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ASK DR. SHARON
Pay Attention To
My child is six-years-old and has ADHD. What do I need to consider before I decide to place him on
medication? – Susanna, Sarasota
Some three to ve percent of the
population has a diagnosis of
Attention Decit Disorder - with or
without hyperactivity. According to the
National Institute of Mental Health, it is
likely that most classrooms of 25 children
or more will contain one or two children
with this disorder.
Everyone can be restless, not focused,
or fidgety from time to time. But the
ADD/ADHD child has these behaviors
as the rule, rather than the exception to
the rule. This type of child can tune out
from other people, struggle to absorb
information, have careless mistakes,
a poor sense of time, poor impulse
control, misplace things, and a hard time
delaying gratication.
The behavior is caused by poor selfregulation,
and is neurological in nature.
A study by the National Academy of
Sciences shows, through brain mapping,
that there are delays in brain maturation,
and slower development in connective
networks in ADHD brains. I will speak of
the delay further in the article.
It is important to have a diagnosis by a
pediatric psychiatrist, or psychologist,
who specializes in this disorder. Before
considering medication, I like to educate
parents and their children on a behavior
management system. If the behavior
training helps bring down the symptoms,
the child may not have to be medicated.
The side effects of medication are serious.
When a child is medicated, they complain
of sleep issues, weight loss, delay in
growth, moodiness, and tics. Consider
talking to a therapist who is certied in
behavior management. Rewarding good
behavior - and ignoring some of the bad
behavior - can change the home from
chaos to order.
I always insist parents stop yelling, and
limit spanking, as parents are not going
to change behavior by either of these
consequences. By the time the child
comes to therapy, everyone is stressed
and chaotic.
Keep a daily routine with your child. It is
important for all children to eat and go
to bed at the same time, but even more
so with a child with regulatory issues.
Yes, with sports and activities, it is hard
to unwind by 8pm, but it is important
to put up the electronics and have
soothing activities to help the ADD child
to decompress.
Initiate a bedtime ritual of destressing at
least an hour before bedtime. The ADD/
ADHD brain gets over stimulated during
the day, and these children nd it harder
to unwind. Have order in your home. Yes,
you will have to go in their room and help
your child at regular intervals.
It is very hard on the disordered brain
to have chaos, and the child will get
overwhelmed easily. Help your child to
have a system to get things back in their
closets, and containers, nightly. If they
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