ADHD- It's a Real Problem

Let's start off this article by stating what ADHD really is. According to mayoclinic.org, ADHD is

"Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often persists into adulthood. ADHD includes a combination of problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior."

Wow, that's a big definition. However, ADHD can be simplified down quite a bit: Attention Defiicent Hyperactivity Disorder. Basically, it's when kids are hyper active and have a hard time paying attention to certain things for a long period of time.

Now you may be wondering to yourself, "how do doctors diagnose kids with ADHD?" Well, the diagnosis is actually quite simple. However, determining whether or not a kid actually has ADHD is very difficult. I am going to use my brother as an example of why he was diagnosed with ADHD. Some signs/ symptoms of ADHD include:

• Difficulty paying attention (for my brother, he has a difficult time paying attention in class or to someone talking, especially when the subject matter doesn't particularly interest him)
• Frequent movements, fidgets, or squirms (again, for my brother, he is always moving his body someway, somehow. Now, he's even developed some sort of constant twitching movements, which some kids may develop over time with increasing severity of ADHD)
• Excessive talking (my brother never seems to shut up, even when he doesn't have anything to talk about. There's always something coming out of his mouth whether it be important things, singing, or nonsense words.)
• Difficulty following through with instructions (my brother seems to be okay at following instructions, however if he's finished something and someone adds another step at the end, he will become frustrated and refuse to do the extra instruction)

The list goes on to similar types of behavior, but I think you get the gist of things.

That's a good question, and I'm still trying to figure that out myself. Some people, even some doctors, argue that ADHD is a made up condition to get more money out of people. They argue that kids diagnosed with ADHD are "just being kids" and "they'll grow out of it eventually" or "every kid acts like that at some point". However, if those people actually lived with a child that has ADHD would quickly change their minds about the condition and realize that it is in fact a real medical disorder and it's not something that should be taken lightly.

The problem with the argument "it's just kids being kids" is that it is very apparent that kids with ADHD tend to act out more than kids without ADHD. They tend to get in more trouble at school, have worse grades, and have less friends overall. If it were just "kids being kids" then all kids would be the same, correct? All kids would have difficulty paying attention, and be over active and fidget and so on and so forth. However, if you were to walk into a classroom of kindergarteners, you would probably be able to pick out the kids with ADHD fairly quickly. It's not just "kids being kids" because not all kids act that way.

In the end, ADHD is a very real, very serious medical condition that affects numerous children (as well as adults) across the world. ADHD needs to receive more attention and more awareness needs to be raised about the condition. More people need to understand just how serious ADHD can be for children and how many kids don't outgrow ADHD once they're adults. Let's help raise more awareness about ADHD and help people better understand the condition.