From October 20 to 26, the VII European ADHD Awareness Week is celebrated. It is estimated that 5% of the child and adolescent population suffers from this disorder, which is equivalent to one or two children per classroom. It is a disorder of neurological origin, caused by an imbalance between two brain neurotransmitters: noradrenaline and dopamine, which affect the brain areas responsible for self-control and the inhibition of inappropriate behavior.
ADHD causes hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention in children. These symptoms, which usually appear before the age of 7, are not always present together or manifested in all environments. They can change and decrease over time, but it is estimated that 80% of children will continue to present problems in adolescence and between 30-65% in adulthood.
Warning Signs
Until the age of five, children usually show early motor development: they start walking very early and parents define them as ‘restless children’.
At school age, children may have learning problems. In addition, some cases present academic underachievement. This is the stage where most ADHD cases are detected.
In adolescence, important changes occur: hyperactivity decreases and even turns into restlessness, but in more than 80% of young people, they continue to have problems with attention and impulsivity.
Multidisciplinary Treatment
Combined treatment yields the best results. This involves the inclusion of parents, teachers, doctors, and psychologists at all levels of therapy. At ISEP, we work to train professionals capable of effectively addressing these cases, adapting care to the individual characteristics of each child.
Psychological therapy involves both family and individual therapy (which reduces family stress generated by the child’s disorder), psychoeducation, and parent training to work at home with the child, in addition to school support.
Behavioral psychotherapy is the most effective: children are taught to control themselves, to monitor inappropriate activities, to understand how their behaviors bother others and reduce them, they are trained in social skills, and learn techniques to improve their self-esteem. The therapist must add to these objectives the treatment of other problems that may be associated with ADHD, such as depression or anxiety.
Parents are taught techniques to reconcile family life with the disorder and are trained in behavior control. They need to know what ADHD is, understand it, and eliminate feelings of frustration, sadness, guilt, stress… that this situation generates for them.
They must learn to set limits for their child, not allow the child to act out in public, define rules, with consequences if they are not followed and rewards if they are correctly attended to, help the child finish specific tasks, establish stable routines, eliminate distractions, motivate the child, and increase discipline.
Only with adequate and comprehensive treatment can we improve the quality of life of children with ADHD.