“MALIKOT,” “walang focus,” “magulo,” “maingay”… these are just some of the hurting adjectives often hurled at children and persons with Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. These are also similar to some characteristics one can find in a person with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Sometimes, the common signs of ADHD get unnoticed until the child enters preschool or grade school and the teacher observes that the child cannot sit for a long time inside the classroom and spends time roaming around instead. Unsuspecting parents often think that being “malikot” and “magalaw” is part of childhood which will be outgrown when the child matures. Unfortunately, ADHD symptoms persist until adulthood and may cause problems for the person affected by it.
What is ADHD? According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.”
In some references, the signs of ADHD can be grouped into two: 1) inattentiveness and 2) hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Some may have either of the two characteristics or both. Examples of inattentiveness are: having a short attention span and being easily distracted, making careless mistakes, appearing forgetful or losing things, being unable to stick at tasks that are tedious or time-consuming, appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions, constantly changing activity or task, and having difficulty organizing tasks.
On the other hand, examples of hyperactivity and impulsiveness are: being unable to sit still, for example, in calm or quiet surroundings, constantly fidgeting, being unable to concentrate on tasks, excessive physical movement, excessive talking, being unable to wait their turn, acting without thinking, interrupting conversations, and little or no sense of danger.
In adults, ADHD occur alongside other disorders such as personality disorders, bipolar disorder (or extreme mood swings) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which is a condition that causes obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior.
What causes ADHD? Similar to Autism Spectrum Disorder, there is no specific factor that causes ADHD. It could be a combination of causes such as brain injury, environmental exposures to hazardous chemicals such as lead, intake of alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, premature delivery and low birth weight, or it could also be genetics. There are misconceptions that ADHD is caused by eating too much sugar, watching too much television, parenting, or social and environmental factors such as poverty or family chaos, although these may, in a way, aggravate the conditions of a person with ADHD.
Come to think of it, ADHD and ASD have common characteristics and both uses the same DSM-5 criteria in its diagnosis. In the same manner, management strategies are also similar, starting with behavior modification and special education, alongside with regular schooling or mainstreaming. For older kids, teenagers and adults, ADHD is “treated” and managed with a combination of counseling, lifestyle changes, and medications.
Children diagnosed with ADHD should have intervention as soon as possible because the characteristics do hamper a child’s optimum learning. For example, if the child cannot sit for a long time inside the classroom, he cannot listen and absorb inputs from the teacher, nor focus and finish a specific task. For mature persons with ADHD, if the characteristics are not managed, their social interaction will be filled with challenges and misunderstanding. Some persons affected with ADHD would describe the disorder as “like a motor that keeps whirring and whirring which keeps them up and about.” It is like some kind of insomnia that keeps you awake even if you want to sleep and relax. Some with severe hyperactivity are given medicines to control themselves and make them relax. Occupational therapy likewise will help persons with ADHD cope with their deficits.
Children and adults are often misunderstood as “malikot,” “walang focus,” “magulo” and “maingay” and much advocacy has to be done to make people be aware that this judgment on persons with ADHD is not fair to them. The community has to be sensitive to people with ADHD because sometimes, even if the person with ADHD has self-awareness of his deficits, he needs support in managing and controlling the disorder. Most of all, persons with ADHD need understanding and acceptance of the way they are.
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(Jane Ann Gonzales is a mother of a youth with autism. She is an advocate/core member of the Autism Society Philippines and Directress of Independent Living Learning Centre (ILLC) Davao, a centre for teenagers and adults with special needs. For comments, please email janeanngonzales@yahoo.com)