As our scientific understanding has increased, we have learned that these characteristics often occur together.
They frequently cause problems for affected individuals in many areas of their lives.The best kind of help for ADHD comes from having a team of professionals helping the family. Depending on the way the problem presents, the team may include a paediatrician, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a special education consultant, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a teacher and a teacher aide.
As a psychologist with expertise in ADHD, the kind of help that I can best offer is in dealing with emotions, and improving interpersonal relationships.
Teenagers and adults with ADHD often have problems in planning, setting goals and meeting deadlines, so they may appreciate help in this area too.Parents of ADHD children can benefit from learning special strategies to deal with challenging behaviour, and also in ways of assisting their children to cope with the demands of school.
Every person is different, and so the kind of help varies with the individual's needs.Of course it takes time and money to assemble a team of helping professionals to support someone with ADHD, but the benefits can be substantial.
Whatever you spend on getting good advice can be thought of as an investment in the individual's and the family's future.
Paediatrician's
When we talk about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD], we are referring to difficulties in paying attention, and controlling impulsive and overactive behaviour; because these things, when they are extreme, can lead to serious difficulties for a person.
ADHD is not a recently invented condition, but in the past it was known by other names.
View
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] definitely is a real disorder. Over time I have seen changes in the understanding and management ADHD, but studies in identical twins, and evidence from gene research and brain structure have confirmed its existence. Denying that ADHD exists is a bit like King Canute trying to stop the ocean from coming in!
ADHD occurs in 3-5% of people regardless of ethnic background. It can have serious impacts for those affected and their families. Obviously the more severe the degree of ADHD, the worse its impact.
Professionals working with children must ensure that the diagnosis is correct, and that the best therapies are put in place.
We don’t have a blood test for ADHD but we have very good guidelines to assist with the diagnosis.
It is important to exclude other problems that could be masquerading as ADHD. For this reason the assessment needs to be thorough and to be done by someone with suitable experience such as a paediatrician, psychologist or psychiatrist.
Despite all the controversies regarding treatment, research continues to show that education, behaviour management and medications are the most effective therapies that we have for ADHD.
Recent incorrect and misquoted media reports have presented stimulant medication (the type of medications used most often) as dangerous and unnecessary.
The fears raised are in direct contradiction to the scientific facts.
Stimulants do have side-effects. What medicine doesn’t? But they don’t stunt your growth, make you a drug addict or cause sudden death.
If used with due care and review, they are a safe treatment that helps 70-80% of people with ADHD. Their use in conjunction with other proven therapies provides us with very effective tools for improving the lives of those with this condition.
RESOURCES
BOOK, CD, DVD OR CASSETTE
You and Your ADD Child
by Ian Wallace, 2003. Harper Collins, Sydney $22-00
Well-known TV psychologist, Ian Wallace provides many insights into ADHD. Practical behaviour management strategies are discussed in detail, also methods of dealing with oppositional behaviour.
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl
=en&q=Ian+Wallace%2BYou+and+
Your+ADD+child&btnG=Google+
Search&meta=cr%3Dcountry
AU&aq=f&oq=
_______________________________BOOK FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Help is on the way: A child's book about ADD Illustrated. Jane Annunziata & Mark Nemiroff. N.Y. Magination Press. Explains ADD to young children, and how psychologists and doctors are able to help.
http://www.maginationpress.com/
4415057.html
___________________________BOOK
Attention Deficit Disorder:
The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults
By Dr Thomas E. Brown [psychologist]. Illustrated Edition. Yale Univ Press, 2006.
ISBN 0300119895, 9780300119893
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=
lLHWuSekLwUC
________________________BOOK
ADHD: The Facts
by Mark Selikowitz. Oxford Univ. Press, Sydney 2004. An Australian developmental paediatrician. has written this comprehensible and practical guide to all forms of ADHD in children and adults.
ISBN 0198526288, 9780198526285
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general /subject/Medicine/PsychiatryPsychology
/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9OTc4MDE5OD
UyNjI4NQ==
________________________________BOOK
Understanding ADHD Transworld Sydney 2001.Well-known from TV and radio, Sydney Paediatrician Dr Christopher Green [The Toddler Tamer] with Dr Kit Chee has produced this very popular book, and an updated version in 2004 entitled "The Pocket Guide to Understanding ADHD".
http://www.seekbooks.com.au/book
/UnderstandingADHD/isbn/
9781864710571.htm
Psychologist's View