Child ADHD - Deciding Where to Draw the Line

The wonderful adaptability of children in dealing with the challenges of this ever-changing and unpredictable world is really amazing. Their growth from a state of familial security and dependence through progressive stages of self-direction and personal autonomy requires enormous and almost anti-gravitational efforts on their part. Children must integrate a continuous changing picture of themselves with a world characterized more and more by conflict, competition and change.

Most children cross their milestones successfully amidst all the challenges by adapting, learning and changing, while a small percentage but a large number of children demand more time and efforts on the caregivers as well as their own part. Such is the case of a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As the name goes these children have short attention spans which prevents them from concentrating on and completing tasks and show gross over activity and restlessness.

Parents and teachers often complain, "He won't sit in one place and is always distracted. I doubt he is an ADHD child!" It should not be forgotten that attention span and concentration differs from child to child and they increase with age. Children come into this world with different abilities and timetables. A child is regarded as 'normal' if his behavior conforms to that of his peers, but there are wide variations in childhood behavior and it is often hard to decide where abnormality begins. Therefore, it is often difficult to distinguish a genuine behavioral disorder that requires attention from one that merely reflects a developmental lag. This is the issue that parents and teachers and other professions face with children.

However it is upto the parents / caregivers and teachers to observe the child carefully and correctly identify behaviors in children that are indicative of ADHD. Otherwise you may end up mislabeling the child's behavior as Attention Deficit and Hyperactive when it is merely something that will pass with time. Some of children's so called inappropriate behavior are specific to context and situation. A child may be overactive at home but not at school. A child may have no trouble finishing tasks at home but may show trouble at school. Therefore it should always be a teem work between teachers and parents/caregivers at home in identifying and working with the problem.

Adults today relatively have greater awareness and better attitude towards children and their problems. The attitude has taken a shift from, "He is a problematic child!" to "He is a child with a problem!" With this attitude and team work children with ADHD can be helped. There are so many treatment options and management and therapeutic techniques.

There is hope and help. ADHD can be treated and managed.

You can find valuable resources related to testing for ADHD and its treatment from the website oneaddplace.com. Author carries a Masters in Social Work and does freelancing for many websites. You can contact through the no fee freelance website freelancefree.com.

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