Understanding ADHD

POSITIVE PARENTING
By Assoc Prof TEOH HSIEN-JIN

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a developmental disorder, typically presents itself in childhood, usually by the age of seven. It is one of the most prevalent childhood behavioural disorder. Worldwide, ADHD is said to affect 3% to 5% of the population.

ADHD can impact all major aspects of a child’s life, including socialisation, academic achievement, physical and psychological wellbeing, and many more. However, research has found that some people do show a decline in symptoms as they age.

The symptoms of ADHD also seem to respond to treatment, proving that though ADHD is a serious diagnosis, it does not reflect a bleak future for people living with it.

Symptoms of ADHD

There are generally three core features that are observed in children with ADHD, which are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. In addition to that, some secondary features include impaired intelligence and academic achievement, socialisation difficulties, and emotional problems.

Inattention – Children with this symptom usually have a hard time sustaining their attention on tasks and they get easily distracted and bored with the tasks given, usually within a few minutes. More specifically, they are often easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds, failing to pay attention to details, and making careless mistakes. They find it difficult to follow instructions, often jumping from one activity to another.

Hyperactivity – Hyperactive children are constantly in motion and they often move around touching and playing with anything they see. They also talk incessantly. They find simple tasks like sitting still difficult. In young children, behaviours such as darting out of the house or into the street and climbing and jumping are often observed as these children seem to have boundless energy.