‘My child doesn't have ADHD, it’s just...’

In this article, we try to make a clear distinction between the functioning of a child with attention deficit, impulsivity and hyperactivity and a child who actually produces behaviour that cannot be related to these. Adding that, at the same time, in most cases there is some kind of psychological difficulty behind the child's behavioural problems. Behavioural problems, although they may indeed occur in children with characters that are more difficult to get them to conform to the social rules, for example because they are less empathetic than their peers, most often occur when the child is 'not well'. The most common symptom of childhood depression is a behavioural problem, not depression.

What causes the child to be inattentive and hyperactive?

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a neuropsychiatric disorder that affects the ability of an individual person to manage attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Children with ADHD may have difficulties with school performance, social relationships, and emotional control. For all these reasons, the aim of the therapy of the child with ADHD is to improve the regulation of emotions, the development of communication and social skills, and the development of their learning strategies. In addition, medication that improves attention performance can also play an important role.

Children with ADHD can often achieve particularly good results and lead happy and fulfilled lives. Professional treatment can improve symptoms over time and help children learn how to manage their own symptoms and live well with ADHD. However, ADHD is not always easy to recognise, so the most important thing is careful screening, if possible, with the coordination of several specialists (child psychiatrist, child psychologist, special needs teacher). After all, at the level of the symptoms, the boundaries between behavioural problems and abnormal behaviour due to ADHD can sometimes become blurred.

Behavioural problem or ADHD?

Due to neurological involvement, children with ADHD usually:

• have difficulty concentrating, especially in activities that require prolonged attention and focus
• they are extremely active and mobile, especially when they need to sit or stay quiet
• they have difficulty waiting and are often impulsive, without thinking ahead about the consequences of their actions
• they often forget about things, such as schoolwork or personal belongings
• they may have difficulty with emotional regulation and may become angry or frustrated easily.

However, the characteristics of behavioural problems are usually different and not related to attention deficit and hyperactivity. A child with behavioural problems often does not follow the rules, treats others badly and has little or no concern for the consequences of his/her behaviour. However, as we emphasised in the introduction, if a child has great difficulty in following the rules of social interaction, it is important to understand what might be behind this.

About the symptoms of ADHD

As previously mentioned, children with ADHD may experience difficulties in concentrating, completing tasks, and regulating emotions. However, ADHD is not a lack of intelligence, and children have the opportunity to learn to live with it and manage their symptoms.

The symptoms of ADHD fall into three categories:

• attention deficit,
• hyperactivity
• and impulsivity.

The symptoms of attention deficit include inattention, forgetfulness, and disorganisation. Symptoms of hyperactivity include a constant need to move, fidgety and nervous, tense behaviour. Symptoms of impulsivity include talking a lot (or talking all the time), reckless actions and behaviour that is difficult to control.

Treatment of ADHD

Treatment of ADHD usually includes therapy, lifestyle changes and medication, always agreed with the parent, to alleviate the symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity. However, just as no two children with ADHD are exactly the same, no two treatment recommendations are exactly alike, which is why a careful, multifaceted diagnostic process is essential above all. This results in an accurate diagnosis, which facilitates to select the most appropriate treatment and therapeutic method to achieve a change in the condition. All this complex treatment strategy works well if treatment methods are selected and applied in consultation with the family of the child with ADHD.

ADHD screening children at Panoráma Polyclinic.

The expert for this article is: Dr Gergely Mészáros child and adolescent psychiatrist.