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| Sunday, 20 July 2003 |
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Poor study skills AHDA the cause' by Umangi de Mel Does your child look totally withdrawn? Is he completely inattentive and distracted as if he's suffering from probably a disorder ?? Does he act as if he's not there when you're talking to him ? Does your child's behaviour give you the creeps ? Just read on.. "Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD) is a problem usually diagnosed in childhood which can persist into adulthood," says Ranil Abeysinghe, Consultant Psychiatrist, University of Peradeniya. Commonly seen in males, the behaviour disorder is characterised by hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention. "These children are less likely to do well in class, poor attention which leads to committing careless mistakes in school work as well as outside the class room, hinder their progress," he says. Statistics reveal that ADHD is one of the most researched areas in child and adolescent mental health. The brain based biological disorder is apparently genetic and low levels of `dopamine', a brain chemical is found in children with the disorder. It's said that brain metabolism in children with ADHD is lower in the parts of the brain that regulate attention, movement and estimation. According to our shrink, children with the disorder are easily distracted, have poor study skills for age, difficulty in attending to details, difficulty in listening to others and are very forgetful. "They have a very short attention span for their age. Attention span is something that grows with age enabling the child to sustain attention. A child might grow physically but his attention span might not develop," he reveals. Dr. Abeysinghe says that these kids can be very impatient as they might often interrupt others, find it difficult to wait till his turn comes in class and play. "They are very impulsive that they just butt in the conversation or do things without giving it much thought," he says. Children with the disorder are more likely to make a mess of things all the time. They squirm in their seats, talk excessively, lose things continuously, find it hard to sit in one place and stay on task. "They carelessly forget their work and shifts from one task to another, completing none. It's as if they are driven by a motor," he points out. He shows that these kids can be very temperamental. "Teachers are the first people who notice the `difference' in these kids. Their poor study skills or the peculiar behaviour can be a dead give away," Dr.Abeysinghe says. He says that the most effective treatment include psychostimulant medication like `Ritalin' (methylphenidate). Stimulants have the ability to balance chemicals in the brain that impede the child's ability to control impulses and maintain attention and take effect in the body quickly, working in the system for a few hours and leaving the body ultimately. "Kids grow out of the disorder but if they don't their school work will be affected and these kids might eventually develop into aggressive youth," our shrink says. In order to reduce the amount of kids who fall pray to the disorder, he says that parents should give the children a well structured home environment. Loud radio music, TV, bad food habits, disorganized household and late nights can perplex the kids. "The house must be pretty organised. Parents must learn to manipulate the child's behaviour in a manner that won't upset him. Knowing how to control their tantrums without corporal punishment will be very helpful," he says adding the fact that kids with the disorder deserve special attention. "It's a fact that the teachers prefer quiet students but they are not the ones who need their help," he continues, "children with ADHD can use all the help they can get from the adults to overcome their problem," Dr. Abeysinghe points out. |
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