Elevate Your Health Colorado Is it ADHD? Pay attention to the symptoms

You’ve prepped your kids for the new school year — double — knotted shoelaces, and filled backpacks with supplies and healthy vittles. There’s one more thing they might be taking with them to the classroom: a common, treatable condition known as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Know the symptoms

ADHD — previously known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) — is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders among school-age children. It’s also a condition that can go undetected until learning or social problems arise in the classroom.

“If left undiagnosed and untreated, children with ADHD tend to struggle with completing schoolwork, maintaining healthy relationships, and keeping pace with their peers,” says Ed Gibson, MD, board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist with Kaiser Permanente Colorado.

For parents, it’s key to identify the symptoms of ADHD and seek help before it becomes problematic, says Dr. Gibson. There are three types of ADHD:

1. Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD — Characteristics include fidgeting, excessive talking, impulsive actions, aggression, and an inability to sit for extended periods of time. Hyperactivity and impulsivity can cause children to act out without thinking of the repercussions.
    
2. Inattentive ADHD — Children with this form of ADHD struggle with following direction, paying attention to details and organizing their schoolwork or tasks at home. They are easily distracted from the task at hand. They may also easily forget things and make careless errors.
    
3. Combined ADHD — A combination of the first two. Children with this type of ADHD exhibit signs of hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive behavior.
    

Is it ADHD?

Diagnosing the type of ADHD your child has is the first step in managing the disorder.

ADHD is often diagnosed when a child is between 6 and 12 years old. If you notice symptoms, Dr. Gibson recommends scheduling an appointment with a pediatrician. The physician will use specific guidelines to diagnose ADHD, and will also assess your child for other disorders. Anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive and Tourette’s syndrome, for example, can mask or exacerbate ADHD. If symptoms of other mental health disorders are suspected, then a referral to a child psychiatrist can be made.

Although experts do not yet know what triggers ADHD, genetics play a large role. “Between 80 — 90 percent of ADHD is inherited, although evidence suggests exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs could cause ADHD,” Dr. Gibson says.

New research also suggests a link between ADHD and socioeconomic status, family environment, and substance use.

After the diagnosis

ADHD can persist through adulthood, but a combination of behavioral and drug therapy can almost always control the core symptoms of ADHD — no matter what type. Work with your child’s teachers, pediatrician or psychiatrist to devise a treatment plan.

• Drug therapy — Stimulant medications are commonly prescribed for ADHD and work by increasing dopamine levels in the brain. They can boost concentration and focus while reducing hyperactive and impulsive behaviors.
  
  Non-stimulant medications and antidepressants are also options. Dr. Gibson says it’s important to be consistent and monitor effects of the chosen medicine to get the most out of the medication and avoid any side effects. 
   

• Behavioral therapy — Small changes to the child’s environment can lessen the symptoms of ADHD. “Structuring time for homework, organizing assignments, providing more cues, and offering more positive reinforcement in short durations can help children manage their symptoms,” Dr. Gibson notes. “It also might require a classroom setting that uses a more hands-on, multi-sensory modality of teaching.”
  
  Counseling and extra support at home can also help children succeed and boost their self-esteem.
   

“ADHD is a lifelong disorder that can cause people’s lives to fall apart if left untreated,” Dr. Gibson says. “If you suspect ADHD in your child, get it diagnosed and treated so it doesn’t present problems as they grow into adulthood.”

Learn more about the symptoms of ADHD at kp.org.