Posts Tagged ‘ADHD’

Children who have symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder
(ADHD) actually may be sleep-deprived, according to researchers at the
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology Sleep Laboratory.

Doctors should consider that possibility before prescribing Ritalin and other ADHD drugs, they suggest.

An estimated 8 percent of US children suffer from ADHD, according to
the US Centers for Disease Control, and more than half of them are
being treated with drugs.

ADHD is characterized by overalertness and nervousness, with affected children being fidgety and overstimulated.
Paradoxically, the use of stimulant medications like Ritalin seems to
be the most effective method for treating ADHD symptoms in the majority
of children.

Fighting to Stay Awake?

Dr. Giora Pillar wondered whether some children diagnosed with ADHD
might simply be sleepy. Their excessive motor activity could be a tool
to stay alert, he conjectured, which might explain the effectiveness of
stimulants that increase activity in the central nervous system.

“Sleepy children, unlike sleepy adults, may demonstrate hyperactivity
and attention-deficit behavior rather than excessive daytime
sleepiness,” Pillar explained.

“This theory is supported by parental reports that children, when
extremely tired, tend to be cranky, overactive, angry and aggressive,”
he pointed out.

Sleep Apnea

Pillar and colleagues studied 66 children with an average age of 12. Of
these, 34 already had been diagnosed with ADHD, and the rest served as
a control group. The ADHD-diagnosed children had significantly higher
levels of sleepiness during the day than those in the control group,
the researchers found.

Half of the test subjects with ADHD (vs. 22 percent of the control
group) suffered from some degree of sleep-disordered breathing, such as
sleep apnea, which is characterized by interruptions in breathing that
last 10 seconds or more, occurring at least five times per hour during
sleep.

Limb Movement Disorder

Fifteen percent (vs. none in the control group) had Periodic Limb
Movement Disorder (PLMD), which is relatively uncommon among children.

Studies have shown that treatment of these sleep disorders in children
often leads to substantial improvements in behavior and cognitive
achievements, Pillar said, as well as a significant reduction in
irritability, bad moods, anger and fear.

For example, school performance, which is low in children with sleep
apnea, has been found to improve markedly following the removal of
adenoids and tonsils to correct the disorder.

Enforce Good Sleeping Habits

The researchers urge parents of hyperactive and attention-deficit
children diagnosed with sleep disorders to have breathing
irregularities and limb movements treated, to enforce good sleeping
habits, and to avoid giving them caffeinated drinks at night.

Only if these steps do not work, they say, should parents consider medication for ADHD.

The researchers’ findings originally were published in the February 2004 issue of the journal Sleep.

Rita Jenkins
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/your-adhd-child-may-just-be-tired-3047.html

Technorati Tags: ADHD, Adhd Child, Adhd Children, Adhd Drugs, Adhd Symptoms, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Central Nervous System, Control Group, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Giora Pillar, Hyperactivity, Israel Institute, Limb Movement, Ritalin, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Disordered Breathing, Stimulant Medications, Stimulants, Technion Israel Institute Of Technology, Test Subjects

A child with ADHD can control some of his or her behavior problems with medications and therapy. Both the parents and the children with ADHD need extraordinary assistance and support to develop techniques for supervising the patterns of activities. Therapists help children with ADHD cope with their daily problems. The therapists also assist families of children with ADHD in the betterment of their relationships with each other so they can handle the unruly behaviors and encourage change. There are five common therapies that are specially designed to help people cope with ADHD.

Psychotherapy is the most common of all. It works by helping people with ADHD to love, appreciate and eventually accept themselves. Patients learn alternative ways of handling their emotions by talking about hurtful thoughts and feelings. In this way, the patient is able to suppress his or her inappropriate feelings and explore mechanisms of behavior.

Social skills training can help children learn new behaviors that are vital in developing and maintaining social relationships. Social skills training helps the child to develop better ways to play, work and relate with other children of the same age.

BT or behavioral therapy works by helping people with ADHD change their views rather than helping the child realize his or her feelings and actions.

Support groups connect parents and families with other people in the same situation. Sharing experiences with others who have similar problems helps people know that they aren’t alone and gives them a sense of belonging.

Parenting skills training gives parents techniques for supervising their child’s behavior. An example of these techniques is the reward system or gift system, wherein the child is rewarded for his or her good deeds and completed tasks.

Parents’ verbal and nonverbal communication with their children has a direct impact on the way their children talk, act and behave. The more you improve the relationship and communication between yourself and your children, the more you help the child with ADHD to mature into a strong, healthy, productive and responsible person.

Parents must change the way they speak to their children. They must be aware that no one likes to be yelled at. Listening is better than talking and is essential to good parent-child relationship. Listening makes the speaker feel respected and important. Here are few good listening habits: Try to find the positive in what is being said, try to truly appreciate the other person’s point of view , repeat in your own words what you think the child is saying, and most of all listen first before talking.

The more positive interactions the parent and their child have, the better. Parent and child should have time to play together, sing together, dance together, share concerns, and enjoy companionship with each other.

Sue Perkins
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/how-to-help-your-child-cope-with-adhd-97754.html

Technorati Tags: ADHD, behavior problems, Behavioral Therapy, Bet, Betterment, Children With Adhd, Emotions, Experiences, Good Deeds, Mechanisms Of Behavior, Medications, Parenting Skills, Parents, Psychotherapy, Relationship, Reward System, Social Relationships, Support Groups, Thoughts And Feelings, Verbal And Nonverbal Communication

child Development & Positive Parenting Skills 2

Dr. John Breeding, Ph.D. in Child Psychology give your advice, information & tips about how to raise youre a happy and successful child; how to increase open communication between you and your child, how to help children learn, how to handle and upset child, how to deal with ADHD, etc.

Visit Dr. Breeding’s Website at
http://www.wildestcolts.com

This video was produced by Psychetruth
http://www.youtube.com/psychetruth
http://www.myspace.com/psychtruth

Copyright © Wildest Colts 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Duration : 0:11:2

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You could try a behaviour chart. i just got some today off the web for my ADHD and ODD 9 year old son.

Technorati Tags: ADHD, Adhd Odd, child behavior

I need to write a 8-10 page paper for my child development class and I need some topic wide enough that I could write that much on and that there would be enough sources to contribute to that.

What are some major issues/ideas/themes of child development?

Anything you can think of will be helpful!
are there any more topics i could write about?

There are so many.
effects of TV- and how so much of culture is marketed to kids by having it on TV and by making videos for kids

effects of all the forcefully marketed "learning" toys- do toys like leapfrog really benefit children (many many studies say no, they are a hindrance)

universal preschool- forcing kids to attend school at age 4- the school district that started it first now has the countries lowest test scores in kids who were the first to attend universal preschool, why are more states adopting the concept when the results prove negative?

how the household effects the child- classic nature vs nurture debate

do kids get outside enough? there are many books, reports, and more that show getting outside more seems to prevent issues such as ADD, ADHD, and mores. There are places in Europe that do year round, even in freezing weather, outside only preschool! And the school have extraordinary results

the medicated child- drugs for ADD, ADHD, etc, and also vaccines are they necessary? what are the effects?

Do kids get enough exercise? Between tv, time in the car, and always being pushed in strollers, are kids walking enough??

Kids nutrition

There are SO many. Really you just have to decide what interests you and go from there.

Technorati Tags: Add Adhd, ADHD, Benefit Children, Child Development Class, Classic Nature, Drugs, Europe, Household Effects, Kids Nutrition, Leapfrog, Mores, Nature Vs Nurture, Nature Vs Nurture Debate, Test Scores, Themes, Tv Time, Tv Videos, Universal, Vaccines, Weather