Frequently Asked Questions About ADHD behavior And Therapy

Q: Is age 3 too early to diagnose ADHD?
A: Yes, this diagnosis might be too premature. The reason why it might be too early is the following: several characteristics used by the doctors, parents and teachers when diagnosing the illness need to rely on the results of the child’s performance in SCHOOL (such as lack of ability to remain still or concentrate). While these characteristics can be seen as alarming in a schoolchild, a healthy three-year old always has it, and it’s perfectly normal. Some children at that age can be more  active than their peers, but it’s too early to tell if this means a symptom of any disease. There is still a lot of time to go before you will be able to detect the signs that should worry you.
Some children at this age demonstrate patterns of aggression towards their peers (inability to share toys, attention, unwillingness to communicate), which might be interpreted as a sign of ADHD. However, just as well they might grow out of it in a year or so, developing normal language skills and improving social behavior. Some signs of ADHD behavior demonstrated at such early age can be attributed to a variety of factors (birth of a sibling, language disorder, emotional problems, poor social and emotional environment. It’s important to get as much professional help as possible before thinking about any kind of treatment.

Q: My child does great in academic subjects when home, but in school it’s different. He always helps others with their home tasks, while his homework is never finished. He often gets into unpleasant situations, and his teacher recently said he might have ADHD disorder and should be given some medication to treat it. When I ask my child, he simply says he doesn’t like school. Based on my observations, there are some symptoms of ADHD, but these only show when he comes to school. The question is, if ADHD is the problem, wouldn't he have the same symptoms when at home?

A: Firstly, the school or the teacher have no right telling you what to do. ADHD is a condition that is too often misdiagnosed, and the drugs are prescribed based on such a diagnosis. ADHD in children should be the matter of thorough examination, and can’t be based on one’s observations in just one circumstance, like in this case, on his behavior in the classroom.
Your child can be simply bored by the studying process, or experience learning problems. It’s too common for people working in education to put all the blame on kids, instead of elaborating ways of stimulating their curiosity and interest in the subject. It’s not the best idea to take any guesses here. Considering the opinion provided by his teacher, he needs core evaluation that will help understand specific problems he has in academic subjects. Your child has the right for such an assessment, so make sure you talk to your son’s school authorities about this possibility. Another way would be hiring a private tutor who can provide baseline evaluation after several sessions of one-on-one communication with your kid. This will help you figure out any current problems the child is facing and be able to make an informed decision about what your next steps are going to be.
A child doctor can provide you with valuable information after having several sessions with your child. It’s important that your son feels secure and comfortable sharing, and understands his views and opinions will be respected and taken into consideration. Do not put your child on medication as soon as you are told something is wrong.

Q: Does avoiding some foods and sticking to a diet helps treat ADHD in children?
A: Many professional therapists engaged into studies in that area say their studies provide no particular evidence that special diets have a beneficial impact on children suffering from ADHD. At the same time, clearly eating habits can affect the child’s condition. It’s a commonly known fact that eating a healthy, balanced diet helps to develop normal brain cells and provides the body with the chemicals needed to help the cells work effectively, so it's crucial for all kids to eat well. The research has shown that the intake of sugar mildly affects the behavior of certain kids with ADHD, while reducing the intake can contribute to a slight improvement of the condition, besides simply being a healthier choice.
Even though the research has established no clear connection between eating habits and ADHD behavior in children, it never hurts to double check. If you have a child who demonstrates signs that may be connected with ADHD disorder, consider conducting a small experiment to make sure everything is all right. Try cutting down on any kind of sugars consumed, as well as products containing milk and wheat, during a couple of weeks. This should be done along with careful observation of your child’s behavior. After two weeks try introducing these products back into the diet, and pay even more attention to the slightest changes that happen. This takes a lot of effort and time, but the game is definitely worth the candle.

Q: Will alcoholic beverages interfere with medication for adult ADD?
A: While moderate alcohol consumption is clearly the best choice for your health, it’s a must if you have ADHD. Consuming too much alcohol can have negative influence on your health.
Medication for ADHD is based on stimulatory effects and can enhance the influence alcohol has on your body; the same is true for marijuana or cocaine. The dosage of alcohol that would normally slightly affect judgement and orientation of people who aren't taking the drug can cause alcoholic intoxication in people with this illness. Antidepressants are known to cause a similar condition.
Want to hear some advice? It’s time to say a firm NO to excessive drinking. Don’t be in a hurry to gulp down your drink, choose beverages that do not contain alcohol. If it’s absolutely necessary to drink due to a specific occasion, it’s best to skip your ADHD medicine for the night. However, it’s always recommended to talk to your doctor before you decide to skip a dose, as some medication for ADHD stays in your system for a long time; therefore, it can still affect your health and well-being if you drink.
Several side effects of such skipping are also possible. You can become hyperactive, impulsive, inattentive, lose control over your behavior, especially in unusual and risky situations. It’s a good idea to have a good friend who will be able to take care of you in case something goes wrong.
People with ADHD that hasn’t been treated have another kind of problem: drinking too much alcohol helps them feel better about their lives. The daily routine, work-related stress and worries, low self-esteem and other changes in your emotional balance can all be attributed to ADHD. It’s the main reason why untreated adults and teens run a serious risk of alcohol addiction.
Scientific studies show that the probability an ADHD person that receives treatment will become alcohol dependent is the same as for a usual average person. If the illness is not diagnosed and cured properly, the risk increases dramatically.
The point is, even if you take ADHD medicine, it doesn’t mean you have to give up anything that contains alcohol. However, if you found yourself among those suffering from ADHD but not receiving any treatment, you should consider conducting full assessment and addressing your condition immediately.

Q: What can I do to deal with my ADHD in summer? I’ve recently discovered I have this disease – right before the graduation. I currently have no classes, and I am going to spend these months working on a farm. My social life is something that concerns me most – it’s a very small town, and nothing is going on here, I have no access to people of the same age as myself; besides, I haven’t made any friends I could communicate with. Is there anything I can do now to improve the situation in the future?
A: There are many ways you can improve your communication skills over these couple of months, even if there are not too many people around. It’s the situation when Internet comes to the rescue: you can join an online community or simply play games online that involve several players. Even though it might seem strange, this really works and you can elaborate your own communication strategies while playing or chatting. These are some strategies you might want to consider:

Play Three Questions Game
Being able to listen and sympathize is vital to succeed. Next time you happen to join a group of people talking about something, make sure you ask the speaker three question on the story they told, before you decide to change the topic.
To give an example, if the conversation was about a trip to Venice, your questions can be “What was the best moment of your trip?”,  “How did you like the architecture?”, “Would you like to come back one day?”. These simple questions will keep the conversation going and let people know you are a good listener.
Pick Relevant Topics
To be socially successful you must know what to talk about. Some people with ADD often choose topics that can be seen as not related to the discussion.  It won’t hurt to get an update on the current affairs, to be able to start small talk that could evolve into something bigger. Any news piece has the gist in just the first couple of lines, so make sure you get something from there. Another source you can use is radio –you can learn some facts on the go.
Search for Whatizits
What are Whatizits? These are the items somebody is carrying or wearing, that arouse your curiosity and make you approach the stranger and ask what it is.  Anything can be a Whatizit – a detail of ones’ outfit, jewelry, an unusual object, even a name tag. Remember, that the attention you pay to these things might turn out to be the most pleasant thing the person heard over the whole evening. Make sure you also carry or wear something that can be a Whatizit.

Play the Copy Cat Game
According to a very smart book by Nicholas Boothman, you can create a friendly bond by simply copying the gestures and other elements of body language you see in another person during your conversation. It’s natural for people to like those similar to them, so be on the lookout for any particular gestures you can mirror, especially when you feel your conversation is not going too well. Just make sure you are subtle enough, otherwise it might all start to look like mockery.

Count All Your Strengths
Get geared up for a wonderful evening. Listing your three positive qualities will help you become more enthusiastic about your performance during the event. Clearly, you would find it a lot easier just to write down everything you think they might not like about you, but don’t give in, just take some time to look inside your soul.

The reason why you should do it: if even you can’t find anything good about yourself, don’t count on other people being able or willing to do that. Remember how much you enjoy helping others, how kind and sympathetic you are, and how many people said you tell jokes better than anyone else.

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