ADHD
ADHD assessment in children and teenagers with tests and questionnaires, and psychological treatment with guidance for family and school.
What ADHD is
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects sustained attention, impulse control and, in some cases, motor activity. It isn't a lack of intelligence or upbringing. It shows up in more than one setting â home and school â and causes real interference with performance or relationships with others: that's the criterion that separates ADHD from a child who's simply active.
Signs that raise suspicion
- Gets distracted by anything, loses belongings, forgets tasks.
- Doesn't finish tasks, even when they want to.
- Speaks or acts without thinking, interrupts, struggles to wait their turn.
- Constant restlessness, difficulty staying seated.
- School performance below their ability.
- Frequent conflict with adults or peers, and knocked self-esteem.
How it's assessed
With method, not a clinical impression. The assessment includes a clinical interview with the family, information from school, standardised questionnaires and attention and cognitive ability tests. It's just as important to rule out what can look similar: sleep problems, hearing or vision difficulties, anxiety, learning difficulties, or a family situation that's weighing on the child.
Treatment
Psychological treatment works on organisation and routines, managing time and impulses, and self-esteem, with guidance for home and the classroom and coordination with the school. When the case calls for it, medical treatment is considered alongside psychiatry or paediatrics; in adults, care continues at the adult ADHD.
Frequently asked questions
How is ADHD diagnosed?
Methodically: a clinical interview with the family, information from the school, standardised questionnaires and tests of attention and cognitive ability. And by ruling out what resembles it â sleep, hearing or vision problems, anxiety, learning difficulties â, which is just as important.
Does being very restless mean ADHD?
No. To speak of ADHD the symptoms have to appear in more than one setting âhome and schoolâ and cause real interference with performance or with relationships with others. That is the criterion that separates a disorder from a child who is simply restless.
Is the treatment only medication?
No. The psychological work addresses organisation and routines, time and impulse management and self-esteem, with strategies for home and for the classroom. When the case requires it, medical treatment is also assessed together with psychiatry or paediatrics.
What are the 3 types of ADHD?
Predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive and combined. The inattentive type goes more unnoticed âespecially in girlsâ because it does not disrupt the classroom: the child gets distracted, loses their things and does not finish tasks. Identifying the type changes the strategies at home and at school.
Is ADHD curable in children?
It is not cured, it is managed, and many symptoms improve with age and with the right strategies. With psychological treatment, guidelines at home and at school and, when indicated, medication, performance and self-esteem change a great deal. Without intervention, it is usually the latter that suffers.