![]() Plenty of exercise, sleep and a healthy diet are good for all children, but a lack of any of these doesn’t itself cause ADHD. “There’s still so much stigma and misinformation.” Hollis thinks behavioural therapy and information for parents can help them manage better, and that teachers and employers need to be better informed about the condition. Kids with ADHD will still often fall behind at school for difficulties that are not their fault. Rates of medication use in the US are five to 10 times higher, and treatment there is sometimes started in children under five years old – which is very rare in the UK. Hollis says the increase is due to better recognition, though the growth in the use of medication has plateaued in the past eight years, with about seven in 1,000 children in the UK receiving it. Rates of diagnosis and treatment have increased hugely from the 1970s when ADHD was considered rare. About one in 50 children has moderate to severe ADHD. The main problem is the way the brain manages information, and ADHD is as real as autism, dyslexia and other developmental brain disorders. Kids with ADHD may develop behavioural difficulties as a result of their condition, but he adds that “ADHD is not about bad behaviour”. Hollis says that recognition of ADHD has been held back by misunderstanding. “It can also give objective evidence to support the diagnosis of ADHD which helps to reduce stigma and may make treatment better accepted.” Tools such as QbTest can be helpful in ruling out ADHD so we can look for other issues,” he says. Families face long delays in assessment and then treatment if the diagnosis is confirmed. “We were surprised to find that 40% of children referred for assessment still don’t have a diagnosis after six months. It generates data, which is then compared with age- and gender-adjusted norms and presented in a report.Ĭhild psychiatrist Professor Chris Hollis of Nottingham University is running a randomised controlled trial to find out whether using the test can speed up the process of reaching an accurate diagnosis in kids who have been referred for an ADHD assessment. The test also records head movements using a webcam – more head movements than normal may indicate hyperactivity. Selective attention is where you can ignore competing stimuli, and poor scores can mean you are easily distractible. Sustaining attention on a task means you can maintain focus poor focus corresponds to impulsivity. In the test, you respond to things happening on a screen by clicking on the mouse. It was developed by a Swedish company, and has just been granted approval by the US Food and Drug Adminstration. QbCheck is one of a number of neuropsychological tests known as continuous performance tests (CPTs). “The central issue is impaired regulation rather than a simple ‘deficit’ as the name suggests it’s like the brakes in their brain don’t work smoothly.” “People with ADHD can be typically inattentive and unfocused but sometimes can be hyperfocused on a task,” he says. This explains why some people with ADHD may seemingly function well, pass exams and get into university. ![]() A key feature of ADHD is marked variability and inconsistency in performance. Psychiatrist and adult ADHD expert Dr James Kustow explains that ADHD has three core aspects: hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention or distractibility.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |