week 9 ADHD paper
Pediatric ADHD Education
ADHD is a mental disorder that affects the child’s cognitive abilities, resulting in above-normal levels of impulsive and hyperactive behaviors. According to Pahlavanzaheh et al. (2018), ADHD affects approximately 9.4% of children in the U. S. Typically, families with children diagnosed with ADHD experience more problems, such as conflicted family environment, economic burdens, and family distress. The disease is highly stigmatized and less reported by parents and caretakers due to the misconceptions surrounding it. Therefore, healthcare practitioners should educate parents/caretakers regarding the disorder in order to enhance their awareness and acceptance (Khanduri, 2017).
What information would you provide to educate parents/caretakers regarding etiology and symptoms of ADHD?
Educating parents/caretakers regarding ADHD is necessary to enhance their awareness of the disease symptoms and etiology. It boosts their ability to manage the symptoms of their children efficiently. Therefore, they should recognize that ADHD is a common disorder affecting many children aged 2-17. Notably, it affects approximately 10% of U. S children. According to Bélanger et al. (2018), the disorder is caused by different life aspects, including prematurity, heredity and genes, head injuries, environmental toxins, and prenatal exposures.
Another educational point for the parents/caretakers is the characteristic symptoms of ADHD disorder. Typically, ADHD has three groups of symptoms; inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (Wolraich et al., 2019). Inattention symptoms may include forgetfulness, difficulty paying attention and daydreams, and listening difficulties. The hyperactivity symptoms include restlessness, frequent fidgets and squirms, and talking too much. Impulsivity symptoms include frequently speaking without thinking, frequently interrupting others, and having trouble taking turns (Bélanger et al., 2018). With these symptoms in mind, parents/caretakers will manage their children’s behavior and avoid dangerous situations that may harm them. For instance, they should be careful in unsafe places, such as around firearms, traffic, swimming pools. Moreover, they should take caution with hazardous tools and chemicals, such as lawnmowers and poisonous medicines.
What treatment options would you discuss with the parents/caretakers?
Treatment options appropriate for ADHD are medications and behavioral therapies. Achieving maximum outcomes requires the combinations of these approaches. Based on the medication, the suitable drug choice would be stimulants, such as methylphenidate (Wolraich et al., 2019). However, medications provide short-term outcomes; hence there is a need to combine with other approaches, such as behavioral therapies. The medication also has some adverse effects, such as loss of appetite, dizziness, sleep problems, and decreased appetite. Long-term effects include muscle and tissue pain caused by musculoskeletal complications (Wolraich et al., 2019. Parents need to be educated on these adverse effects and drug interactions linked to the medication.
Another treatment option to be discussed with the parents/caretakers is behavioral therapies. This approach employs strategies such as training children on behavioral management and coping skills. The main purpose of the behavioral method is to strengthen positive behaviors and eradicate unwanted behaviors (CDC, 2020). Achieving optimum benefits of behavioral therapy would require parents to create a routine by following the same schedule daily, manage distractions, limit choices to avoid overwhelming the child, help their children plan, create positive opportunities, discipline effectively by removing privileges as consequences for inappropriate behaviors, and provide healthy lifestyles such as sufficient sleep, nutritious meals, and physical exercise (CDC, 2020).
What information/resources would you use to discuss this diagnosis?
Engaging the parents regarding the diagnosis for ADHD would necessitate utilizing information from credible sources, such as podcasts, magazines about ADHD, national support organizations, and CDC manuals. These resources are crucial for providing relevant information to parents regarding how the disorder affects their children, symptoms, treatment, and management options (Sindfield, 2020). The resources also increase their awareness of the condition and embrace the challenges associated with it. For example, the magazines and podcasts cover a broad range of topics on ADHD, including parenting children with the disorder, medication, and alternative therapies.
References
Bélanger, S. A., Andrews, D., Gray, C., & Korczak, D. (2018). ADHD in children and youth: part 1—etiology, diagnosis, and comorbidity. Paediatrics & child health, 23(7), 447-453. https://academic.oup.com/pch/article-abstract/23/7/447/5142942
CDC (2020). ADHD Treatment Recommendations. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/guidelines.html/
Khanduri, V. (2017). Effectiveness of Educating Parents of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on Children’s Behavioral Issues and the Stress Experienced by Parents: An Integrative Review. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/nursing_dnp_capstone/130/
Pahlavanzadeh, S., Mousavi, S., & Maghsoudi, J. (2018). Exploring the needs of family caregivers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A qualitative study. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 23(2), 149. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5881233/
Sindfield, J. (2020). What Are the Top ADHD Resources? https://www.verywellmind.com/adhd-resources-4014200
Wolraich, M.L., Chan, E., Froehlich, T., Lynch, R.L., Bax, A., Redwine, S.T., Ihyembe, D. & Hagan, J. F. (2019). ADHD diagnosis and treatment guidelines: a historical perspective. Pediatrics, 144(4). https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/4/e20191682.abstract
