ADHD Statistics

                   

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder that most often occurs in children. Symptoms of ADHD include trouble concentrating, paying attention, staying organized, and remembering details.

 It can be a difficult condition to diagnose. Children with untreated ADHD are sometimes mislabeled as troublemakers or problem children. Make sure you know the basic facts and symptoms of ADHD.


There are demographic factors that impact the risks of being diagnosed with ADHD.
Children living in households that make less than two times the federal poverty level have a higher risk than children from higher-income households. 


Males are almost three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than females. During their lifetimes, 12.9 percent of men will be diagnosed with the attention disorder. Just 4.9 percent of women will be diagnosed. The average age of ADHD diagnosis is 7 years old. Symptoms of ADHD typically first appear between the ages of 3 and 6. ADHD isn’t just a childhood disorder. Today, about 4 percent of American adults over the age of 18 deal with ADHD on a daily basis.

Different Symptoms

Boys and girls display very different ADHD symptoms, and boys are much more likely to be diagnosed with the attention disorder. Why? It’s possible the nature of ADHD symptoms in boys makes their condition more noticeable than it is in girls. Boys tend to display externalized symptoms that most people think of when they think of ADHD behavior, for example:

• impulsivity or “acting out”
• hyperactivity, such as running and hitting

• lack of focus, including inattentiveness
• physical aggression

ADHD in girls is often easy to overlook because it’s not “typical” ADHD behavior. The symptoms aren’t as obvious as they are in boys. They can include:

• being withdrawn
• low self-esteem and anxiety

• intellectual impairment and difficulty with academic achievement

• inattentiveness or a tendency to “daydream”

• verbal aggression: teasing, taunting, or name-calling

Ref : http://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/facts-statistics-infographic

Ministry of Education (MOE),Singapore Support for Children with Special Needs

Support for Children with Special Needs

In 2004, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the following initiatives to support children with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools:

• Deployment of Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) [AEDs(LBS)], previously known as Special Needs Officers, to support children with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools.
• Additional funding for mainstream schools resourced with AEDs (LBS).
• Training in special needs for selected teachers in mainstream schools. These teachers take on the role of Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSNs) in schools.

The above efforts by MOE to provide additional resources to support students with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools started in 2005.

Primary Schools

Currently, all primary schools have been staffed with at least one AED(LBS) to support students with mild SEN.

Secondary Schools

Currently, 69 secondary schools are resourced to support students with mild SEN.
MOE plans to recruit additional AEDs(LBS) to meet longer term needs in both primary and secondary schools.

Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSNs)

In addition, all schools have a core group of Teachers trained in Special Needs (TSNs) to support students with mild SEN. As of end of 2013, 10% of teachers in all primary school and 20% of teachers in all secondary school have been trained in special needs. Since 2005, about 3,848 teachers have undergone and completed their training in special needs. MOE continues to provide this training in special needs to teachers.

Ref: http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/programmes/support-for-children-special-needs/

Adult ADHD

If your spouse or partner has Adult ADD / Adult ADHD, you may notice the following symptoms:

Inattention
• Disorganization, forgetfulness
• Poor time management
• Misses part of conversation

Hyperactivity
• Inner restlessness
• Inability to relax
• Feeling down when inactive and happy when stimulated

Impulsivity
• Interrupting, impatient
• Recklessness, impulsive decision making
• Switching tasks rapidly

Despite the seemingly less serious behavioural symptoms in adults, ADHD adult sufferers can continue to be afflicted with serious functional difficulties in their lives which can significantly impair their work and family relationships if not treated.

Management and Treatment of ADHD
Medications are effective in the treatment of Adult ADHD. There are two main type of medications:

• Stimulants: In Singapore, methylphenidate is used in the treatment of Adult ADHD. Two third of adults given medications show significant improvement in their symptoms following medications. Shorter acting stimulants (eg. Ritalin) wear off quickly, and adults with ADHD may be forgetful and have difficulty with giving themselves multiple doses throughout the day. As such, most adult patients prefer the long acting version of methlyphenidate (eg. Concerta LA).
• Non-stimulant: Atomoxetine (Strattera) is a non-stimulant medication used for the treatment of ADHD for adults as well as children and adolescents. It is a nordrenagic reuptake inhibitor and works by increasing the level of neurotransmitter responsible for concentration and focus.

Ref : http://www.psywellness.com.sg/adhd.html

Childhood ADHD

If your child has ADHD, he or she may have the following symptoms:

Inattention
• Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work or other activities
• Has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities
• Does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
• Does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions)
• Has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
• Avoids, dislikes or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (such as schoolwork or homework)
• Loses things necessary for tasks or activities (e.g., toys, school assignments, pencils, books or tools)
• Easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
• Forgetful in daily activities

Hyperactivity
• Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat
• Leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected
• Runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate (in adolescents or adults, may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness)
• Has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly
• Is often “on the go” or often acts as if “driven by a motor”
• Talks excessively

Impulsivity
• Blurts out answers before questions have been completed
• Difficulty awaiting turn
• Interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games)

Management and Treatment of ADHD

In children, the first line of treatment is therapy with behavioural modifications. Medications may be recommended by the child psychiatrist to enable the child to cope with the ADHD symptoms. This will help prevent the child with ADHD from being labelled as a naughty or lazy child by his teachers and parents. Punitive actions from adults and ostracization from peers due to their impulsive behaviours are factors leading to alienation of ADHD children and worsening of their behaviour.

Ref : http://www.psywellness.com.sg/adhd.html

Why French kids have low ADHD rates?

Almost 5% of Singaporean kids are believed to have ADHD. In France, ADHD is far less of a worry for French parents, with a rate of less than 0.5% of children. Find out why French ADHD treatments are more successful.

 

Children often find it hard to concentrate for long periods of time, become easily distracted and experience periods of hyperactive behaviour. Many parents across the world to have deal with these niggling issues on a day-to-day basis.

However, these seemingly common problems can sometimes turn into despair for a parent, when a child’s behavioural problems become so severe and so frequent that they are actually diagnosed with a disorder: Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder or ADHD.

In the US, approximately 9% of school-going children have ADHD. A survey amongst 2,400 children aged 6-12 in Singapore indicated that close to 5% of Singaporean kids had disruptive behaviour disorders. Worldwide ADHD rates are around 5% too. However in France, only 0.5% of kids have been diagnosed with the same disorder. This begs the question of  why would a medical disorder affecting how a child thinks and behaves vary so much between different countries?

Triggers of ADHD 

Nutrition is yet another factor. Statistics show that as many as 33% of American children are obese, whereas only 16% of French children have this problem. Sugary food, preservatives, MSG, artificial colours and allergens, all of which American fast food is infamous for, can trigger behavioural disorders. This, combined with the lack of exercise, can be enough to eventually lead to ADHD.

 

Furthermore, it is usual for French families to sit down together for a meal 3 or 4 times per day. This decreases the temptation for kids to binge on junk food, whilst also giving the child structure and routine early on in their lives. In Singapore, obesity rates have been around 12% for the last three years.

RELATED: Dietary supplementation for ADHD kids

Being cruel to be kind

In Pamela Druckerman’s book Bringing Up Bébé, it is argued that saying ‘no’ more frequently to children sets rules and boundaries for children to follow and understand. This will eventually make them feel safer, happier and have greater self control.

It was also noted by Druckerman that the more rigid structure that French parents enforce means that their children and are better behaved in public, throw fewer tantrums and won’t seek snacks between meals.

RELATED: Is French style parenting for your kids?

What is the answer?

France’s secret lies both in parenting strategies and ADHD treatment. A French child is far less likely to develop ADHD than any other child due to a more disciplined and structured upbringing. When a child does develop signs of ADHD, the specific treatment tackling the cause of the behavioural problem seems to be more effective than simply signing yet another month’s prescription slip.

 

Ref: http://sg.theasianparent.com/adhd-treatments-secrets-to-low-adhd-rates-in-france/

 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Symptoms of ADHD

The symptoms of ADHD include inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. These are traits that most children display at some point or another. But to establish a diagnosis of ADHD, sometimes referred to as ADD, the symptoms should be inappropriate for the child's age.

Adults also can have ADHD; in fact, up to half of adults diagnosed with the disorder had it as children.  When ADHD persists into adulthood, symptoms may vary. For instance, an adult may experience restlessness instead of hyperactivity. In addition, adults with ADHD often have problems with interpersonal relationships and employment.

 

Symptoms of ADHD

There are three different categories of ADHD symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity.

Inattention may not become apparent until a child enters the challenging environment of school. In adults, symptoms of inattention may manifest in work or in social situations.

A person with ADHD may have some or all of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty paying attention to details and tendency to make careless mistakes in school or other activities; producing work that is often messy and careless
• Easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli and frequently interrupting ongoing tasks to attend to trivial noises or events that are usually ignored by others
• Inability to sustain attention on tasks or activities
• Difficulty finishing schoolwork or paperwork or performing tasks that require concentration
• Frequent shifts from one uncompleted activity to another
• Procrastination
• Disorganized work habits
• Forgetfulness in daily activities (for example, missing appointments, forgetting to bring lunch)
• Failure to complete tasks such as homework or chores
• Frequent shifts in conversation, not listening to others, not keeping one's mind on conversations, and not following details or rules of activities in social situations.

Hyperactivity symptoms may be apparent in very young preschoolers and are nearly always present before the age of seven. Symptoms include:

• Fidgeting, squirming when seated
• Getting up frequently to walk or run around
• Running or climbing excessively when it's inappropriate (in teens this may appear as restlessness)
• Having difficulty playing quietly or engaging in quiet leisure activities
• Always being 'on the go'
• Often talking excessively

Impulsivity symptoms include:

• Impatience
• Difficulty delaying responses
• Blurting out answers before questions have been completed
• Difficulty awaiting one's turn
• Frequently interrupting or intruding on others to the point of causing problems in social or work settings
• Initiating conversations at inappropriate times

Ref : http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms