ADHD Symptoms, Medication and Treatment
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is believed to be a neurological disorder usually appearing in adolescence with symptoms such as hyperactivity, lack of impulse control, short term memory lapses, as well as ease of distractibility.
While generally regarded to be an incurable neurological disorder there are many treatment options available. This page assumes some degree of familiarity with ADHD, for more information on ADHD Symptoms please see our Symptoms page..
Much of the ADHD Treatment carried out today relies on Stimulants, the most often prescribed medication, usually used in conjunction with regular counseling from an Orange County psychologist. Without getting into the controversy regarding ADHD’s classification as either a disability or simply a behavioral difference some of the other Alternative Treatment Options available should also be considered.
Besides the use of medications like Ritalin or Dexedrine as a treatment for ADHD alternative therapies to consider include Natural Health Supplements, Food Allergies, and relearning behavior models based either on Repetitive Relaxation and Focusing Techniques or those systems using NLP, Neuro Linguistic Programming.
Studies have shown that a lack of certain supplements such as Omega 3 Fatty Acids can increase the chance of developing ADHD.
Many of these studies show that children who were breast fed were significantly less likely to develop ADHD as infant formula did not start to contain Omega fatty acids until recently. Protein deficiencies can also cause symptoms of ADHD.
Some supplements such as natural Ginkgo is frequently used by people looking to control their ADHD Symptoms but has not medically been proven to work by the American Medical Association.
Food Allergies and Diet – Many people believe that eliminating junk food from your diet can affect your ADHD symptoms. A well balanced ADHD diet will go a long way towards improving ones ability to focus. Food Allergies are also often believed to be the cause of Attention Deficit Disorder related problems. Having yourself tested for food allergies is as easy as opening up the Yellow Pages and finding a local Allergist.
Dietary alternatives can also play a major role in treatment. Among those popular diets is the Feingold Diet. This diet involves removing artificial colors and flavors, salicylates, and certain man made preservatives from one’s diet. Whatever your personal choice in ADD or ADHD Treatment options may be we hope that we will provide you with the much needed information to make informed decisions about your health care.
ADHD Symptoms
Symptoms of ADHD and ADD vary with age, yet follow a common theme throughout ones life. Some experts claim that it is possible to recognize ADD/ADHD in children between 2 and 3 years of age with a 60- 70 % accuracy. The following are some age ranges with the common ADHD symptoms usually associated with that stage of development.
Symptoms: Infants
Restlessness, such as a constant rolling or moving around their crib. Lack of eye contact or focus on physical cues such as smiles. Sleeplessness, hard to put to sleep and often wake frequently. Frequently whimpering or crying demanding attention to their constant stream of real or imagined problems. Being more demanding than other infants their age.
Symptoms: 2-3 Years of Age
Constant running jumping and climbing. Need for constant stimulation, reckless impulsive and accident prone, including accidents towards pets or animals as they play too rough or without the proper attention to the care of the animal. Multiple tantrums, sometimes several per day. No need for noontime naps and still hard to get to bed at the end of the day. Demanding constant attention often to the point that attention paid to other children or responsibilities by the parent creates jealous behavior in the child.
Symptoms 3-5 Years of Age
Defiance and Tantrums. Difficulty getting along with other children. Which can sometimes lead to destructive behavior to vent their frustration. Breaking toys, whether their own or other children’s, or even biting and kicking and scratching. Inability to follow directions and a difficulty in paying attention as they can easily be distracted. This can also create situations where the parent is rushing to get out the door and a simple act of putting on their socks and shoes can become a major task.
Symptoms 5-12 Years of Age
Difficulty with taking tests or reading. The ease at which ADD/ADHD children become distracted or bored now begins to seriously affect their schoolwork. The more they fall behind in these early stages the more they will have to catch up later, which becomes an almost insurmountable task for most people with ADD/ADHD symptoms.
School assignments become easily forgotten and the complex tasks create situations where completing assignments, or even growing bored with the next step causes the add ADHD child to give up. Often, even if an assignment is finished the ADD/ADHD child will often misplace it or forget to turn it in on time. This and other issues can result in complaints from teachers about their child needing closer supervision.
Constant daydreaming or spacing out while being forced to sit still or remain in one place for a long time. This is especially true for those children suffering from add without the hyperactivity associated with ADHD
Impulsivity, which includes everything from making noise in class to interrupting and blurting out whatever is on their mind. Being the class clown and fidgeting and restlessness also fall under this category.
Social isolation. A lack of friends can be due to children with ADD/ADHD sufferer’s inability to pick up on the more subtle cues of social interaction. Their behavior can also be viewed as annoying or obnoxious by other children resulting in their isolation from the group.
Lack of interest in sports. The inability to focus along with a lack of physical coordination along with the above mentioned social isolation can all have an effect on their interest in sports. Though they have more than enough energy they often lack the interest to focus on the sport for long periods of time.
Often the ADD/ADHD child at this age will start lying to cover up some of their behavioral problems. They can become sneaky or result to stealing as a way to get what they want without taking the time to explore other avenues.
The Teen ADD/ADHD Symptoms have problems all their own as the child moves towards adulthood.
