What Is Attention Deficit Disorder


ADD - Picture of a butterfly in flightADD - Picture of a butterfly on a fingerADD - Picture of a butterfly on a flowerADD - Picture of a butterfly about to take off

Tips On Coping With A Child With ADHD
I am a mother of a 6 year old son who was recently diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I am by no means a expert on this subject - I am only a mom who struggles to help my ADHD child. Listed below are some tips I have...

6 ADD Tips for Organizing Everyday Things
Life with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) can be a constant hassle. Little things like lost car keys, tools that stick or don't cut well, papers that go missing all add to the general level of tension. These tips will help you come to grips with...

Treatment Plan for ADHD Promotes Success at School Less Stress at Home
(ARA) - If your child has Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), you know it affects many aspects of a child’s life. While often linked to concentration and behavioral difficulties in the classroom, ADHD doesn’t end with the school day....

1
Featured Articles

ADHD and Play



What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder found in both children and adults. Behavioral symptoms of ADHD include distractibility, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Children with ADHD can be challenging to parent as they often have difficulty following direction and are constantly in motion.

The Benefits of Play

Play is the language of children. Play is how children learn to interact with people and the environment around them. Play can help parents learn to understand their children better. Parent and child relationships are strengthened when parent and child play together.

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." - Plato

ADHD and Play

Play is the foundation of a child's life, but ADHD children have difficulty staying still, difficulty waiting for a turn, difficulty maintaining attention and change their activity frequently. So how, exactly, do you play with an ADHD child without losing your mind?

First, determine what your goal is for the play session. Are you working on some sort of skill development? Or are you looking to share some fun bonding time? These two outcomes do not need to be mutually exclusive, but your primary goal will help you set the play environment. Play focused on skill development will have more rules and require more concentration. If you just want to have fun with each other, there can be fewer boundaries and you can make up the rules as you go along. Make sure that you and your child share both types of play on a regular basis.

When you begin to play with your child, make sure that you both know what to expect. As the parent of an ADHD child, you should remember that your child may want to quit before you're done. They may also get distracted easily and stray from what you are doing. Do your best to avoid distractions. Whenever possible, limit play sessions to include only two people. The one-on-one interaction is less stimulating for the child, will allow for better focus and will cause fewer problems. Keep play time relatively short and take frequent breaks. Give your child plenty of notice when play time is almost over. Your child will also need expectations set. Make sure rules and directions are clearly explained using short, concise instructions whenever possible and maintain eye-to-eye contact. Setting expectations for both of you won't prevent problems, but it will decrease frustration if something doesn't go just right.

"If a child is overwhelmed by too many stimuli, you may want to keep the toys in a toy room and pull out only one or two at a time." - Carol Watkins, M.D.

As you play, use plenty of positive reinforcement and praise accomplishments. ADHD children often hear too much criticism and play time is the perfect time to release some of that negativity.

Let your child use their endless supply of energy! Get them involved in plenty of physical activities. Bike riding is an excellent way to use energy. Consider using a tag-along or a bike made for two if you often ride in places that aren't safe for an impulsive child. Keep your child's strengths and weaknesses in mind before joining a team sport. For some children, teams work well, but for others it only spells defeat.

"Go to what they can tolerate and don't do it for real long." – Risë VanFleet, Ph.D., RPT-S

ADHD children also have big imaginations. Creative activities compliment the ADHD child's mind. Activities such as building, drawing and imagination games provide a healthy outlet for their mental energy. Another way to use mental energy could be a solid game of chess. ADHD children often think only of the current moment. Chess can teach your child how to think ahead, as each move builds on the prior move, and also helps the child to learn to finish tasks that are started.

So, whether your goal is to teach or just goof around, know your expectations, limit distractions, be safe, and HAVE FUN!

*Disclaimer – This article is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice. The views expressed here are the personal opinions of the author.

Copyright © 2005 Katherine Gagne

About Katherine: K.C. Gagne is the owner of http://www.therainbowconnection.biz, a website providing virtual assistant services, business opportunities and shopping. You can contact K.C. via email at kathleen@therainbowconnection.biz.



Written by: Kathleen C. Gagne

Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a developmental disability based on neurobiological factors. However, the real cause of ADHD is still not known. Studies have shown that ADD is due to genetic transmission from parents to children. It can also be the result of deficiency of certain neurotransmitters or a chemical imbalance.

Shire drug treats ADHD for 16 hours
British firm Shire said Tuesday a trial of its potential drug SPD465 treated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for 16 hours.

Patch new option for treating ADHD
WASHINGTON, DC, United States -- Medication for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, can now be delivered through a patch,

Neurofeedback improves ADHD symptoms (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be trained through biofeedback to regulate their brain waves, investigators in Germany report.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A speculative hypothesis
Medical HypothesesShih-Jen Tsai - Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention that begins in childhood. The underlying pathogenesis of this disorder is still unknown, although pharmacological, genetic and neuroimaging studies suggest that dopamine transportation may be implicated in the pathogenesis of ADHD

Early exposure to lead, smoke is tied to ADHD
One-third of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder cases are linked to prenatal exposures to cigarette smoke or childhood exposures to lead, researchers reported Monday.

Advocates laud Madison Center ADHD clinic
A new Madison Center clinic will enhance Michiana's ability to diagnose and treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a local advocate said Tuesday.Comment

Expert seeks Government attention for ADHD
An expert in the treatment of attention disorder problems says a lack of government funding is preventing the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) sufferers in the New England and north-west NSW region.