Symptoms of ADHD
The primary symptoms of ADHD are
Inattention: Here, mainly children lack focus on completing tasks and appear daydreaming. The children may be:
- Highly distracted
- Forgetful or Absentminded
- Does not pay attention to his/her work making too many mistakes
- Has trouble focusing and gets sidetracked easily
- Has difficulty in following instructions
- Misplaces or loses things easily
- Does not like to do tasks which require concentration
Hyperactivity – or restlessness. Here
- The child is constantly moving or fidgeting and cannot sit still
- Cannot wait for his turn to play or answer questions
- Interrupts others constantly
- Appear very restless, their hands or feet are always in motion
- Cannot play quietly
- Gets anger easily
- They keep jumping from one activity to another
- Gets bored quickly
Impulsiveness – Here the child
- Lacks self-control
- Has trouble for awaiting his turn
- Mood swings
- Do not have emotional restraint
Causes for ADHD
The exact cause for ADHD is not known though there are many theories. The risk factors are
- Genetic- it has been noticed that ADHD runs in family, hence it is suspected that genes play a role
- Low Birthweight or Premature birth
- Maternal factors like smoking or drinking during pregnancy
- A hypoxic condition during childbirth
- Environmental factors like exposure to Lead, Mercury
- Dietary issues like few protein deficiencies, certain food additives, etc.
Diagnosis
There are no single diagnostic tests for ADHD. It is based on analysis and assessment of a child’s behavior pattern, cognitive skills and development by trained doctors or psychologists depending on the persistence of symptoms, age of the child and symptom severity.
