Specially Different

When my son was a year old, he can’t utter even the word Mama. When he was two he can’t even walk. When he was three, I had a hard time getting his attention and he was very impulsive. When he was four, he was out of control, he would never obey me. When he was five, I step out from my state of denial and accepted that fact my son had a Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder.

ADHD is one of the most researched areas in child and adolescent mental health. It is a brain-based biological disorder. In general, hyperactive behavior in children makes simple instructions as sit still, pay attention for long periods of time difficult. They have a very short attention span, difficult to listen to others, difficult to attend to details, they are easily distracted, forgetful, inability to stay on task, seems to be in constant motion.

Parenting children with ADHD may be difficult and can present challenges that create stress within the family. There are many treatment that can be applied with the disorder. Antidepressant medications may also be administered for children and adolescents with ADHD to help improve attention while decreasing aggression, anxiety, and/or depression. Above all, the love and patience of the parents is strongly needed during these difficult phase in the life of the entire family. Consider children with this kind of disorder as blessings and not as a curse or punishment.