Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or more commonly known as ADHD is defined as follows by most resources:

“ADHD is a Disruptive Behavioral Disorder characterized by the presence of a set of chronic and impairing behavior patterns that display abnormal levels of inattention, hyperactivity, or their combination.”

from: 1994 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Ed. IV, (DSM-IV)

I describe ADHD as a lifelong condition children are born with which creates social problems for them. It is generally those children who behave or operate differently to the ‘expected social norm’ and those children who find it increasingly difficult to ‘fit in’ with the rest of their peer group, stick to routine and a set of rules or basic conformity.

Some other explanations include:

ADHD is not a result of bad parenting or poor environments, it is a hereditary brain disorder that interferes with the way a person processes information. If you or your spouse have ADHD, your child has a good chance of having it too.   Scientists identified two of the genes that may cause ADHD.  Dr. David Fassler reported before a recent meeting of the American Medical Society, “ADHD is a very active area of research. There is a clear genetic component. We are getting closer and closer to understanding the biological basis… Neuro-imaging suggests differences in brain structure.”

Thus when doctors use MRI brainscans  to watch brain activity, they discovered that ADHD children’s brains clearly function differently than those of children without ADHD.

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by Ray Anne Cook (occupational therapist)

We all know that exercise is important. Most adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) use sport at some or other stage of their life to combat their ADHD behaviour. The best way to reduce ADHD behavioural symptoms is to get adequate physical exercise. This can mean playing with friends, doing a sport or aerobic exercises. Intense exercise increases the blood flow and also increases levels of endorphins (especially serotonin) and acetylcholine in the brain, both of which seem to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD.

HOW EXERCISE CAN HELP IMPROVE ADHD BEHAVIOUR

1. Lifts your mood. The endorphins that are released in the brain create a feeling of euphoria and can reduce the feelings of depression which most people with ADHD experience. Regular exercise will almost always uplift a child/teen that has a problem with ADHD behaviour. The exercise does not have to be gruelling, competitive or boring to be effective.

2. Improves self-esteem. The child will feel more confident when finally achieving results in sports. ADHD children are constantly in trouble for bad behaviour and often feel they are not good enough.

3. Reduces stress. Stress is reduced either by being relaxing or getting rid of pent up emotions. ADHD children are often experiencing stress as a result of their behaviour and the way it affects people around them.

4. Releases pent up energy. ADHD children need opportunities to release their energy. This is especially evident in the hyperactive or sensory seeking child. It in turn enables the child to settle down and approach work with greater ease.

5. Develops co-ordination. The exercise must provide just the right amount of challenge without being too difficult or too easy. ADHD children have plenty of energy; they need a challenge to achieve results.

6. Drains unwanted toxins. ADHD children often suffer from allergies. Exercise promotes the transfer of gases in the lungs by breathing in oxygen and exhaling pollutants. The immunity levels are heightened and white blood cells become more efficient in absorbing the pollutants. The muscles contract and squeeze out the unwanted by-products such as lactic acids and the skin’s pores open and release poisons.

7. It is a regulator. Deep pressure exercises like hugging or wrestling and heavy work like carrying books are both calming and organizing. Watching TV and playing computer games will not regulate your ADHD child the way movement and heavy work does.

8. Can be relaxing. When doing stretch exercises we tend to relax the body. However ADHD children often find relaxation exercises difficult to follow. Stretching games or sports are a good alternative to relax a child. These stretches can be incorporated in swimming, hanging upside down or reaching for things.
Working these few exercises into their daily routine will make a big difference to the ADHD child’s behaviour.

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ADHD behaviour in children has received a great deal of attention with great research and proven methods which has been tried and tested by many parents and professionals. This article will give you tips on how to deal with the ADHD behaviour of your child in an effective manner that will restore some peace and calm in your home. The real challenge is to find the methods that work for your specific ADHD child, since there is no one method that works for all.

Here are a few techniques and tips to explore.

1. Understand the world from your ADHD child’s perspective. Engaging with your child about various events and how he responds to it is a good way of finding out how the world makes sense to him. Your ADHD child wants to feel in control and loves attention. Engage with him and give him the power to inform you of what makes sense in his world this will boost his self-esteem too.

2. Explain to your ADHD child why his behaviour is a problem in certain instances (be specific) and explain what ADHD is. It is vital that you make it clear that he has control over his ADHD behaviour and the methods that you are going to implement will assist him to stay in control. The moment he understands his ADHD behaviour he will be more aware of his state of mind and actually force himself to refocus after drifting off. You can give him great tools to help him deal with various behavioural problems such as excessive energy during school hours.

3. Learn to communicate with your ADHD child from his point of view.

4. Praise him frequently for doing good things around the house and in school work. When reprimanding is essential do it in such a way that you give him the choice of an alternative behaviour rather than making him wrong. For example: “Can you find another way of asking your brother to help you? Maybe if you give him a turn the game will be more exciting and you can see who scores the most points.” ADHD children love competition and love to win.

5. Make eye contact when speaking to your ADHD child. Explain visually and keep it short. Ask him to repeat what you have instructed to make sure he understands. Never give more than one task at a time.

When you implement any one of these techniques or more stay consistent for at least two weeks before deciding it works or not. The tips above deals mainly with how you can better address the ADHD behaviour of your child. Many other small changes can make a big difference. We will discuss those in our next article.

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