Attention deficit disorder (ADHD): symptoms and correction

Many children and families suffer from attention deficit disorder (ADHD). It can make routine tasks more difficult than usual, such as paying attention in class or obeying straightforward directions. The first step to assisting kids in managing their symptoms and leading happier lives is understanding ADHD.

Early detection of the symptoms of ADHD can have a significant impact on treatment. The inability of children with ADHD to focus, maintain organization, or restrain impulses can cause frustration for both the child and those close to them. Thankfully, there are methods and resources available to assist in handling these difficulties.

This post will discuss the main signs of ADHD and the different ways that caregivers and parents can help their child by using corrective measures. Children with ADHD can still thrive with the right support, whether it comes from therapy, dietary adjustments, or a combination of approaches.

Causes

• consumption of large quantities of alcohol and smoking during pregnancy;
• toxicosis and immune incompatibility;
• premature, prolonged labor, threat of miscarriage and attempt to terminate pregnancy;
• consequences of anesthesia and cesarean section;
• umbilical cord entanglement or abnormal presentation of the fetus;
• stress and psychological trauma of the mother during pregnancy, unwillingness to have a child;
• any illness of the child during infancy, accompanied by a high temperature, can also affect the formation and development of the brain;
• unfavorable psychosocial environment and hereditary predisposition;
• emotional disorders, increased anxiety, trauma.

There are additional social factors as well, such as the quirks of a family’s upbringing or educational neglect—that is, raising a child in line with the model of a "family idol."

Signs

How parents can assess if their child is hyperactive. In my opinion, doing this at the outset of determination is fairly simple. It suffices to record the symptoms your child exhibits for a specific period of time.

Indiscriminate behavior indicators:

• does not like noisy rooms;
• difficulty concentrating;
• is distracted from completing a task, reacts to external stimuli;
• gets down to business with great pleasure, but often moves from one unfinished action to another;
• has poor hearing and does not understand instructions;
• experiences difficulties in self-organization, often loses things in kindergarten or at home.

Hyperactivity symptoms include:

• climbs on tables, cabinets, cupboards, trees, fences outside;
• runs, spins and twirls in place more often;
• walks around the room during classes;
• restless movements of arms and legs are observed, as if twitching;
• if he does something, then with noise and screaming;
• he constantly needs to do something (play, tinker and draw), does not know how to rest.

Indicators of impatience:

• extremely talkative;
• does not know how to wait for a reward, he needs "here" and "now";
• distracts other children in the classroom;
• has a hard time standing still while waiting for their turn;
• has difficulty controlling their behavior, cannot follow the rules;
• often changes mood, cocky.

When your child exhibits nearly all of the aforementioned symptoms for an extended period of time, we can only discuss ADHD syndrome.

Children with ADHD syndrome exhibit cyclical mental activity. For five to ten minutes, the child can work efficiently and actively. After that, the brain rests and stores energy for the next cycle. The child is currently preoccupied and is not listening to anyone. After that, mental activity returns, and the child can resume work in five to fifteen minutes. "Flickering attention" refers to a child’s inability to focus without additional motor stimulation who has ADHD. To remain "conscious," they must move, spin, and turn their heads frequently.

Children use physical activity to help them activate their balance centers, which helps them maintain concentration. To avoid their back legs touching the floor, they might lean back on a chair. They will become less active if their head is still.

How to distinguish ADHD from being spoiled?

First and foremost, let us not forget that Mother Nature has predetermined the temperament of every child from birth. And the baby’s development as well as the parents’ parenting style will determine how it shows up.

Excitation and inhibition are two neural processes that have a direct impact on temperament. There are currently four temperament types: melancholic, phlegmatic, sanguine, and choleric. The most important thing parents should understand is that there are multiple temperaments; one just predominates more than the others. There are no pure temperaments.

Your child is typically healthy and active if he is walking around the store throwing fits or if he is talking to friends while you are busy making purchases.

However, we can only discuss hyperactivity when the child is uncontrollably running around, showing no signs of distraction, and acting the same both at home and in kindergarten. That is to say, there are instances when attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and temperamental symptoms truly do overlap.

In the video below, parents discuss their experiences of parenting kids with ADHD.

Classification of ADHD

The following categories of ADHD are distinguished by the International Psychiatric Classification (DSM):

1. mixed – a combination of hyperactivity with attention deficit – occurs most often, especially in boys;
2. inattentive – attention deficit prevails, more often found in girls with a vivid imagination;
3. hyperactive – hyperactivity dominates. Can be a consequence of both individual characteristics of the child"s temperament and some disorders of the central nervous system.

Symptoms in children of different ages

Hyperactivity symptoms can manifest even prior to a child’s birth. These babies have a tendency to be highly active in the womb. A child who is excessively active poses a serious risk because their activities have the potential to entangle their umbilical chord, which can result in hypoxia.

In children under 1 year old

1. Very active motor response to various actions.
2. Excessive screaming and hyperexcitability.
3. Speech development may be delayed.
4. Sleep disturbance (rarely in a state of relaxation).
5. High sensitivity to bright light or noise.
6. It should be remembered that the capriciousness of a baby at this age can be caused by improper nutrition, growing teeth, colic.

In children 2-3 years old

• Fidgeting.
• Fine motor skills disorders.
• Chaotic movements of the baby, as well as their redundancy.
• At this age, signs of ADHD are activated.

In preschoolers

1. They are unable to concentrate on doing something (to listen to a fairy tale, to finish playing a game).
2. Confused tasks in class, quickly forgets the question asked.
3. Hard to put to bed.
4. Disobedience and whims.
5. 3-year-old children are very stubborn, wayward, since this age is accompanied by a crisis. But with ADHD, such characteristic features are intensified.

In schoolchildren

• No attention span in class.
• Answers quickly, without thinking, interrupts adults.
• Experiences self-doubt, low self-esteem.
• Fears and anxiety.
• Imbalance and unpredictability, mood swings;
• Enuresis, complaints of headache.
• Tics appear.
• Unable to wait calmly for a long time.

Which specialists should be contacted for help?

Parents should first speak with a neurologist to confirm such a diagnosis. It is he who can verify the existence of ADHD after gathering the complete anamnesis and performing assessments and tests.

A child psychologist performs psychological diagnostics by assessing the child’s emotional state in addition to mental functions (thinking, memory, and attention) using a variety of questionnaires and techniques. These kinds of children are frequently tense and overexcited.

You can see flimsy images, a lack of color solutions, or the presence of pressure and sharp strokes in their drawings. One parenting style should be used when raising such a child.

Since a hyperactive child’s syndrome can mask a number of illnesses, further testing is recommended to confirm the diagnosis.

Correction and treatment

A child with ADHD needs individual support in addition to psychological, educational, and medication correction during their rehabilitation.

In the first phase, the child receives instruction in correct breathing techniques, individual examinations, consultations, and the use of biofeedback technologies from a child psychologist and neurologist.

The hyperactive child’s entire social and surrounding environment, including parents, caregivers, and teachers, should interact in the treatment of ADHD.

Medication therapy is an additional, and occasionally the primary, approach to treating ADHD. Nootropic medications (cortexin, encephabol) are prescribed to children by doctors because they improve brain activity and work well for inattentional disorders. In contrast, medications that contain pantogam, phenibut, or gamma-aminobutyric acid are used if hyperactive symptoms are predominant because they inhibit brain functions. It is important to keep in mind that the aforementioned medications should only be taken exactly as directed by a neurologist.

It’s critical that parents keep an eye on their child’s nutrition.

• It is mandatory to take 1000 mg of calcium, which is necessary for the development of a growing organism.
• The need for magnesium is from 180 mg to 400 mg per day. It is found in buckwheat, wheat, peanuts, potatoes and spinach.
• Omega 3 is a special type of fatty acid, which ensures the passage of impulses to the cells of the heart, brain, so it is also important in the treatment of ADHD.

The most important thing is that the baby’s diet should also include vitamins like "lecithin" and "choline," which are the building blocks and protectors of the nervous system. Products (eggs, liver, milk, fish) that contain these nutrients are very beneficial.

When kinesiotherapy is used, breathing, stretching, and eye movement exercises show very positive results. Beginning at a young age, timely cervical spine massage courses (SHOP) will also be beneficial.

Playing games with water, cereal, and clay, as well as sand therapy, will be beneficial, but they should be done under the close supervision of adults. particularly if the youngster is small. These days, pre-made sets for these kinds of games can be found on the shelves of kid’s stores. One such set is called "Kinesthetic Sand," which is a table for playing with water and sand. When parents initiate treatment and correction early on, when the symptoms are just starting to show, the best outcome can be attained.

Advice to parents

• Learn to follow a daily routine, for a child with ADHD this is very important, perform all routine moments at the same time.
• Create comfortable conditions for your child, where he/she can be active for his/her own benefit. Enroll him/her in sports sections, clubs and swimming. Protect him/her from overwork, try to get enough sleep.
• When prohibiting one thing, always offer an alternative in return. For example, you can’t play with a ball at home, but you can outside, offer to play together.
• If possible, parents can attend behavioral programs that are held in centers. There they will be taught how to interact with children correctly, they will share the secrets of raising and developing such children. Such classes are also held with children, both individually and in a group.
• To reinforce verbal instructions, use visual stimulation, pictures depicting actions.
• Children love stroking, give each other massages, draw on their backs with your hands.
• Listen to music. It has long been proven that classical music helps children concentrate and focus.
• B. Beethoven"Piano Concerto No. 5-6" controls all parts of your child"s brain at once, stimulates speech skills, motor skills.
• A. Mozart:"Symphony No. 40 in G minor" trains the muscles in the ear, the sound activates motor and auditory functions.
• Parents at home can correct children themselves with the help of games aimed at training one function.

Useful games

Games for attentiveness

"Catch, but don’t grab." This is a parody of the widely played game "Edible – inedible." In other words, the ball is thrown by the leader of the group, who also says a word—for instance, something about animals—while the second player catches it or discards it.

Other games that you can play are "Listen to the command," "Find the difference," and "Forbidden movement."

Games for relieving emotional stress

• "Touch". With the help of the game, you teach your child to relax, relieve anxiety and develop his tactile sensitivity. Use different objects and materials for this: scraps of fabric, fur, glass and wood bottles, cotton wool, paper. Place them on the table in front of the child or put them in a bag. When he looks at them carefully, ask him to try to guess with his eyes closed what object he took or touched. Also interesting are the games "Affectionate paws"; "Hand talk".
• "Cake". Ask the child to bake his favorite cake, play with his imagination. Let the child be the dough, pretend to make the dough using elements of massage, stroking, tapping. Ask what to cook, what to add. This fun game relaxes and relieves stress.

Games for monitoring motor activity

• "One, two, three freeze". Turn on some fun dance music for him. While it is playing, the child can jump, run, pretend to be animals, but as soon as it ends, he must stop in the pose in which he was caught, the game teaches him to concentrate his attention.
• Family game "Fruit salad". Each family member draws himself as a fruit, then shows the drawings and talks about his characteristics. Then all the fruits are cut out and glued to the salad bowl.
• "Commander". The rules of the game are explained to the child. One of the family members plays the commander, and the child plays the role of a fighter who clearly follows the instructions of an adult. For example, "We will build a tower, I will supervise the construction, and you will build". Then everyone changes places. This game teaches children and parents to hear and understand each other.
• "Describe and draw". The goal of the exercise is cohesion and mutual understanding. The child draws a picture on any topic, then describes it in great detail, and the adult must recreate the picture based on his description.

What help can you give to a child when he is overexcited?

If your child became agitated, take his hand and accompany him to another room, for example. If washing doesn’t seem to be helping, try diverting his attention to something engaging.

Hug him, caress his back, or touch him when he’s angry; emotional interaction is crucial for kids with ADHD.

A calming nighttime bath with various herbs, like lavender or chamomile, is a great way to help children regain their harmony and balance. You can watch a peaceful cartoon or read your favorite fairy tale together before bed.

Consider employing meditative methods if your child’s imagination is already quite developed. Ask him to close his eyes, for instance. Allow him to visualize a forest or a clearing. Allow him to feel the breeze on his face, listen to the sound of a stream or birds singing, and all of this can be done with music.

Symptoms	Correction Methods
Difficulty focusing on tasks	Break tasks into smaller steps, give frequent breaks
Impulsiveness	Teach self-control techniques like counting to ten before acting
Restlessness	Provide physical outlets like regular exercise or movement breaks
Disorganization	Use planners, schedules, and checklists to stay organized
Difficulty completing tasks	Set clear goals, offer positive reinforcement for completed tasks

Early detection of ADHD symptoms can have a big impact on a child’s development. Parents and other caregivers can give children the support they need to succeed at home and in school if they are aware of their needs and difficulties.

Adequate remedial techniques, such as behavioral tactics, regimented schedules, and, if required, medical assistance, can assist kids with ADHD in controlling their symptoms. These methods require time and effort, so it’s critical to be persistent and patient.

Children with ADHD can improve their ability to focus, form healthy habits, and acquire lifelong skills with the correct support.

Focus, self-control, and organizing abilities are all impacted by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which can affect both children and adults. Inattentiveness, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity are typical symptoms. ADHD can be effectively managed and daily functioning enhanced with early identification and customized treatment approaches, such as behavioral therapy, regular adjustments, and occasionally medication.

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