More research theories are there about ADHD, and a few of them are actually based in fact. I recently went through some information from the National Institutes of Mental Health that I found really interesting.

ADHD Facts:

First off, brain imaging using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) actually shows differences between the brains of kids with ADHD and kids without ADHD.

There also does seem to be a sugar link in ADHD, but not what many people suspect. In adults with ADHD, the areas of the brain that control attention use less glucose and appear less active than the brains of people without ADHD.

Research also shows a genetic link in ADHD, though it’s still not clear exactly what causes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

What is clear is that children who have ADHD usually have at least one close relative with ADHD. At least one-third of fathers with ADHD have an ADHD child.

What’s even more convincing is that it seems to run in twin pairs–if one identical twin has ADHD, the other usually does, too. In fact, I know a pair of identical twins with ADHD. Their mother has her hands full, I can tell you!

The final interesting point I found in the ADHD research from NIMH was that studies of young children (ages 7 to 9) show that ADHD medication is more effective than behavioral therapies alone in controlling the “core symptoms” of ADHD– inattention, hyperactivity/impulsiveness, and agression. When it came to ADHD-related anxiety, school performance and social skills, the combination of ADHD medications and behavioral therapy was more effective than either alone.

It is very important that to note that behavioral therapy for ADHD was effective, just that it was more successful when combined with medication, based on these studies. You can read the ADHD research summary by referring to on the National Institutes of Mental Health on the internet.

Most of the people think that ADHD with Hyperactivity/Impulsivity is the term related to deficit disorder. The person with hyperactivity is restless, hyper, impulsive, disorganized, and very distractible and has numerous issues. These are the children that are bouncing off the walls from an early age, and the children that will have trouble with school and play from the start. The good part of this is they will most likely be diagnosed fairly early on because of the visibility of their symptoms. If it is your c hild that is diagnosed with ADHD, you will want to learn all you can in order to help them best cope with life in general.

Other features of ADHD that come directly from hyperactivity are excessive talking, in constant motion and has much trouble listening. They also need constant stimulation so that they can stay excited themselves. These individuals also tend to interrupt people, not knowing how to wait their turn. This behavior in particular can be very frustrating to others. When it is your child that does these things and you have had him/her evaluated and diagnosed with ADHD, then you need to get all the information available in order to best work with your child.

Besides hyperactivity, many of the symptoms of inattention are also present. Individuals with ADHD make careless mistakes, tend to lose things and are forgetful about routine and everyday things. Try to focus the person’s attention on one task at a time and follow through with them until that task is completed successfully.

ADHD with hyperactivity usually responds very well to stimulants.

Sufferers’ brains instantly calm down with enough dopamine. They do not feel the need to have excess activity surrounding them. If you suspect that someone in your life has ADHD, refer them to a mental health professional as soon as you can. The longer a sufferer goes without help or guidance, the more damage it will do to that person’s self-esteem and life direction. People with these disabilities need your help and guidance and do not need to be yelled at for something they have done or not done that is not their fault.

Individuals with this type of attention deficit disorder tend to be very impulsive, which in later years can turn to rebellious behavior. These are the teenagers that will look for trouble, will often start taking drugs early and will seek out any kind of stimulation they can. Diagnosis early is essential, but that does not always mean these individuals won’t still seek out trouble. The disregulation of activation levels will always be something the sufferer wants to fix, and unfortunately this can very easily lead to drug abuse and addiction.

Exercise is something that is helpful to all ADDers, but it is essential for individuals with ADHD. Exercise stimulates the whole brain, and it can turn down the volume on all the noise that people with ADHD have. Sufferers with ADHD should be exercising almost every day, the more the better.

Other interventions that will be helpful for people with ADHD are dietary interventions and counseling if necessary. Individuals with ADHD will do best on a mostly protein diet, supplementing with carbohydrates. Protein activates the part of the brain in ADDers that is chronically under activated. Regarding counseling, this depends on the person. If at the early stage the disorder was diagnosed, no problems will appear in future. But for most of the people, ADD may cause at least some emotional disorder at some extent. Counseling therapy will definitely give successful life.

ADHD may not be noticed by parents or another family members, or it may go unnoticed until the child runs into problems at school. Because school is very structured and task-oriented, ADHD is more apparent than anywhere else. Due to these circumstances, it is often a teacher who first notices ADHD in a child. Teachers come into contact every day with all types of children, and over time they become aware of children who have learning difficulties in comparison to the average child. Often, a teacher will mention this to the parents and suggest getting the child evaluated for ADHD. One thing that teachers do not notice, though, are children who are passive and blend into the woodwork. Children with inattentive ADD are often quiet and spacey, and these qualities do not stand out in the classroom. These qualities are also not paired with the picture of the hyperactive child that comes to mind when you think of ADHD.

Childhood ADHD

Once it has been suggested that a child may have ADHD, the next step is to rule out that the symptoms are not being caused by anything physical. Physical disorders such as thyroid problems can mimic ADHD symptoms. A general practitioner can physically evaluate your child to rule this out. After this, it will be necessary to find a specialist who is qualified to test the child. There are many types of specialists that can diagnose ADHD, and it is up to the parents in finding one that works. Doctors that test for ADHD are child psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists and other types of licensed mental health professionals. If you have trouble finding someone who does the testing, CHADD can be a great resource for this. A quick google search will put you in touch with this organization.

After you find a specialist, you will need to bring the child being evaluated as well as a family member who has known them since they were young. A thorough history will need to be taken to accurately document when the problems associated with ADHD began. After this has taken place, several diagnostic tests will be given to test the presence of ADHD.

There is no one age that ADHD is diagnosed, but it is very common that once a child enters school that the symptoms will be more apparent in a structured environment. But there are many individuals who are not diagnosed until adulthood, and this is becoming more and more prevalent as the rate of adults diagnosed with ADHD skyrockets.

Concentrate to the recommendations of the educators. They have been around the children for a moment and can tell you if they notice any signs and suspect that your child requires to be tested.

The major symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity and inattention. In normal kids, these signs and symptoms can appear in low levels. But in children with ADD, these problems will be severe and occur over and over again for a long duration of time. But because many of these symptoms can be found in normal children, it is very important to make sure you get a thorough examination by a qualified mental health professional.

Symptoms of ADHD

Again, all of these primary symptoms will be severe and of long duration. For people with ADHD with hyperactivity, symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity will appear before any symptoms of inattention. The symptoms of a child with hyperactive ADHD will be much more visible than the child with inattentive ADD. The child with inattentive ADD may be viewed as a space cadet, but this may not become prevalent until later years. A child who is impulsive may be viewed as a behavior problem, while a child who is quiet and spacey will be viewed as lazy and unmotivated. But, these are both ADD even though they look very different. Because there are so many variations in ADD and what it looks like, it can difficult to diagnosis. And the longer you go without being diagnosed, the more complex ADD starts to look.

Signs of hyperactivity/impulsivity are restlessness, distractibility, interrupting and saying things without thinking and being excessively physical. As a child gets older, the impulsivity side of their ADD will take a more damaging toll if not dealt with. Impulsive ADDers tend to get into drugs, break the law and do other destructive things at an earlier age.

Signs of inattention are getting easily distracted, making careless mistakes, becoming easily disorganized, the inability to follow directions correctly and poor follow-through. Also, inattentive ADDers become bored easily which leads to task switching. People with inattentive ADD tend to go the longest without getting diagnosed. This occurs because the symptoms are less visible and less distracting to their surrounding environment. But it does not mean that the disorder is any less disabling for the individual. People with inattentive ADD have a higher rate of anxiety and depression because they tend to internalize their symptoms more.

If an individual has combined type ADHD, they will have almost all of the symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. These are the most severe cases of ADD and can be difficult to treat. Combined type ADDers have a lot of trouble getting organized, but most of the times their impulsivity avoids this. People with combined type ADHD will have the more chance of not doing well in school and being a behavior issue for teachers and parents.