Fredericksburg Parent

18 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • May 2020 Most kids are curious, fidgety, impulsive and have a brief attention span occasionally. Inattentiveness and hyperactivity for a longer period over time, however, may be signs of a neurological impairment known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. "ADHD is a neurobiological syndrome that is seen in childhood where there is a developmentally inappropriate lack of being able to focus on tasks the child is asked to do," says Dr. Bela Sood, an adolescent psychiatrist and expert on ADHD with the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. "It is characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity, hyperactivity and restlessness." ADHD is one of the more common childhood behavioral disorders. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 6 million children in the United States between the ages of 2 and 17 were diagnosed as having the disorder as of 2016. Boys are twice as likely to be diagnosed as girls with the average age of diagnosis being around 7 years old. Sood recommends that children over the age of 5 who continually show signs of inattentiveness, impulsiveness and hyperactivity should be evaluated for ADHD. "These symptoms of impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattentiveness can affect school performance, relationships with peers and parents, and can lead to significant behavioral difficulties," Sood says. "ADHD affects children's school performance as they have difficulty paying attention. Impulsivity shows up as aggression as they do things without considering the consequences. They also are more accident prone." Children and teens with ADHD may also have a harder time learning to follow and understand rules and social norms as well as self-regulating to stick to the rules. • While commonly diagnosed in boys, ADHD symptoms look different in girls • While more boys than girls are diagnosed with ADHD, girls are often diagnosed later since symptoms may appear different in boys than in girls. "Boys show more of the hyperactivity whereas girls tend to have more of the inattentiveness," Sood says. Boys with ADHD are usually more disruptive in a classroom by standing up or walking around at inappropriate moments, while a hyperactive girl may fidget, rock or squirm in her seat. Hyperactive girls are also more likely to be more talkative. Both males and females with ADHD may also exhibit stronger emotions; boys show signs of aggression such as getting angry, fighting or having physical outbursts while girls appear to have more intense emotions of being sad with crying and tantrums. Children viewed as hyperactive are diagnosed with ADHD at an earlier age while those whose symptom is primarily inattentiveness, many of which as girls, aren't diagnosed until they are further along in their academics, either at the middle or high school level, since inattentiveness isn't easily seen. WRITTEN BY BRANDY CENTOLANZA How to Spot in Your Daughter ADHD (and Your Son, too)

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