Treating ADHD In A Young Child - What Every Parent Needs To Know
Treating ADHD In A Young Child - What Every Parent Needs To Know
When children of only three years of age start to have problems at pre school and may even be asked to leave, then parents are obviously worried that this could be ADHD. In this particular case, the three year old boy was violent, aggressive and impulsive. The same behaviours were noted at home and the whole household revolved around him. Diagnosing and even treating ADHD in a young child is a challenge of enormous proportions.
Normally doctors and paediatricians say that the age of three is too young to consider doing a proper diagnosis because some of the criteria in the DSM refer specifically to behaviors of elementary school children. Some of them are not typical of three years old for example. A child that young will have to be taken to a paediatrician in any case for advice. There are other factors at play here and it may well not be ADHD but an expert opinion is definitely needed. Some of the symptoms I have mentioned could well be associated with other conditions which overlap with ADHD, such as anxiety or a language processing disorder.
Fortunately the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) did a study called PATS (Preschool Age Treatment Study) which has shed some interesting light on this particular problem and especially on treating ADHD in a young child. There were about 300 children in the study aged between three and five years old who had severe ADHD.
First, they did parent training for a period of ten weeks. The result was that about 33% of the children had benefited so much from this that they did not need the medication stage. How had they benefited? Parents established what the good and bad behaviours were and implemented a series of rewards and incentives for good behavior, ignoring bad behavior and using time outs. There was also a strong structural routine set up which really helped the children.
In the medication stage for those children who still were having problems, they used lower doses of Ritalin. In spite of that low dose, about 11% had to stop taking Ritalin because if the side effects and had trouble sleeping, anxiety and a reduced appetite. In addition, the medication seemed to be causing stunted growth.
So there you have it. Behavior therapy or child modification techniques seems to be the best way to go in treating ADHD in young child with the help of some medication. But that needs to be closely monitored because of the nasty side effects. Why not combine behavior modification with an ADHD homeopathic remedy? That is a much safer option and I have outlined all the advantages in my website below. Why not check this one out? What Is The Best Natural ADHD Supplement? Guidelines For Parents To Raise Happier, Calmer Children ADHD Treatment Options For Children - Are You Sure Your Child Is On The Right Track? Natural ADHD Child Treatment - When Was The Last Time You Took The Kids To The Park Or The Country? Altiyan Childs Releases Debut Album Treating ADHD In A Young Child - Looking At Better And Safer Solutions Tutoring In San Diego For Your Child Tips For Natural Childbirth - Natural Childbirth Tips Kids Summer Camp For Every Boys Advancement And Achievement Natural Childbirth Methods - Natural Childbirth Tips Olivia Johnston Natural Childbirth Tips Review Conceiving A Baby Boy - Plan My Baby Know Why to Buy children's dvds Summer Safety Tips For Children