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ADHD
https://create.kahoot.it/share/adhd/556c318a-3980-444d-b2a7-c9e711e70153
Definition
ADHD is a disorder not a syndrome
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In simple terms a person with ADHD has differences in brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control.
A person with ADHD can experience many signs or symptoms. Not every person with ADHD experience the exact same signs and symptoms, and it is not always easy to tell if someone has ADHD.
Signs and Symptoms
Signs and Symptoms
- Excessive daydreaming
- Take unnecessary risks, or make careless mistakes
- Have trouble taking turns
- Have trouble focusing their attention
Signs and Symptoms
- Have trouble finishing tasks they've started
- Impulse control: Have a hard time resisting temptation
- Forget or lose things a lot
- Fidgety
- Easily bored
Diagnosing
Diagnosis
Doctors will first do a thorough checkup to make sure there is nothing else causing these symptoms. This includes things such as vision and hearing tests. After making sure nothing else is wrong, they will give the patient, the patients family and their teacher a checklist to examine their behaviour. If it is clear that the patient shows obvious signs of hyperactivity and impulsivity, that these behaviours have been going on since childhood, and that they affect the patient at school and at home, the doctor will diagnose the patient with ADHD.
Coping
Strategies
Create a Schedule
Schedules
Plot out your day. Make sure to add time into your day for unwinding.
Also, make sure to plot out deadlines and make specific time schedules for urgent things and things that can wait, so if something does end up happening, you are not stressed about it
Accept yourself
Acceptance
Getting the diagnosis may actually help you and what you are going through as you will actually understand why you do some things.
ADHD is not a made up diagnosis and it will affect how you do things.
Break down tasks
Steps
Breaking down tasks into separate parts will help people with ADHD stay on task and stay focused as people with ADHD can get easily overwhelmed by large tasks and projects
Ex. Instead of looking at a task like cleaning your room, break it into sections of the room and go part by part
Make sure to find time for exercise every day. Exercising increases attention and focus while also reducing the risk of depression.
An added bonus is that you will also have less excess energy
Plotting out when you exercise is very important instead of just doing it when you feel like it
Exercise
Who is vulnerable to adhd?
1. Science suggests that there is a genetic part to ADHD which causes it to run in families, so if you have a parent or sibling with ADHD you are at increased risk of having it
Vulnerability
2. There is also maternal problems that can increase the risk. These are: Smoking while pregnant, Preterm labor, Mothers mental health conditions, High blood pressure.
A few other less commons factors are: Childhood lead exposure, Head injury at a young age, Being exposed to certain pesticides, Spending excessive amounts of times on screens when younger
How Can You Help?
How can you help?
Helping someone with ADHD can look different depending on the relationship you have with the individual. For example, parents and friends can help in different ways.
However you are related to the individual, you can always show your support by listening if they'd like to talk, and there is never any harm in asking if you can help the individual in any way.
To support an individual with ADHD, parents can be sure to follow all of the treatment plan made by the doctor. Attend all of the recommended therapy visits. They can also try to learn as much as they can about the disorder, to be able to better understand what their child is going through. Another way to help their child is to try to find the best ways to parent their child. Finding out which approaches are good or bad for the individual can encourage them to be productive.
Parents
References
Belsky, Gail. “ADHD and Messiness.” Understood, Understood, 8 Mar. 2022, https://www.understood.org/articles/en/adhd-and-messiness-what-you-need-to-know.
“Risk Factors for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” Winchester Hospital, https://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=19017#:~:text=People%20with%20a%20parent%20or,Smoking%20during%20pregnancy.
Bailey, Eileen. “10 Coping Mechanisms for Thriving with Adult ADHD.” HealthCentral, HealthCentral, 19 Aug. 2018, https://www.healthcentral.com/article/10-coping-mechanisms-for-thriving-with-adult-adhd.
Editors, ADDitude. “ADHD Coping Strategies You Haven't Tried Yet.” ADDitude, ADDitude, 14 Mar. 2022, https://www.additudemag.com/dealing-with-adhd-80-coping-strategies/.
References
ADHD + Messiness
Messiness
People with ADHD can have messy rooms, but it doesnt always mean that they are lazy.
ADHD causes trouble with groups of skills needed to tackle cleanup tasks and stay organized, these skill sets are known as executive function
Executive function includes: planning, focus, memory, and self-control.
People with ADHD can help themselves stay clean by knowing that ADHD is what is causing it. There is also a plethora of apps and low-cost tools that can help them stay organized.