ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is defined by its behavioral symptoms, which include inattention and hyperactivity. Symptoms often appear before age 7 and always appear during childhood. While some children outgrow the disorder, others continue to have problems well into adulthood. The problem behaviors must last longer than six months and disrupt a variety of activities and relationships before being diagnosed as ADHD.
Behavioral Symptoms
Children with ADHD show symptoms of inattention when they have difficulty maintaining focus on tasks such as schoolwork, chores or play. A child with ADHD may become distracted easily, find it difficult to organize or plan, frequently lose or forget things and avoid tasks that require a lot of attention. Symptoms of hyperactivity include squirming, fidgeting, excessive movement or talking, often interrupting others and having difficulty playing or working quietly. In girls, hyperactivity is less common and inattention such as daydreaming more likely as a symptom of ADHD.
Comparison to Normal
Part of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD is that the behavior disrupts the child's life across a wide range of circumstances. Normal children will naturally experience periods of hyperactivity, inattention or impulsiveness. However, if the child is capable of controlling his behavior in some circumstances but not others, such as having concentration issues at school but being fine at home or with friends, then the problem is likely not ADHD, the Mayo Clinic explains.
Reaction
The behavioral symptoms of ADHD may cause problems for the individual who has the disorder. Because it is hard for these people to control their behavior, they may do poorly in school or at work. They may also have trouble maintaining relationships. These things may lead to feelings of failure and low self esteem.
Medical Treatments
While there is no cure for ADHD, some medicines have been shown to help treat the disorder and reduce problem behaviors. Stimulant drugs are used to try and balance the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain and lessen the behavioral symptoms of ADHD. Other options for medical treatment of ADHD are the nonstimulant drug atomoxetine, antidepressants or blood pressure drugs that may work to decrease symptoms of hyperactivity and inattention.
Behavioral Interventions
Behavioral interventions aimed at decreasing the problem behaviors caused by ADHD work by taking advantage of a child's natural propensity to want to please her parents, according to AtHealth.com. Techniques used with ADHD kids include using positive reinforcement in the form of rewards and privileges for good behavior and using negative reinforcement in the form of lost privileges for bad behavior.
