms such as difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity).

Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. It is normal for all children to be inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive sometimes, but for children with ADHD, these behaviors are more severe and occur more often. To be diagnosed with the disorder, a child must have symptoms to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age.

Children who have symptoms of inattention may:

• Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
• Have difficulty focusing on one thing
• Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyable
• Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new
• Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
• Not seem to listen when spoken to
• Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
• Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
• Struggle to follow instructions.

Children who have symptoms of hyperactivity may:

• Fidget and squirm in their seats
• Talk nonstop
• Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
• Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
• Be constantly in motion
• Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.

Children who have symptoms of impulsivity may:

• Be very impatient
• Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
• Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games
• Often interrupt conversations or others’ activities.

Being in the early stages of exploring this possibility, I can see that there is a lot of research to be done. Treatment for ADHD varies, and the options all have risks associated. The healthiest and safest route will be taken, no doubt about that. Time will guide us to the right options and will continue to stabilize this journey.