Helping Your Child to Cope with the ADHD

Parents, teachers, and counsellors struggle to find the best addiction treatment center in Karachi to work with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But the confusion that Meditation helps to prevent disorders face pales in comparison to the frustration of living with ADHD yourself. Young people with ADHD must cope not only with the symptoms of the disorder but also with the social stigma and prejudices of others.

Does a Stigma Exist?

There is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding among the general public about attention deficit disorder. Despite research to the contrary, there is still a common misconception today that ADD/ADHD isn't a real medical condition. People mistakenly believe attention deficit disorders are just an excuse for not wanting to do homework or pay attention in class. Moreover, there is a lot of skepticism surrounding attention deficit medications and the increase in diagnoses and prescriptions occurring in recent years.

Researchers at Indiana University, the University of Virginia, and Columbia University interviewed 1,400 adults about their perspectives on children with attention deficit disorder. Thirty-one percent believed that children with ADHD would be dangerous to others, yet only 46 percent could identify the symptoms, treatments, and causes of ADHD. These findings showed a marked lack of information and a social bias against young people with ADHD.

Similarly, a study appearing in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior about the attitudes of adults toward children with mental health problems showed that roughly one in five adults was unwilling to have children with ADHD or depression living next door in his child's class, or as his child's friend.

Each of the 1,393 adult participants in the study heard a vignette that included a brief behavioural description of one of four different children: a child with ADHD, a child with depression, a child with "normal troubles," and a child with asthma. When a child with symptoms of ADHD or depression was described, the percentage of adults unwilling to engage with the child or the child's family was double or triple the number unwilling to interact with the child with "normal troubles" or asthma.

Another study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders showed that adults with ADHD confront a similar stigma. A group of 257 undergraduates enrolled at a public university reviewed pictures and descriptions of six same-age peers, which classified each individual with one of three difficulties: ADHD, a medical issue (e.g., asthma or allergies), or a more general difficulty, such as being a perfectionist. After reviewing each description, researchers asked the participants to rate on a scale of 1 (very unlikely) to 6 (very likely) how likely they would want to work with the individual on a group project, get to know them better, and become friends.

The study participants overall were most negative about having an individual with ADHD as a work partner. However, a significant number showed less interest in getting to know individuals with ADHD. Males with ADHD were judged more harshly than their female counterparts, with both male and female raters regarding males with ADHD as less desirable partners in most, if not all, of the domains rated. Females with ADHD, on the other hand, received "less desirable" ratings in only two of the five domains.

Another popular option for shorter-term treatment is a summer camp, like Talisman Camps in North Carolina or Camp Huntington in New York, which cater specifically to children with ADHD and other special needs. While enjoying traditional summer camp activities, campers also learn practical life skills, make friends, and feel good about themselves and their place in the world, sometimes for the first time.

Even though the world would be incredibly boring if everyone were the same, many in our society lack patience and understanding for people who are different in any way. One of the greatest lessons you can teach your child, whether diagnosed with ADHD or not, is compassion. When we all learn to respect each other's differences and appreciate one another's unique talents, the ADHD stigma will become a happily forgotten memory of the past.