Raising a child can be really tough especially when your child reaches the peak of inquisitiveness and activity typical of children ages seven and below. A toddler or pre-schooler’s behavior is hard to predict, they usually act with impulse and pure wonder. To a first time parent, running around, screaming, fidgeting, inattentiveness and difficulty in accomplishing tasks or homework is but expected of a child. But when should we seek consult for a child’s behavioral problems? How do we know if our child may be suffering from ADHD?

ADHD or Attention deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a behavioral disorder common among school age children which usually persists beyond age seven. Common manifestations of this disorder include difficulty in focusing, inattentiveness and hyperactivity. This disorder tends to lean towards males in terms of occurrence. About 7 to 10% of school age kids have this type of disorder, both diagnosed and undiagnosed.

There are usually three subtypes of this disorder. A child may suffer from ADHD and manifest the first type which is the inattentive type. Inattentiveness is commonly observed when you try to give simple directions or instructions of which a normal child will have no difficulty following but an ADHD child would. Halfway through the giving of instructions, the child may scamper away and decide to do something else without consideration to the task at hand. The effects of the child’s inattentiveness may be prominent in schoolwork.

The second subtype is the hyperactive type. Gauging normal from abnormal hyperactivity may prove to be a difficult task. All children run, climb and jump around. At certain times display difficulty in remaining still. How then do we know if the child’s hyperactivity is indicative of this disorder? Frequency is the key term for this dilemma. If your child is seemingly on the go “all the time” then you might consider ADHD.

The last subtype is a combination of both the inattentive and hyperactive subtypes.

Considering ADHD may be both difficult and disheartening but aiding in your child’s diagnosis rather than denying them the proper treatment will not make their life any much better. ADHD does not only demand more patience and understanding from the parent/s but also negatively affect certain important aspects of the child’s life like interpersonal relationships, school and over all health.

Some important symptoms to consider in the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are age (occurrence usually start from age 4 which persists beyond age 7 sometimes even until adulthood), comparison of behavior among children falling in the same age bracket, and the duration and persistence of the untoward behavior (usually 6 months or more).

We have to accept that ADHD has no cure but it can be managed through behavioral modification therapies and medications. Addressing the problem of the child with ADHD will require collaborative effort from both parents and members of the health team. Since the primary treatment modalities used in this disorder involves both medical and behavioral modification therapies, parents and /or the caregivers play a big role in the success of the treatments