What is ADHD or ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) ?
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition in which a person has trouble focusing, paying attention, sustaining attention and focus, exhibits impulsivity (tends to act without thinking) and sometimes exhibits more movement than we would expect - he or she has trouble sitting still. It usually begins in early childhood (we now are able to diagnose ADHD at 4-5 years old) and can continue through the teen years into adulthood. 50% of individuals with ADHD continue to have symptoms in adulthood. Without treatment ADHD can cause problems at home, school, work, and with relationships. ADD is an older tern for ADHD without the hyperactivity, but today we always use the diagnosis: ADHD, and if there is no hyperactivity we would diagnose ADHD, Inattentive Type, meaning there is no hyperactivity. Often problems with attention and focus are dismissed because teachers, parents and medical professionals don't see hyperactivity. ADHD can still be the problem, hyperactivity or not.
What causes ADHD?
The exact cause is not clear, but ADHD tends to run in families and is most likely a generic disorder. We can sometimes see it on brain scans, and we have actually found genetic keys to ADHD.
What are the symptoms?
There are four types of ADHD symptoms including:
Trouble paying attention. People with ADHD are easily distracted by the environment and have a hard time focusing on any one task for a sustained period (but yes, they CAN focus on a preferred task for extended periods, and this "hyper-focus" or extreme attention is another sign of an individual's inability to control and regulate focus and attention).
Trouble sitting still for even a short time. This is called hyperactivity. Children with ADHD may squirm, fidget, or run around at the wrong times. Teens and adults often feel restless and fidgety and are not able to enjoy reading or other quiet activities. Not all cases of ADHD show signs of hyperactivity! But the majority of cases do.
Acting before thinking. People with ADHD sometimes talk too loud, laugh too loud, or become angrier than the situation calls for. They are impulsive and have difficulty regulating their emotions. Children may not be able to wait for their turn or to share. This makes it hard for them to play with other children, often causing them to become socially isolated as time goes by. Teens and adults seem to "leap before they look." They may make quick decisions that have a long-term impact on their lives. They may spend too much money or change jobs often. It's important to differentiate impulsivity from manic behaviour, and an assessment of this is part of any good ADHD diagnostic assessment.
How is ADHD diagnosed?
ADHD is often diagnosed when a child is between 4 and 12 years old. Teachers may notice symptoms in children who are in this age group. We always recommend that you first haver your child see a medical doctor for a full physical exam, to rule out the many other possible causes for the symptoms that may look like ADHD, but may not be ADHD at all. For children a more comprehensive assessment is often called for because nearly 50% of children with ADHD also have a learning disorder, anxiety, depression or other co-morbid disorder. This is usually done by a licensed, registered or certified psychologist. Usually school psychologists are not trained or able to diagnose ADHD. This differs from state to state, province to province.
How is ADHD treated?
There is no cure for ADHD. Treatments, such as medication, therapy, behavioural interventions, only help control the symptoms. Treatment often includes both medicines and behavior therapy. Parents and other adults (teachers) need to closely watch children after they begin to take medicines for ADHD as initially they may cause side effects such as loss of appetite, headaches or stomachaches, tics or twitches, and problems sleeping. Side effects usually get better after a few weeks. If they don't, the doctor can change the dose.
Therapy focuses on making changes in the environment to improve the child’s behaviour. This often includes positive reinforcement systems, external and visual cues and prompts, and changes in the way a child is taught (especially changes in the expectation that they need to sit all day, be still and work on task for extended periods. These tasks are often impossible for children because their symptoms make them impossible. With medication and behavioural intervention can help tremendously, but education adults, parents, relatives and teachers about how to react to ADHD symptoms, and how to change the environment so the child can be successful is critical. This is often the focus of parent education and training. Counselling and extra support at home and at school help children succeed at school and feel better about themselves. A child's IEP (Individual Education Plan) usually addresses these issues, but again, staff education and training is critical!
How does ADHD affect adults?
Sometimes adults don't realize that they have ADHD until their children are diagnosed. When completing history forms they realize they had, and continue to have, many of these same symptoms and difficulties. Sometimes a change of job or promotion makes these problems more evident. Many adults have problems with work and relationships due to impulsivity and problems regulating their emotions. Some report "memory problems," which are really issues of focus and attention.
How is Adult ADHD Treated?
Treatment with medication, counselling, and behavior therapy can help adults with ADHD. Some therapists provide structured training programs, and for both children and adults with what seems like "short term memory" problems, what we call "working memory" deficits. One program proven to be effective is called "Cogmed."
What is Cogmed Working Memory Training?
Cogmed Working Memory Training is an evidence-based, computerized training program designed by leading neuroscientists to improve attention by effectively increasing working memory capacity over a 5 week training period.
Who is Cogmed training for?
Cogmed training is for people who wish to improve their ability to concentrate and are constrained by their working memory. Cogmed users range from young children to senior adults. Some have diagnosed attention deficits, some have suffered a brain injury, some feel the deteriorating effects of normal aging, and others find they’re not doing as well as they could, academically or professionally, given their intelligence and their efforts.
What is working memory and why is it important?
Working memory is an essential cognitive function necessary for a wide-range of tasks related to attention and focus. It is the ability to keep information in your mind for several seconds, manipulate it, and use it in your thinking. It is central to concentration, problem solving, and impulse control. Working memory is closely correlated to fluid intelligence and is a strong indicator of academic and professional success. Poor working memory is the source of many problems related to attention and is often linked to ADHD, and other learning disabilities.
What are the effects of Cogmed training?
Cogmed training improves attention, concentration, focus, impulse control, social skills, and complex reasoning skills by substantially and lastingly improving working memory capacity. The goal is improved performance and attentional stamina. The best way to learn about the effects is to talk to the Cogmed practice of your choice and to read the Cogmed User Stories.
Do the results last?
Yes, our research and our clinical experience show that the effects of Cogmed Training last after training. The reason is that once working memory capacity increases, you naturally continue to use it at its new level, which serves as constant maintenance training. Each Cogmed user also has access to optional Cogmed Extension Training at no extra cost.
Summary
There are many ways to treat ADHD. The best advice is to work closely with your medical doctor and psychologist, using techniques and interventions that have been proven to be effective. Regretfully there are a lot of programs and interventions on the internet that claim to work for which there is little evidence, or sometimes evidence they do not work (for instance, there are claims that acupuncture and homeopathic "medicines" work, yet there are no studies, and the rationale for these interventions often make little sense. Rely upon your licensed and registered medical doctor or psychologist for guidance. There are things you can do, intervention and medicines that have been proven to be effective with many years of research to back them up. Don't wait, don't procrastinate (especially for children). See your doctor and understand your choices.
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For information on counselling and therapy services in Burnaby, Vancouver, Coquitlam and surrounding areas contact Dr. Roche at: (Office phone) 778.998.7975
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As usual, let me warn you that this blog, any of my other blogs, or my web pages are not designed to provide you with an assessment, diagnosis or treatment. If you are concerned you have a health issue such as ADHD, anxiety, depression or Asperger's | autism please see your health service provider, either a medical doctor or Registered Psychologist. What may appear to be symptoms of one disorder can often be caused by another unexpected disorder. Other disorders, such as ADHD, are very likely to exist at the same time as another disorder (called co-morbid disorder) such as anxiety, depressing or OCD. You need to see a professional to find this out. On-line symptom checklists will not provide this, and are often misleading.
Services provided in my offices include: (covered by most extended health care insurance)
Anxiety and Stress (click here: http://www.relatedminds.com/anxiety-stress/)
Autism and Asperger's Disorder (Click here: http://www.relatedminds.com/autism/)
Individual Counselling (click here: http://www.relatedminds.com/individual-therapy/)
Child Counselling / Therapy (click here: http://www.relatedminds.com/child-therapy/)
Testing and Assessments and Learning Disabilities (Click here: http://www.relatedminds.com/testing/)
Couples Counselling / Therapy (click here: http://www.relatedminds.com/couples-therapy/)
The Angry Child (click here: http://www.relatedminds.com/dealing-with-angry-aggressive-and-explosive-children/)
Anger Management (Click here:http://www.relatedminds.com/anger-management/)
Pain Management and PTSD (Click here:http://www.relatedminds.com/pain )
Forensic Services (Independent Medical Examinations or IME)
About Dr. Roche
My name is Dr. Jim Roche and I am a Registered Psychologist and a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist (RMFT) in British Columbia. In addition to my doctorate in clinical psychology, I hold a master's degree in family therapy, a certificate of advanced graduate studies (CAGS) in school and educational psychology from Norwich University, and have completed two years of post doctoral studies in neuro-psychology at The Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, California. In addition to being a registered psychologist, I am a certified school psychologist, certified teacher of special education (New York and California), and a Clinical Member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT). I also hold a doctoral degree in law with an emphasis in medical malpractice and education law. Beyond my academic credentials, I have completed two years of supervised clinical experience in both hospital and community based clinics and two years of post doctoral training in neuropsychology. I have served as director of behaviour programming for several school districts, as a consultant on autism for the province, and have held numerous academic positions including Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry at New York University and Bellevue Hospital in New York as well as being a faculty member at NYU, Brooklyn College, SUNY New Paltz, and Norwich University.
Key words
ADHD | Anxiety and Stress | Autism and Asperger's Disorder | Individual Counselling | Child Therapy | Testing and Assessments and Learning Disabilities | Couples Counselling | Depression | The Angry Child | Anger Management | Pain Management and PTSD | Forensic Services | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | Vancouver | Burnaby | Coquitlam | New Westminster | Maple Ridge | Port Moody | Child Psychologist | Psychologist | Learning Disability | Assessment | Testing | Psycho-educational Assessment | Neuropsychological Assessment
Cogmed Working Memory Training is an evidence-based, computerized training program designed by leading neuroscientists to improve attention by effectively increasing working memory capacity over a 5 week training period.
Cogmed training is for people who wish to improve their ability to concentrate and are constrained by their working memory. Cogmed users range from young children to senior adults. Some have diagnosed attention deficits, some have suffered a brain injury, some feel the deteriorating effects of normal aging, and others find they’re not doing as well as they could, academically or professionally, given their intelligence and their efforts.
Working memory is an essential cognitive function necessary for a wide-range of tasks related to attention and focus. It is the ability to keep information in your mind for several seconds, manipulate it, and use it in your thinking. It is central to concentration, problem solving, and impulse control. Working memory is closely correlated to fluid intelligence and is a strong indicator of academic and professional success. Poor working memory is the source of many problems related to attention and is often linked to ADHD, and other learning disabilities.
Cogmed training improves attention, concentration, focus, impulse control, social skills, and complex reasoning skills by substantially and lastingly improving working memory capacity. The goal is improved performance and attentional stamina. The best way to learn about the effects is to talk to the Cogmed practice of your choice and to read the Cogmed User Stories.
Do the results last?
Yes, our research and our clinical experience show that the effects of Cogmed Training last after training. The reason is that once working memory capacity increases, you naturally continue to use it at its new level, which serves as constant maintenance training. Each Cogmed user also has access to optional Cogmed Extension Training at no extra cost.