Common ADHD Symptoms
What are the most common ADHD symptoms and how can you treat them? In this article, you’ll learn what the symptoms are and what you can do to help your child feel better and do better at home and in school.
Most Common ADHD Symptoms:
Inability to pay attention – although many kids have difficulty paying attention, here are some important behaviors to look for:
- Makes careless mistakes, trouble attending to details
- Difficulty staying on ask
- Often doesn’t listen
- Problems following instructions
- Has trouble organizing activies
- Cannot do tasks that need extended focus
- Loses items needed to complete a task
- Easily distracted and forgetful
Hyperactive – while most kids are hyperactive from time to time, you will see often see the common ADHD symptoms listed below:
- Fidgety when staying still is important
- Inability to stay in seat for periods of time
- Climbs, jumps or runs when inappropriate
- Difficulties playing quietly
Seems to be “always on the go”:
- Talks too much
- Impulsiveness – kids tend to be impulsive, but kids with ADHD symptoms are even more so.
- Speaks out in class without raising hand
- Difficulty taking turns
- Interrupts a lot, tends to violate personal boundaries
While you need a diagnosis by a trained professional to determine for certain if your child has ADHD, let’s take a look at the treatment options. Basically, you have your choice between prescription medicines, natural remedies and behavioral therapy.
There are two classes of prescription drugs used to treat the most common ADHD symptoms. There are stimulants, like Ritalin, and non-stimulating drugs. Different drugs work for different kids, but for a lot of kids, drugs do not work at all. In fact, instead of improving symptoms, they make them worse due to the side effects. The side effects vary with the drug, but common ones include restlessness, agitation, mood swings, stomach problems, inability to sleep and loss of appetite. Obviously, adding side effects to the mix can make matters much worse for a child who is already suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But like I said, these drugs do work for some kids because they can better tolerate the side effects of the drug.
The next type of treatment is natural remedies. Although they are not as popular as prescription drugs because they are not usually promoted by traditional doctors, most parents find that they are very effective. Instead of just suppressing symptoms, like prescription medications, they work by giving the brain much-needed nutrients. The best formulations contain important herbs including Tuberculinum, Verta Alb and Hyocyamus which are very effective at reducing common ADHD symptoms. Better yet, they do so with side effects or any worries about interactions or addiction. Just make sure that the supplement you choose has been FDA-approved and contains the ingredients listed above.
The third type of treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy. In this treatment, a trained therapist teaches your child how to focus, stay on track and attend to the task at hand, even with distractions. The therapist will also teach your child how to curb inappropriate impulses and behavior. Since we could all stand to learn these skills, this is an important treatment. There are even at-home ADHD behavior programs that teach you how to teach your child these crucial life skills. Behavioral therapy works better when combined with some treatment, whether natural or pharmaceutical, that calms the brain, so it is easier for the child to learn new skills.
So there you have it: the most common ADHD symptoms and three ways to treat them. If you think your child needs help, act now before he or she gets further behind in school. Doing so, will help your child do better and feel good about himself.