ADHD and ADD are two common attention disorders that can severely affect your child’s ability to focus in school and do well. It’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms in case your child is affected. The faster you find out, the sooner you can assist them and provide them the necessary resources. It’s important to remember that nothing is wrong with your child, but that they may need some extra support to be successful. Consider getting your child the help they need, as the symptoms will be there regardless, and it’s important to surround them with help and reassurance so they can live their lives with the least amount of distractions. Below is information on what attention disorders are, their symptoms, and some ways that you can manage it.

What are attention disorders?

There are two potential diagnoses for attention disorders. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are similar, but have to be treated in different ways. Therefore, it’s important to make the distinction in order to provide your child the necessary resources.

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. It’s normally diagnosed at a young age and lasts into adulthood. These children have trouble with paying attention, sitting still, and impulsivity.

ADD is an older term, and may be used interchangeably with ADHD, but the difference is the lack of hyperactivity. Children diagnosed with ADHD not only have trouble with their concentration, but often are so hyperactive and impulsive that they’re disruptive. By not paying attention to the hyperactive symptoms in a child, you may be missing out on a symptom that could increase disciplinary issues, result in classroom disruptions, and many other negative ramifications.

What are the symptoms of attention disorders?

Between ADHD and ADD, the symptoms and signs are very similar. As aforementioned, the most important distinction is the lack of hyperactivity in ADD. Here are some other symptoms to look out for:

• excessive daydreaming
• forgetfulness
• squirming or fidgeting
• excessive talking
• making careless mistakes or taking unnecessary risks
• impulsivity
• difficulty getting along with others

There are subsets under the two major attention disorder that can further impact treatment plans. The three subtypes of ADHD are predominantly inattentive presentation, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive presentation, and combined presentation.

Predominantly attentive presention means that it’s hard for the child to organize or finish a task. Paying attention to detail is also extremly difficult, as well as following instructions or conversations. These children can be easily distractice and forget the details of daily routines. If your child has trouble paying attention and focusing on a conversation, then you may consider having them tested for this subtype.

Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive presentation is when the person fidgets and talks a lot. It’s very difficult for them to sit still for a long time. This is a difficult presentation because children are naturally active so it’s difficult to tell a difference between what’s appropriate and what’s not. Children with hyperactivity will show impulse control problems. They will feel restless and grab things or people inappropriately. They behave in ways that are socially unacceptable, but seem to have no awareness that their behavior is problematic.

The final is a combined presentation where the symptoms of these two subtypes are equal. Children with this presentation will have trouble with attention as well as hyperactivity. Teachers may be the first ones to truly notice these behavior problems as school is a very structured environment and if a child has difficulty adjusting to that environment and abiding by the rules, they may have an attention disorder.

What causes attention disorders?

The causes of ADHD are still not very clear, but researchers believe that genetics plays an important role. In addition to genetics, other risk factors include anything that could impact the brain while developing. Examples of these include brain injury, exposure to environmental toxins during pregnancy or at a young age (i.e. lead), alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, premature delivery and a low birth weight.

Research has not supported that eating too much sugar, watching too much television, parenting or social/environmental factors like poverty or instability cause ADHD. These factors may worsen already existing cases of attention disorders, however.

How are attention disorders diagnosed?

It takes several steps and time to diagnosis attention disorders. This is why it is so important to begin early if you think your child exhibits any of the symptoms above. There isn’t a single test for ADHD and the symptoms can overlap with other disorders. In order to be diagnosed children will undergo a medical exam, including hearing and vision, and then going through a checklist which involves a history of the child from the parents, teachers and even children.

In order for children to be diagnosed, they must exhibit the symptoms in a minimum of two environments. This means if they’re only hyperactive and impulsive at school but nowhere else, then other causes must be explored. ADHD is a long term disorder and it’s not something that will turn on and off in between different environments.

What are resources and treatment for these disorders?

Attention disorders are handled through a mix of behavior therapy and medication. Preschool-aged children will receive mostly behavioral therapy with training for the parents before any medication is tried. Continued management, monitoring and follow ups are necessary for continued success of a treatment plan.

It’s also important for these children to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Developing healthy eating habits including fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean protein are good. Also daily physical activity may help as well, especially for children with hyperactivity. Limiting the amount of daily screen time and encouraging children to be active is also a recommended lifestyle adjustment.

There are also several people and professionals who should work together with attention disorder children. Pediatricians, therapists, and maybe even psychiatrists should work together with the parents and teachers to help that child have the most success.

[Sources]:

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html

https://www.verywellmind.com/add-and-attention-deficit-disorders-2161810#add-vs-adhd-whats-the-difference