Parents will have to decide early on what kind of medication is going to suit their child best. Whatever the medication, it will not cure ADHD. But any medication should be safe in the long term, not lead to any type of addiction or substance abuse and above all, should not have nasty side effects like disturbing the child’s sleep. Most of the ADHD psychostimulants used in controlling the symptoms of attention deficit disorder fall short of those criteria and there is much controversy about how damaging they are. Parents should be able to find out about alternative treatments for ADHD such as homeopathy ADHD which has no side effects.

When ADHD is diagnosed, parents can do so much to help the child come to terms with attention deficit disorder symptoms and can do it so successfully that it can be seen as a gift rather than a curse. Giving positive feedback is one way. Never concentrate on the negative things but try to give praise every day. Spending time with an ADHD child is very important too.

Hyperactivity, another one of the symptoms of attention deficit disorder can play havoc with family life. A great coping mechanism is to get ‘green time’ and sports activities into the daily routine. You will be richly rewarded as the ‘feel good’ endorphins do wonders for the child’s mood, as indeed it does for any adult who practices any physical activity. Choosing the right type of sport is very important though. It seems that where concentration is demanded (for example in football, basketball and baseball), ADHD children definitely do less well. They tend to excel in swimming (look at Michael Phelps), martial arts, gymnastics and wrestling.

Even if some of the ADHD medications may help the child to stay alert and focus much better, again the parents can do so much to help. First they should check out what is going on in the school and actively seek out the teacher to find out exactly what strategies and behaviour plans she has implemented. They also need to resist any attempt by teachers who may recommend some ADHD medication such as psychostimulants. The parents have to make an informed choice. To help you do that, look at the link below for a safe and effective ADHD treatment which is excellent at controlling symptoms of attention deficit disorder.

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is a mental condition found in some children all over the world. A child with ADHD can be hyperactive, totally inattentive and impulsive at times. However, to label every child who demonstrates the above traits as with ADHD is highly inaccurate.

Sometimes they may appear as a normal behavior in many other teens, Diagnosis of ADHD is not compulsory. It depends on the natural behavior pattern of an individual and some extreme changes detected that define ADHD.

Symptoms of ADHD in teenagers:

1. In children the basic symptom that is observed is not being attentive.

2. They may lack in academics.

3. They get bored very fast and may feel irritable all the time.

4. They may become too hyperactive and aggressive in behavior.

5. Might feel lose out all the time.

6. Show laziness in daily activities.

7. Always get a complex that may lead to attitude problems.

Depression, marital problems, loneliness, inattention and disturbed life pattern. All these lead to change the behavior pattern of an adult. They start reacting strongly towards all these which lead to change their nature.

Symptoms of ADHD in adults :

1. Tend to forget things very often and the task they are supposed to do.

2. Fail to recollect what just happened. Memory weakens.

3. Become hot tempered and impulsive in behavior.

4. Tend to pay less attention to what others are saying.

5. Cannot work in office comfortably and stay lonely.

6. Daydreaming.

Study of behavior pattern:

Qualities differ from person to person. Although these may be observed as natural qualities in some of the adults, they may appear as a disorder in many. It is very difficult to realize that these are the only symptoms that define that you are suffering from ADHD. They do help in determining ADHD but make sure you deal this with a health care professional.

Only a specialist will be able to determine the patient of ADHD after a detailed study of history of the patients’ behavior pattern. Sometimes the qualities might be a situational change in temporary behavior pattern, which can make you think it as a symptom of ADHD. To avoid misdiagnosis know your child or yourself better.

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After is has been decided that a child should be tested for ADHD, it needed to be decided which ADHD test should be taken to evaluate for the disorder. There are a few different tests that will effectively diagnosis the presence of ADHD. The first step that should be taken, though, should be to rule out a physical disorder that has similar symptoms to ADHD. A general physician will be able to rule out that your child has some sort of physical problem, such as a thyroid problem.

After the child has seen a medical doctor, the next step will be to meet with a psychologist or other licensed mental health professional. They will be able to give your child the necessary tests to diagnose ADHD. You will be able to find specialists through CHADD, which is national organization that educates and helps people with ADHD.

When you find a qualified mental health professional, your first initial meetings will involve your child and a family member that has known the child since they were young. The mental health professional will get a detailed personal history from your child’s point of view as well as the family member’s point of view.

After this, tests such as TOVA (Tests of Variable Attention) will be given to see if there is the presence of ADHD. This test is a 23 minute test, and is accurate in distinguishing is a test subject has ADHD or not. I believe it is important to get formal testing to know for sure whether the child is struggling with ADHD or possibly something else such as a learning disorder.

Other disorders that could look like ADHD are depression and anxiety disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome, early onset bi-polar disorder, conduct disorder and possibly other emotional problems or disorders. It is very important to keep this in mind during the process of evaluation.

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Symptoms in children

A child affected with ADD will have difficulty in concentrating or focusing on something. He will also find it difficult to organize things or follow instructions and directions. They have difficulty in controlling their natural spontaneous responses such as speech, movements, and attentiveness. They are unable to finish tasks, make plans, participate in activities around them or even sit still. They have a tendency to get distracted by the smallest of things and consistently make small careless mistakes in their activities that require patience and following instructions.

These children have lots of things simultaneously going on in their mind and are unable to concentrate on anything specific. Multiple activities like the teacher talking, two students whispering, and people walking on the corridor outside the classroom, all affect the ADD affected child’s concentration. While most children are able to block the other noises and concentrate on the teacher’s voice, the ADD affected child is unable to do so. They also have a tendency of losing their belongings and even very intelligent and bright children with this disorder may be getting low grades.

Symptoms in adults

ADD is also quite common among adults though in most cases it goes undiagnosed as the symptoms overlap with other adult disorders such as stress. Adults suffering from ADD are mostly restless and are unable to concentrate on their work. They also have difficulty staying organized and may even have difficulties in maintaining their relationships due to their compulsive behavior. However adults are much more equipped to deal with their problem and are mostly recommended to control their symptoms with proper diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes.

The other symptoms which are reflected both in children and adults affected with ADD are short attention spans, poor listening skills, tendency to be bored and being impulsive in speech and action. These symptoms are however noticed in various degrees in the patient and only a trained medical professional can diagnose how serious the problem is and treat it accordingly.

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The first place to start when talking about what causes ADHD symptoms is the fact that ADHD is a brain disorder. All of the research going into ADHD shows clearly that differences in the ADHD brain are what account for the symptoms.

This means that we can throw out the causes of ADHD which are ’social’. There is no credibility to these explanations.

Brain research in ADHD is continually improving and progressing. Brain imaging shows that the main area of the brain involved in ADHD symptoms in the prefrontal cortex. This is in the frontal lobe – the part of the brain just behind the forehead. The frontal lobe is the command center of the brain. This is the part that does the planning that we need to do. The frontal lobe tells you to pay attention to one thing and disregard another because it’s a distraction that’s not important. It tells you to plan, it tells you how to adapt your plan when something comes up that’s difficult. It tells you to inhibit your response which helps you to stop yourself from doing something that could get you into trouble (i.e. so you don’t swear at someone, even if you’re angry, if it would get you into serious hot water).

Brain imaging studies that look at the brain chemicals – called neurotransmitters – show that there is a decrease in the brain chemical dopamine in that area. Another brain chemical impacted in ADHD is norepinephrine (or noradrenaline). ADHD medications work on these brain chemicals to improve concentration, hyperactivity and impulsivity. They have this effect by increasing the dopamine and/or noradrenaline in different parts of the brain.

Other brain areas being researched include: The Cerebellum, the basal ganglia, the anterior cingulate gyrus, etc. In other words, the next time someone tries to tell you that ADD or ADHD are due to some problem in society, you let them know that they are wrong – it is a real medical condition which resides in the brain.

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The consequence of this comes to the fact that a determination of ADD/ADHD can can basically be just what our grandparents called having ‘ants in the pants’! On the other hand, it becomes more common that an ADD/ADHD verdict hinders the medical professionals from discovering the true conditions.

Research in the last few years are revealing that commonly accepted indications of fetal alcohol use are commonly taken to be ADD/ADHD. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a very serious disorder that afflict many children whose mothers used too much alcohol while they were yet in the uterus. The depth of the effects FASD has on the physical and mental health of a child can only be tragic and is just one of the explanations as to why alcohol is recommended to not be used during a pregnancy. Some of the most common effects of FASD can consist of:

Stunted growth: Children with FASD tend to show up on the lower percentiles in relation to their weight and height.

Skull and facial abnormalities: Some studies suggest a strong link between facial and cranial defects and alcohol overexposure.

Damage to the central nervous system: Perhaps the most serious impact of FASD is the havoc that it wreaks on the central nervous systemeffect}. This can range from delayed development of the brain to the onset of critical syndromes of the nervous system (e.g. epilepsy and seizure disorders). This damage can also manifest itself in the manifestation of manageable handicaps or in the conditions from growth hinderance. Most commonly seen among these are:

- Problems with social/adaptive skills

Recollection difficulty

- rash, unable to socially interact in appropriate manner

- Sensory problems

- Not able to easily perform daily physical tasks appropriate for the age group

To many this list is easily seen by medical professionals are looking for when attempting to diagnose ADD/ADHD!

This information for patients with FASD shows critical results. The indicated research that was administed by the University of Toronto in association with with the Surrey Place Center’s Hospital for Sick Children, revealed that children diagnosed with FASD, more than you realize, are not getting the professional help needed because of ADD/ADHD misdiagnoses.

The focus was to take 33 children diagnosed with 30 children diagnosed with ADHD), and 34 children that had no condtions attributed to them at all noted was the concern of social involvement. It has been proposed that children with Fatal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder who are not misdiagnosed before the condition advances have a high chance of showing intense issues with behavior if not addressed appropriately. One of the researchers, Joanne Rovet, addressed this by saying “In terms of social cognition and emotional processing, the core deficit in FASD appears to be in understanding and interpreting another’s mental states and emotions. These problems with social cognition and emotion processing may underlie the severe conduct problems seen in children with FASD. It is imperative that these children receive assistance in social and emotional processing domains, specifically targeting interventions to deal with their unique deficits.”

The research emphasizes what has been said many times about the risks that misdiagnoses to ADD/ADHD diagnosis can be. Also, it stresses the importance of drawing the wrong. You have the situations where children who are overall very healthy pulled into a scenerio where they are exposed to risky medications each day. It also keeps, on the other hand, children who need highly professional medical attention such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder from obtaining it because many physicians are almost conditioned not to look beyond the stigma of being ADD/ADHD.

If you suspect that FASD could be a factor in your child’s problems you should rest assured. There are many wonderful programs to help manage the syndrome exist. It should therefore never be seen as a ‘life sentence’ to a low functioning and a life replete with issues. The most important thing is to simply get together the resolution to start. It is not uncommon for FASD parents to be slow in looking for assist or make note of the possible overuse of alcohol during a pregnancy because of the reaction to society on the subject. I want to emphasize that allowing the past to direct the future of the child due to the mistakes and errors made is not the right course of action. If you have the courage to seek it you will find that help is offered and in most situations the disorder can be controlled.

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Here is your situation – you are now faced with an ADHD diagnosis which has just been confirmed by your doctor. That was what you thought anyway as all the ADHD child symptoms which your child has, were straight out of the manual. The over-excitability, outbursts and disruptive behaviour were definitely not those of a normal child.

But you still have to deal with the constant fidgeting, the non-stop motion and the chattering. You are even under pressure from the school as the psychologist is recommending that your child be put on Ritalin (methylphenidate). He claims that he knows a thing or two about ADHD child symptoms.

Join the club – ADHD is now an epidemic so no need to feel alone. Actually it probably touches up to 15% of all schoolchildren in the USA and there are a lot of adults out there too who have ADHD and they do not even know it ! If you talk to your doctor about what kind of medicine he will prescribe, he will probably mention some of the side effects. After all these are psychostimulants and many of them are basically amphetamines which means they are going to affect the heart, blood pressure and there is a risk (however small )of cardiac arrest. According to the Pediatrics journal, there is also a risk of hallucinations.

Rest assured that it has nothing or very little to do with your parenting. But is there no other type of treatment which can alleviate ADHD child symptoms ? There must be some type of treatment which will not drug your child and turn him or her into a potential drug user (or should I say abuser ) Well, there is a natural homeopathic ADHD treatment which can help manage the symptoms of ADHD in child. Your doctor, unless he is a convinced homeopath, will not want to know so no need to ask him.

Homeopathic treatment for ADHD will involve a holistic approach to the suppression of symptoms of ADHD in child. They will be just as effective in reducing hyperactivity, distractability and impulsivity without having any of the alarming side effects of psychostimulants which I mentioned above. These homeopathic treatments will also help your child to stay focused and concentrate which is another one of the classic ADHD child symptoms. Why not find out more about how these homeopathic remedies can help you to return to a normal tranquil family life without all the trauma and worry that ADHD psychostimulants can cause?

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Thousands of parents have described episodes of schoolteachers, principals, or even medical professionals who cheerily toss out suggestions that they use ADHD medications to treat any perceived signs of ADHD. It is as though they believe that the pills offer some type of miracle cure for a condition that is all too real. What these drugs do is introduce risky chemicals into your child’s body. These medications can sometimes quickly decrease certain hyper behaviors but they are only acting as a camouflage for signs of ADHD.

ADHD symptoms are usually easy to spot because of the hyperactivity component. Although many of these students may fidget and squirm in their seats, or lose their train of thought, it does not mean that they are behavior problems or unable to learn. Sometimes the ADHD symptoms can be displayed as withdrawn behavior and nervous tics. Trying to steer parents and their kids to prescription medications because a child shows signs of ADHD is hardly the healthiest and safest way to offer help. All professionals who work with children should be made aware of what the real signs and symptoms of this condition are.

Children who have ADHD symptoms may show one or more of the following behaviors:

• Often interrupt others

• Find it hard to wait their turn

• Sometimes act impulsively

• Have trouble sitting still

• Often talk frequently and loudly

• Sometimes fail to see the consequences before they act

• Have difficulty concentrating

• Show difficulty with organization

• Forget rules, tests, and homework assignments

• Lose focus frequently

• Daydream

• Tune in to something that they find more interesting, like a picture or a tree outside a window.

• Become bored easily

• Focus on one small object intently while losing track of other things around them

• Almost always be extremely intelligent

• Have larger than normal personal space boundaries

• Have difficulty maintaining eye contact with others

• Be able to listen and understand information and lessons while possibly fiddling with a pencil.

• Have to be reminded of deadlines and assignments

Children with signs of ADHD can benefit from having a treatment plan developed that utilizes natural ADHD supplements instead of prescription drugs. There should also be a more structured environment that includes fewer distractions and is non-punitive. There are a number of safe, organic products that can help improve a child’s ability to focus and stay on task. These ingredients have no associated side effects and can minimize or alleviate the signs and symptoms of ADHD.

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