Many families go through a period of confusion and distress
during the time leading up to the diagnosis of attention deficit
disorder. A diagnosis of ADD or ADHD can either feel like a
Godsend or like a death sentence depending on over-all emotional
health of the family unit.
Most people who receive a diagnosis of attention deficit
disorder go through a period of mourning. Sometimes they regret
all the time that might have been lost in the past searching
for the cause of their symptoms. They may also despair because
they perceive the disorder to be bad news for the future.
Parents of a child with ADD often enter a mourning phase
as they grieve for the child's lost potential. The classic
stages of mourning, denial, anger, grief and finally acceptance
of the situation. To complicate matters more, most parents
of children with this ADD feel guilty for punishing their child
in the past, when the child couldn't help their behavior.
Adults with attention deficit disorder are often treated
by family members and employers as incompetent or obsessive-compulsives.
The chaos that can reign as a result of not achieving a diagnosis
of ADD can psychologically damage the adult sufferer for years
as they resort to compulsive and addictive behaviors to cope
with other people's reactions to the misunderstandings caused
by this affliction. This is why for many the diagnosis of attention
deficit disorder is finally a relief. At the very least a diagnosis
can clears up some of the mysteries that lie behind an ADD
sufferer's restless and inattentive behaviors.
Attention Deficit Disorder is a general term that describes
all conditions that involve these three symptoms: distraction,
impulsivity and hyperactivity. ADHD is a clinical term that
is used to describe three subsets of the disorder: Combined
Type, Predominantly Inattentive Type, and Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive
Type. Many people casually use the term ADD as a generic term
for all types of ADHD.
Medication is often an important part of the comprehensive
treatment of an individual with ADHD or ADD. Ritalin is the
most commonly prescribed medication for ADHD. It is also very
short acting and requires several doses a day.
Since teachers may not understand the short -acting nature
of Ritalin, they may interpret the irritability caused by the "coming
down" phase as the drug wears off as deliberate misbehavior.
When teachers note difficult behavior in a child on Ritalin,
be sure to find out whether it is occurring at a specific time
of day. There are a number of medications that can be helpful
for ADHD if the stimulants do not supply blanket coverage of
the symptoms.
Often simple changes in the classroom environment can make
a big difference for a child with a short attention span. The
teacher can place him near the front of the class and work
out secret visual or oral cues to remind him or her to stay
on focused on the lesson.
Sometimes, the parent feels that further educational intervention
is needed or the child will suffer devastating life-long consequences.
As educational funding is not abundant the parent may be put
in the position of being an advocate for his or her child.
Fortunately most teachers medical professionals are trained
to be deal with children with ADD. Despite all convincing to
the contrary, parents of a child with ADD might still feel
that the disorder is all their fault and experience guilt and
self-hatred. Parents should comfort themselves by realizing
that s studies have shown that environment has very little
to do with ADD and that the causes are usually genetic.
Community support is important during and after the time
of the initial diagnosis of attention deficit disorder. It
is easy for a family to become overwhelmed by the prospect
of living with an individual with ADD for the rest of their
lives. Embarrassment and shame may cause family members to
isolate themselves just when they most need to reach out for
support from teachers, therapists, medical professionals and
extended family members.
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