A Little Information on ADHD/ADD

First of all, being ADHD does not mean that a person is "disabled". Being ADHD means that you have a persistent pattern of impulsiveness and inattention. It is a "neurobehavioral developmental disorder", and effects mostly children, boys more-so than girls. As the child grows older, and more mature, they learn to either deal with it in their own way, or they conquer it, using "focus techniques". In some cases, ADHD can continue into adulthood, causing a "lack of attention", and/or hyperactivity.

Just as a warning, if you suspect your child is ADHD, there ARE other conditions that it could be. To determine if a child is ADHD, a doctor will give you three forms (all the same)... one for you to fill out, and two for the school your child attends, which the teacher, and guidance counselor will fill out. The questions on this form determine if your child is ADHD??? What if your child is just having a hard time copeing with life? The child will act in similar ways as a child with ADHD, so before filling the child with medications, (which could really be harmful, if not needed) consider other options first.

My reason for this, is my son was diagnosed as being ADD (without being hyperactive). His attention span was short, he "fidgeted" a lot, his grades were drastically dropping, and he was irratated easily. His teacher at school asked me if I ever had him "tested" for ADHD... (No... why would I?) So, I was forced to bring him to the doctors, where I got these "forms", I did what I had to do, and his doctor made out a prescription for "Ritalin", and sleeping pills, and sent us on our way. Well, my son became sluggish and lazy with this medicine, he gained 12 pounds in two months, and guess what? He was still acting the same way... So, the doctor raised the milligrams, and we tried again... Let me remind you, you must give the meds time to work, so for days, my son was tired, emotional, moody, and yet, STILL the same... The doctor tried three different meds on him before I said "Enough is enough" and I took him off the meds myself. I refused to sit back and watch my son fall into a deeper depression than what he was already in.

Focus is a big factor here... And there are non-medicinal techniques you can try. First, find something your child is really interested in... (hobbies, drawing, playing board games, reading,) WRITING, actually was the ice-breaker for my son. I would have him sit at the kitchen table with me, and write something. I would write a sentence, and he would have to write the next one, and so-on and so-forth. Also, writing down a "pattern" of some sort... (XOXOXOXOXO) or whichever pattern suits your child. Squares and circles, hearts and flowers, WHATEVER! Have your child sit and concentrate on writing the pattern... Repeatedly! It "trains" the brain to focus on something besides all the ruckus spinning around in their little heads. I did this everyday with my son... For weeks! He got tired of it after a while, but it's the whole "FOCUS" thing that helps them. He is now almost 14, and he has no problems what-so-ever with concentrating or focusing on what's most important.

I hope this helps you out a bit. If you want more information on ADHD, there are many sites online that offer great techniques for this sort of problem. One other thing, be patient with your child, and he (or she) will develop just fine. They will adhere to a "coping mechanism" of their own as they get older, and will eventually learn to over-come this personal battle within themselves.