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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Understanding Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Need more information?
ADHD is a serious problem that should not go untreated.
If you would like to consult an occupational therapist about
your child’s condition, practitioners are available through most
hospitals, community clinics, and medical centers.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy
assistants are trained in helping both adults and children
with a broad range of physical, developmental, and
psychological conditions. Practitioners also help clients
and their caregivers with strategies that can prevent injury
and secondary complications, and support health and wellbeing.
Contact your local health organizations for more
information.
About 3% of all school-aged children are estimated to have attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), a disorder in which children are unable to pay attention, control their
activity, and restrain impulsive behavior. These problems may interfere with a child’s
ability to hear or read instructions, complete school assignments, participate in games,
and perform tasks at home. A diagnosis of ADHD is determined by a health professional
based on observation of the child’s behavior by parents, educators, and health professionals.
Children with ADHD may have difficulty learning and participating successfully at school.
With the help of occupational therapy, a child can learn to master day-to-day skills and
be engaged at school and at home. In the school system, occupational therapy is a related
service under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and is designed to
help a student with a disability benefit from special education. A child must be eligible for
special education under IDEA before being considered for occupational therapy in the
schools.
What can an occupational therapist do?
- Evaluate a child at home and at school to determine
how ADHD is affecting the child’s ability to perform
assignments and participate at home.
- Recommend a program that addresses the physical,
behavioral, and emotional effects of ADHD and
identifies goals to help the child succeed.
- Use the intervention of sensory integration to modify
the environment to decrease noise and distractions
caused by visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation.
What can parents of children with ADHD do?
- Learn about ADHD and how it affects a child’s
ability to manage daily life.
- Seek professional help in providing the resources a
child needs to learn to manage his or her own behavior.
- Join a support group for families with children with
ADHD.
- Use charts and checklists as a guide for children
to complete daily tasks.
- Break school assignments and home chores into
a two-step process: listening to and understanding
instructions, and accomplishing the task.
- Offer minimal, low-key feedback for success and
failure to reduce anxiety, frustration, and perfectionism.
- Be consistent. Establish rules for the child and
maintain them throughout his or her schooling.
- Provide the child with activities outside the school
environment. Consider noncompetitive physical
activity, such as martial arts, swimming, and
horseback riding.
- Focus on the child’s strengths and abilities.
Do not over praise or over criticiz
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