What to do if you suspect your child has ADHD? “Why is this child so disobedient, why is this child so ill-tempered, why does this child procrastinate so much in doing his homework, and why does he do things so recklessly …… “The damage that ADHD brings to a child is sometimes not the ADHD itself, but often the People around them, unaware of the dangers of ADHD, fail to respond properly to children with ADHD and blame them. In reality, it is not the child who is intentionally sloppy or disruptive, but rather the attention deficit hyperactivity that causes the problem. What is ADHD? ADHD is also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD. there are three main manifestations: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Inattention in children and adolescents is usually characterized by being easily distracted in class, carelessness, procrastination, absent-mindedness, seeming to listen, doing things halfway, forgetting daily activities, and often losing things. Hyperactivity is manifested in the should be too much activity in quiet occasions; more small movements in class; more words, interruptions, excessive noise. Impulsivity, on the other hand, is emotionally unstable, irritable, lack of self-control; impulsive behavior, regardless of the consequences; indiscipline, rules. ADHD can also include other manifestations: learning difficulties, conduct disorders, social problems, emotional problems, and abnormal sensory functions. Neighborhood children come to the house to play, not stopping for a moment, running around, all kinds of smashing toys, is it ADHD? Depending on the child’s age and comparing with children of the same age, a child who can take other people’s things in unfamiliar places and has difficulty in controlling his or her behavior, parents need to pay attention. From the outward appearance, the child’s condition is most likely to have ADHD, but many parents will be worried and unwilling to face it. In fact, parents just need to give their children an early understanding, assessment and clear treatment, so that their children can be like other children, can control their own behavior well, focus their attention, and get along well with their classmates. If parents avoid it, then it will have many negative effects on the child. What are the causes of ADHD in children? Is there a genetic predisposition? The cause of ADHD is more complex and is usually considered to be the result of a combination of factors, mainly containing genetic, biological, social, psychological and other factors. Developmental impairments or delays, family genetic factors, neurobiochemical abnormalities (abnormal central neurotransmitter activity), abnormal brain function, and psychosocial factors. How is ADHD treated? Can it be cured on its own? Currently, treatments are broadly categorized into medication and non-pharmacological treatments. At the same time, the treatment of ADHD needs to be individualized, that is to say, according to the different conditions of patients, the treatment plan is also different. 1.Medication: Medication is the first choice of treatment for ADHD. Medication is the mainstay of ADHD treatment as it has proven efficacy in improving attention deficits, lowering activity levels and impulsivity, improving academic performance, and improving interpersonal relationships in children with ADHD. The benefit of medication is to control the symptoms and enable the implementation of psychotherapy and educational training. 2.Psychological behavioral therapy: It mainly focuses on psychological counseling, treatment and behavioral modification for the psychological defects of ADHD, to change the children’s undesirable behaviors, and to improve the children’s ability of problem solving and self-management. 3.Physical therapy, parent training, school intervention, skill training, and comprehensive treatment. The prognosis of ADHD depends on the severity and type of symptoms, the degree of co-morbidity, learning ability, intelligence level, and psychosocial factors. Some of the symptoms disappear with age and turn out to be good, and more than 60% of ADHD children’s symptoms will persist into adulthood. What is the best age for ADHD treatment, and where is the authority on ADHD treatment? The earlier it is recognized and the earlier the intervention, the better. In the lower age group, we mainly through parental guidance, attention training, etc. As the age grows, the child can not learn properly in school, and need to use the help of medication to improve attention. Parents once there is a suspicion that the child has ADHD, then it is necessary to seek the help of professional diagnostic and treatment institutions, such as Wenzhou Medical University Corning Hospital, child psychology, child psychiatry, children’s health care and other professional institutions and departments. In the diagnostic process, parents must do a good job of communicating with the doctor in-depth and comprehensive exchange, you can certainly find a clear answer. Does ADHD require medication or psychotherapy? It has been proved that the combination of medication works well because ADHD is caused by neurobiological changes in the brain, and some of the brain’s activities are altered in the same way that a person with nearsighted eyes is given glasses for his nearsighted eyes so he can see clearly. Then we provide the ADHD child’s brain with medication to enhance their attention, just like giving glasses to a myopic eye. However, medication alone is not enough, but we also need to give the ADHD child non-pharmacological treatments such as certain behavioral training and proper parental guidance. Is there a minimum age for medication? Children under the age of 6 are less likely to be treated with medication, and are generally treated with behavioral training, psychotherapy, and parental guidance. For children over the age of 6, medication is used depending on the degree of impairment of the child’s functioning, such as inability to learn, to get along with others, or to be on his or her own. In these cases, medication is used, and if the impairment of functioning is not particularly severe, the child can be improved through non-pharmacological treatments. Does medication have a lot of side effects? Is the child too young for medication? Medication is an effective means of treating ADHD, and children over the age of 6 who are functioning well will see a good improvement in their attention span as well as their usual behavior with the help of medication. Of course, these medications for ADHD have been used for a long time, for example, Ritalin (a commonly used medication for ADHD) has been in use for nearly eighty years, and all of its side effects have been tested for eighty years, and the side effects and damage to the child are minimal compared to the damage that ADHD can do to a child. Of course, the impact on the child’s development is also minimal, but the drug will affect some of the child’s appetite, the parents of this situation for the child’s diet to do a good job of regulating, so that the nutrition is more comprehensive, then it will not affect the child’s development. How should parents cooperate with the treatment? During the treatment stage, parents should try to create a good family therapeutic atmosphere, overcome bad family upbringing methods (avoid being rude, unreasonable and over-protective to the child), help the child to avoid over-excitement, excitement and over-fatigue; and carry out the regular treatment according to the doctor’s requirements (supervise the child’s taking the medicine on time, pay attention to observing his/her reaction, follow up the child on time, and inform the doctor about the condition in a timely manner). The most important thing is to maintain confidence with your child that the disease can be controlled with regular treatment. Although some of the mildly ill children’s symptoms will disappear as they grow older, about 50% of the patients’ symptoms will persist into adulthood, affecting their lives and studies, bringing worries and burdens to their families and schools, and even causing social problems, so it is important to “detect and treat the disease as early as possible”.