Things You Should Know About ADD-ADHD
By Sean Lim
ADD and ADHD, these are two terms often used interchangeably to decribe a common neurological problem in which a child find it difficult to concentrate on any task for more than a couple of minutes and they also can't seem to sit still.
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, while ADD is the acronym for attention deficit disorder. The only telling difference is the word "hyperactivity". So, when people think that if hyperactivity is not present, then the kid has ADD If hyperactivity is detected, then he is ADHD. Whether its ADD or ADHD, the official word now is ADHD since 1994.
If you research old resources to find information on this disorder, which is one of the most researched childhood disorders in the West today, you may often come across terms such as mental deficiency, hyperkinesis and minimal brain damage. The acronym ADD came about in late 1970s and ADHD was coined in 1987 to highlight the fact that hyperactivity usually goes hand in hand with the ADD.
There are basically three types of ADHD - namely ADHD, ADD and ADHD combined type (which exhibits a mixture of ADHD and ADD symptoms).
ADHD kids are often very naughty, and because of that they are picked out very early on by teachers. The ADHD child displays hyperactivity. He moves about and cannot remain still. He is often noisy and talks way too much. He is not capable of keeping quiet when playing.
While most see this liveliness as normal everyday stuff, or perhaps the result of negative parenting, the majority of doctors believe the condition is due to some neurological malfunctioning. The majority of medical experts believe that ADHD is caused by an abnormality in the brain. There is an imbalance in a few neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine. They rubbish claims that ADHD is due to excessive sugar intake, poor parenting, food allergies, or watching too much television.
Existing studies points to between three and six per cent of all kids in the world being affected, and that most of them are boys rather than girls in the ratio of 3:1.
As these researches also show that ADD-ADHD runs across all races and cultures, it means that people in Asia and other parts of the world also have it. But we often don't hear about it in these places because of two main reasons, namely that mental health workers are not common, and secondly because mental health issues are usually taboo and will not be reported or publicised even when diagnosed.
Critics laments that ADD-ADHD statistics are rising simply because of vague diagnosis. Others laments that it is very difficult to isolate the symptoms of ADHD because many victims also have other health problems. in addition to that, the symptoms of an ADHD child is very similar to that of your regular naughty child. In fact, it looks similar to an attitude problem, and that is why it so often went undiagnosed.
Then there exists a few who refused to believe the condition exists at all. These individuals hold the opinion that there is nothing wrong and all it takes to resolve the problem is to give the misbehaving kid a good whack.
However, many ADHD experts have warned that if ADD-ADHD is not treated early, the outcome could be terrible. It can lead to problems such as taking drugs, truancy, smoking, alcohol abuse, and getting into fights either in school or outside.
But the bottom line is that whether we call it ADD or ADHD, the facts remains that ADHD kids are often very intelligent and creative individuals. He can be a wonderful and outstanding person in future if the condition is treated early.
About the author
A very popular question by concerned parents is Do children with ADHD outgrow it ? You can get the answer from this informative site http://www.adhdquestionsandanswers.com/ from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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