Recognizing ADHD in children

  The parents always thought that the child would be fine when he grew up, but now that he is in the fourth grade, he still can’t sit still in class, he keeps making small movements, he is inattentive, he disrupts the classroom order, he gets into trouble, he loses his temper, he doesn’t think about the consequences, he needs to be supervised repeatedly in homework, his academic performance is gradually declining, and he doesn’t obey the teachers’ discipline. The parents were softened and hardened but to no avail, so they took their child to a medical professional for advice and learned that the child was hyperactive.  The most common mental behavior disorder in childhood is ADHD, which is estimated to affect at least 6-9% of school-age children internationally. The main features of ADHD are marked inattention and short attention span inconsistent with developmental level, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Although they have normal intelligence, they perform poorly in school because they cannot concentrate on their studies. They are emotionally unstable, easily overexcited, and prone to tantrums. These children often have poor interpersonal relationships, often provoking classmates and clashing with them.  ADHD manifests itself differently at different ages. Infancy is characterized by excitement, fidgeting in the arms, restlessness, crying, and temper tantrums. In early childhood, hyperactivity is particularly evident, and the patient is prone to falling and running with his legs up; attention deficit is already present at this time, with disobedience, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, sleep disturbance and feeding difficulties. In preschool, the symptoms become more and more obvious, with hyperactivity in kindergarten, disobedience to rules, inability to sit still, inattention, disobedience, inability to get along with other children, and refusal to take naps. During school age, all the symptoms of ADHD become apparent, such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, causing problems, poor relationships with classmates, and gradually poor academic performance. During adolescence, hyperactivity may gradually decrease, but inattention is still evident, often drifting off and making learning more difficult. Emotions fluctuate easily, tantrums easily, lack of self-esteem and self-confidence, and often impulsive and aggressive behavior.  Although symptoms of ADHD such as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity exist to varying degrees in most children, parents should promptly need to seek professional assistance for early detection, intervention and treatment when these symptoms are evident, persist for a long time, occur widely, and have especially affected the child’s social functioning such as learning, interpersonal relationships, etc.