Attention deficit disorder, or ADD, was the former diagnostic term used for the disorder now referred to as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. These terms are often used interchangeably by the media and some treatment professionals. Understanding and being able to decipher the symptoms of ADHD in young children can play an important role in their academic and social success.
Basics
According to MayoClinic.com, the symptoms of ADHD can become present in young children even as early as infancy. Despite the possible early signs of the disorder, mental health professionals may refrain from providing the child with a diagnosis later in life, but treatments and early interventions can and should begin even if the child remains undiagnosed.
Signs
In young children, signs of inattentive ADHD will include being disorganized, losing things or misplacing things often, appearing not to listen, inability to maintain attention on one task, inability to follow instructions, become easily distracted and inability to think toward the future, notes FamilyDoctor.org.
Hyperactive-impulsive forms of ADHD in young children will display through their intense amounts of energy, impulsive behaviors such as interrupting, blurting things out, not waiting her turn and inappropriately invading the personal space of others, talking excessively, loud play, restlessness, inability to remain still and quiet for any length of time, and running, climbing and jumping at inappropriate times, reports FamilyDoctor.org.
Significance
Diagnosing a young child with ADHD may be limited prior to him entering a school setting. The symptoms of ADHD must be displayed in at least two settings in order for it to be diagnosed. This is due to an effort to help rule out behavior problems related to a particular setting or environment rather than ADHD. Therefore, for young children who are not in preschool or day care settings, noticeable displays of the disorder may remain undetermined until he enters school.
Considerations
The symptoms of ADHD must be present in a child prior to the child reaching the age of 7 even if a diagnosis is not made until later on in the life of the individual. In determining if a young child has ADHD, it will be important to rule out any other disorders that may display symptoms similar to ADHD in young children such as learning disorders, conduct disorder, depression, anxiety disorders and oppositional defiant disorder.
Interventions
The earlier a treatment intervention is put into place for a young child with ADHD symptoms the better the prognosis. According to the NYU Child Study Center, to reduce the symptoms of ADHD, interventions should include various people in the child's life including family members, teachers, schools, physicians and mental health professionals.
Parents of young children with ADHD should be taught how to engage in appropriate behavior management techniques for their child and adjustments should be made in the child's classroom, notes the NYU Child Study Center. These adjustments may include changing the learning style in which information is presented, the amount of breaks given and the length of each task.
Mental health treatments will focus on cognitive-behavioral therapies, social skills training and the use of medication to reduce the child's symptoms and keep them from returning.
