Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Children: Causes, Consequences And Treatment

Many of you have probably heard the term Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. You might picture a kid who is constantly moving and gets distracted really easily. And you're right! Kids with ADHD can be completely disorganized, don't appear to listen and typically interrupt during a conversation. They are usually forgetful, always in trouble and seem to make the same annoying mistakes. Don't they know they're being annoying? Why are they so disruptive in the classroom? The answer of course is complex and can be found inside the brain.

What is ADHD?

According to the American Psychiatric Association, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is characterized by developmentally inappropriate displays of inattention, hyperactivity, and difficulty controlling impulses. These challenges are commonly referred to as Executive Function Challenges. ADHD negatively impacts family life, resulting in behavioral problems and low self esteem. A deeper understanding of ADHD can create higher levels of tolerance, patience and strengthen bonds with children struggling with ADHD. ADHD was the first disorder found to be the result of an imbalance of neurotransmitters. According to an article in ADDitude Magazine, ADHD seems to involve impaired neurotransmitter activity in four functional regions of the brain:

Frontal cortex. This region orchestrates high-level functioning: maintaining attention, organization, and executive function. A deficiency of norepinephrine within this brain region might cause inattention, problems with organization, or impaired executive functioning. This would explain why a child with ADHD constantly forgets his lunch at home.

Limbic system. This region, located above the brain stem and within the cerebrum, regulates our emotions, memories and stimulation. A deficiency in this region might result in restlessness, inattention, or emotional instability. For example, a child with ADHD may have an extremely difficult time accepting a simple change in dinner plans and respond by having a complete meltdown. Basal ganglia. Located in the center of the cerebrum, these neural circuits regulate the coordination of movement. A deficiency in the basal ganglia can cause information to “short-circuit, ” resulting in inattention or impulsivity. For example, a child with ADHD may run into you. Not because they're rude or inconsiderate. They simply need to be across the room because they saw something shiny.

Reticular Activating System. The reticular activating system works as a filter. It makes sure your brain doesn't have to deal with more information than it can handle all at once, so the reticular activating system plays a big role in what sensory information gets through. A deficiency here can cause inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity. That's why children with ADHD are happier zoning out on a video game or watching TV because it forces them to block out everything around them to concentrate on the screen. So how do we know if it's ADHD? Let's take a look at how a child presents who is deficient in these four areas of the brain.

Signs & Symptoms

ADHD is easy to spot when you know what you're looking for. Inattention is displayed in various ways including a short attention span, little or no attention to detail, easily distracted, forgetfulness, and poor organizational skills. Impulsivity shows up when the ADHD child interrupts others, has difficulty waiting for his or her turn, tends to blurt out answers, and takes frequent risks without thinking before acting. Hyperactivity presents as the most predominant characteristic. These behaviors include difficulty remaining in his or her seat, fidgets or squirms and talks excessively, loses or forgets things repeatedly and often, and cannot stay on task.

Causes & Myths

ADHD is one of the most researched areas in child and adolescent mental health. However, the precise cause of the disorder is still unknown. There are however plenty of myths surrounding this disorder. Some are blaming such things as a poor diet or food allergies. Other say too much sugar is the culprit. Most doctors do not support these ideas. Where food allergies may make ADHD symptoms worse, most will argue that food alone does not cause ADHD. Poor parenting is another theory. Some say that because the symptoms of ADHD are mostly behavioral, parents are to blame. But ADHD does not discriminate against race, class or family structure. Some kids are raised by two loving parents in a stable home, and others are growing up in totally dysfunctional homes. Since the behavior problem has a neurological component, it is very difficult to point to poor parenting and family life as one of the causes. Available evidence suggests that ADHD is genetic; it is a brain-based biological disorder and we know that low levels of dopamine are found in children with ADHD. So now that we know what ADHD is, what is the best way to treat it?

Effective Treatments

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 6. 4 million kids across the US have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 95% of which are being medicated. Despite the majority of these kids being helped with modern medicine, the need for behavior modification is often times overlooked. Well-meaning parents desperate for a solution, start by medicating their child's defiant and bizarre behavior. When told they need to incorporate behavior modification along with the medication, most of the time that component of therapy is ignored. The effective treatment of kids with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder combines behavior modification with medication if necessary. Even dogs are helping out. A study done at UCI shows dog therapy helps improve executive function in kids with ADHD. More positive praise he receives, the more often he repeats that same behavior.

Conclusion

These repetitive daily praise & reward systems eventually become habitual and Kaden responds in a way that will allow him to fit into society as a functional happy teenager. We still have our challenging days when all I want to do is criticize him, but our lives today are full of acceptance due to a deeper understanding of how his brain works. As a student who struggles with ADHD, I've had to retrain myself to use positive praise and the reward system because that' what allows me to effectively communicate with myself. You may know a child or teenager with ADHD.

So what can you do to better understand them? Be nonjudgmental. They need someone on their team. Put them in charge of something or assign them a job. Kids love to help out and a kid with ADHD takes a job very seriously, especially when there is a reward at stake. Find out what they like and use that. And finally, if parents are interested, direct them to resources like UCI's Child Development School so they can better understand the brains of their own ADHD kids.