The role of teachers and parents in the child’s development.
As a child psychiatrist based in Brisbane, I often see parents attending Brisbane Specialist Suites concerned about their children’s development, and parents often come up with the specific question: “Does my child have ADHD?” Sometimes parents are worried because parents are at the limit due to the daily battle to get their child out of the house to go to school in the morning or to face the end of the day with homework. Sometimes parents see me because their child’s school teacher is requesting an evaluation for a child who they suspect has ADHD to help them manage behavior in the classroom.
How does a doctor diagnose ADHD?
Child psychiatrists will consider ADHD if there are concerns about symptoms in 3 broad domains: lack of attention (distraction and difficulty focusing), impulsivity (acting without thinking well) and hyperactivity (difficulties staying still). During childhood development, these symptoms exist along a spectrum or continuum. What I mean is that there is no clear end point or a limit to the diagnosis: we all sit somewhere in the spectrum and can fight more in one domain than in the other. Although psychologists can evaluate children for ADHD, screening tests are simply a process of data collection and number processing and do not take into account the nuances of a medical evaluation that includes the context of behavior, so This is not enough to make a diagnosis.
What causes ADHD?
As child psychiatrists, when we consider the population as a whole and examine the frequency with which ADHD symptoms exist in the population at any time (the prevalence), there is no “oddity node”. The “rarity node” is a phenomenon that can be seen in conditions associated with a disease with a single pathological process, such as blood glucose levels in diabetes. Most people sit within a range of normal glucose levels or significantly higher glucose levels without treatment; There are few people in the area between these two groups. The lack of a “rarity node” in ADHD symptoms probably reflects the multifactorial nature of ADHD.
The importance of good teachers for children with ADHD
What I think this study highlighted is the need for additional quality information from school teachers when medical specialists are asked to make an evaluation. No one can deny that it is true that, for some children, the initiation of medication at an early age could and should be delayed by adequate and qualified teaching and a positive learning environment.
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Good teachers understand that, when it comes to young children, there is great progress in developing a child’s ability to regulate their emotions and participate in structured activities in the classroom. As children grow and develop, even in just 6 months, the difference can be noticeable. An emotionally tuned teacher who is prepared to adopt a flexible and enriching posture is invaluable in helping your child develop a strong sense of self-worth, teach your child the ability to use strategies to calm or immobilize their bodies and teach your child strategies. to minimize careless mistakes (such as strategies when addressing work, such as “read the question, read the question again, ask the question, verify your answer”).
In my opinion, the more teachers can work in collaboration with the treatment of child psychiatrists and parents, the better the result will be for all our precious children (which may ultimately include or not include a prescription when necessary).