Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, often referred to as ADHD, is a very common condition that typically presents itself in 10 percent of kids beginning around the age of 5. This is when treatment should be considered. The role of the child’s parents in treating the condition is essential. Depending on the severity of their condition, some kids will have behavioural problems and substantial problems with learning, retention, achievement, sitting still, and staying focused on tasks.
The decision to treat a child with ADHD comes from the parent, says Neal Spears, a pediatrician with CHI St. Joseph Health. He says it’s best to treat ADHD early, as putting it off can potentially cause the child to have difficulties as they reach adolescence, such as a serious lack in academic effort. However, parents can take their child off medication if they feel there are excessive side effects.
“I just encourage people that if they’re concerned that their child has ADHD, to contact their pediatrician or family practitioner who is comfortable handling it,” says Spears.
The challenge for the parent is learning how to deal with their child’s treatable mental health condition, says Spears. Many incorrectly think their child’s behavior is just a discipline problem that can be rectified with more discipline. Parents often feel guilty they’re “drugging up” their child just to make school easier, when they’re actually just treating them for a condition with more than 40 years of data behind it, says Spears.
It’s important to understand when the medication wears off in the evening, the child will have poor impulse control, be fidgety, and hyper by nature. Allowing these children to go outside and be active helps diffuse fidgety energy. Spears advises parents to aid their child by keeping checklists, packing homework and backpacks the night before instead of in the morning, providing more one-on-one time, and creating a dedicated place free from distractions for their student to work on homework assignments.
“At home, it’s mostly about good organizational skills, so the things we advise are keeping lists for tasks rather than just telling them to do five different things ’cause they’re gonna forget; it’s just the nature of their brain,” says Spears.
Behavioural modification is an aspect of treating ADHD and is handled by the child’s school. When a child is first diagnosed with the condition, parents should meet with the school counselor or vice principal to begin a 504 plan, says Spears.
Practitioners and pediatricians generally prescribe stimulants, like methylphenidate and amphetamine salts, to take once per day in the morning, says Spears. Medication is intended to help the student sit through the school day without feeling as fidgety and with more focus. Spears says medication doesn’t cure the condition nor change the long-term trajectory of ADHD, it just helps students on a day-to-day level.
Many parents of children with this condition become frustrated in thinking their child’s behaviour is just them acting out, being belligerent, and not wanting to try, says Spears. The severity of ADHD has nothing to do with someone’s overall intelligence or learning ability, as those are two independent variables. Without intervention, children with this condition will go through elementary school developing a negative self image from their academic performance, he says. Earlier intervention helps prevent indifference toward achievement in school as the child ages and the development of a poor self image.
“There’s no good way for a parent to help correct self image; it has to be the student themselves having consistent success in an academic setting, and that certainly can happen especially once they start getting treatment that helps them to focus and pay attention where they’re not feeling like they’re daydreaming half the time,” says Spears.
Most of these kids will continue to have ADHD as they move into young adulthood, says Spears. For the parents, working with the school, recognizing successes, and seeing how their child’s behaviour changes with medication and behavioural interventions is important.
“So for the parents it’s really just recognizing that this is an extremely common condition that has very specific symptoms and that we can diagnose — not only with the blood test or a brain scan, it’s all just these standardized behavioural scales — but to not be too discouraged,” says Spears. “It’s a very treatable condition and they can go on to have very successful and productive lives as they age.”
