Early Signs Your Child Might Have ADHD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, more commonly abbreviated as ADHD is a common brain disorder which is marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention or hyperactivity and impulsivity. Even though adults can be affected as well, children are the ones who usually struggle with it. ADHD is most often identified in young children, usually when the teacher notices a disruption in the classroom or issues with schoolwork. Studies suggest that the disorder is more common among school-aged boys than girls.

Inattention refers to wandering off tasks and lacking persistence. Also, such a child can frequently have difficulty in keeping focus and is hence disorganized. When it comes to hyperactivity, the person might move around constantly, even in various situations when it is inappropriate. Other signs of hyperactivity include taps and excessive fidgets. Finally, impulsivity refers to making quick actions which usually occur at the moment without giving a single thought to the eventual results. The key behaviors of this mental disorder are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, but some children do not exhibit all three of the mentioned ones. However, most children have the combined type of disorder. Even though it is completely normal for a child to be a bit inattentive or impulsive, the ones who are diagnosed with ADHD usually display more severe behaviors which occur quite frequently. 

When it comes to diagnosis, there is a need for a complex evaluation by a trained and licensed clinician, for example, a pediatrician or psychiatrist who is experienced in ADHD. Also, for a child to be diagnosed with the mental disorder, the symptoms must be either chronic or long-lasting. Unfortunately, many make the mistake of confusing the mental disorder with disciplinary problems which might further delay the overall diagnosis. Even though there is still no cure for the disorder, there are some treatments which help reduce its symptoms such as medication or psychotherapy. Of course, it is also important to notice the first signs of ADHD to make sure that the treatments are started off as soon as possible. To make things easier, here are 4 signs to look out for if you suspect your child has ADHD.

The child is displaying self-focused behavior

Self-focused personality disorder, also known as narcissistic disorder might not come to mind when diagnosing a child with ADHD. It is characterized by an exaggerated degree of self-importance and it is paired with the lack of empathy for the feelings or opinions of others. This behavior can lead to two common signs which are typical of children struggling with this mental disorder, interrupting others and having trouble waiting for their turn. Another common characteristic of ADHD is interrupting a person to share a thought which might have just popped up out of nowhere. Also, persons who struggle with the disorder usually abruptly change the topic of conversation due to the fact that they consider the previous topic boring.

The child might be more prone to temper tantrums

Most parents know the never-ending struggle of being held hostage by their little one's bad behaviors whether it is at the mall or when going out to a fancy restaurant. However, a child who may be dealing with ADHD usually has more trouble keeping their emotions under control. For example, these children may frequently have sudden outbursts of anger at inappropriate times and places. Kids with this mental disorder commonly find themselves in stressful situations which come up due to their attention issues. On the other side, a child with ADHD does not always have to be loud and erratic. In fact, another characteristic of a mental disorder is having frequent daydreams.

The child may make more mistakes

As previously mentioned, a child suffering from ADHD will display signs of being inconsistent and he or she will make heaps of mistakes along the way. For example, the child may do the homework on time but fail to put it in the backpack and bring it to class. This behavior can also be compared to an adult forgetting the car keys in the fridge. Of course, it is important to remember that these mistakes do not indicate laziness or in any way imply to lack of intelligence. If you are a parent with a child going through difficulties, then do not hesitate and contact professionals such as Behaviour Zen. Experts will provide you with the knowledge to help your child as soon as possible.

The child has problems with completing homework

Not all children with ADHD skip homework-some complete it but fail to remember to turn it in on time, or they do not turn it in at all. The reason for this is that children with this mental disorder have problems with keeping track of all the information related to the paperwork and assignments. Scientists suggest the problem to be related to the underactive frontal lobes which are meant to control the memory and processing. More precisely, the issue arises when there is a need to complete the task but there is a lack of organizational skills.

In summary, most children exhibit some of the mentioned behaviors sooner or later. Nevertheless, make sure to consult with a professional if the behavior patterns become more frequent and if they start affecting the success in school.

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