Parenting

By Rennu Dhillon DSc.

Proactive Parenting for ADHD Children

What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that is generally diagnosed in elementary school years. It is hypothesized to be caused by malfunctioning brain chemistry and affects an estimated 2 million children in the United States, with boys more likely than girls receiving a diagnosis.

How is ADHD diagnosed?

Kids that are diagnosed with ADHD often exhibit behavioral symptoms such as:

- Having difficulty concentrating
- Being unable to focus on a solitary task
- Daydreaming or needing instructions repeated
- Keeping an untidy appearance or messy work area
- Talking excessively and interrupting conversations
- Demanding attention
- Displaying mood swings or emotional outbursts
- Struggling with remedial reading and writing skills.

Because children are often inattentive and energetic by nature, ADHD is difficult to diagnose. If your child has been exhibiting ADHD symptoms consistently or for a prolonged period of time, consider an evaluation by your child’s physician or a child psychiatrist. Ordinarily, the physician will consider the extent and duration of all the symptoms exhibited. In addition, he or she will also be interested in knowing any outside factors that may have spurred a change in your child’s behavior (i.e. death in the family, changing schools, moving to a new neighborhood) and any specific situations in which you have observed the symptoms. When assessing your child’s case, the physician should enlist the assistance of your child’s teachers for a comparison of their behavior to the rest of the class.

South Asian Families and ADHD

One of the significant problems that South Asian parents with an ADHD child face is living in denial of their child’s diagnosis. As parents, it is not easy to accept the fact that our children are not immune to ADHD. South Asian families tend to believe that ADHD, like other conditions such as mental illness, is something that does not happen to their kids. However, living in denial or fearing what others may say or think about us is not the solution.

The South Asian culture tends to associate any kind of illness or disorder with morality. Traditional fixations on family privacy and prestige coupled with low rates of health insurance coverage lead to South Asians being less likely to seek medical assistance.

I face these challenges every day in my learning center as I educate parents on how to help their children. The response by South Asian parents tends to be defensive, in that these parents often feel insulted and interpret the condition as having an “abnormal” child.

To treat and help South Asian ADHD children, we must remember that disorders and ailments are not ethnic-based. Once we accept this fact, we can begin to treat the problem more effectively. It is important that parents first educate themselves on ADHD because ADHD children are frequently criticized and belittled by teachers who do not understand their behavior. Teachers may repeatedly tell the child to sit down or be quiet. As a result, these students are only given negative feedback which leads to a no win situation between the child, parents and the teachers. Hence, it is imperative that parents and teachers work together to help an ADHD child succeed.

Treating and Living with ADHD

Once you consult your physician on the diagnosis of your child, there are many ways to treat ADHD and to also to make a positive difference and impact on a child with ADHD. Medications and behavioral therapy are generally recommended for treatment. Ritalin, one such medication, has been successfully used to treat ADHD children for years. Additionally, new drugs such as Adderall and Concerta continue to enter the market and provide viable alternatives if your child is experiencing side effects to one medication. Behavioral treatments include arranging for academic accommodations (instructing teachers on how to help your child), teaching parents about the best way to organize the child's environment, and giving clear directions with consistent rewards for appropriate behaviors and

negative consequences for inappropriate ones. It also involves teaching social skills, sports and leisure skills. Studies at the National Institute of Health have shown that children best respond to a combination of medication and behavioral therapy. However, a child still needs to be evaluated individually to determine the best course of treatment for their personal needs.

If you are unsure of how to interact with your ADHD child, consult with a child psychologist for tips on special parenting practices. Because ADHD tends to run in families, parents often experience some problems with organization and consistency themselves and as a result need active coaching to help learn these skills.

Remember that ADHD is simply a difference, not a disability. Face it head on, with knowledge, to ensure a positive outcome for your child.

Rennu Dhillon DSc. is the founder of Genius Kids, an Interactive Multimedia Learning Center in Fremont, CA.

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