Figuring Out The Fidgeting
~ An Analysis on ADHD by Aniruddh Tiwari
“What’s bothering this child so much?”, “Why don’t you look after this boy? He keeps fidgeting around and bothers his friends a bit too much”, or “why does your child make so much noise? Did you not teach him any manners?” are statements you and I as brothers/sisters, friends or guardians of children have been told multiple times. More often than not, these are statements that can simply be dismissed as minor behavioral complaints and nothing more than that. However on some occasions, these can be indicators of a major disorder that is persisting in the child- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder- or simply, ADHD.
It is a term that is commonly and rather unjustly thrown around in recent times, be it for the advertisement of fidget toys or just hearsay in general, but the implications and effects of this disorder are deeper than what most are familiar with. What it truly is, is a disorder that prevents children from focusing, makes them restless, and induces arbitrary impulsive behavior.
Coming across children and even teenagers who are victims of this particular neurodevelopmental disorder is not difficult, since it is one of the most common of its kind and can be found in approximately 3–5% of preschool and school-age children. With this estimation, one can extrapolate that in a class of 25–30 children, it is more than likely that one student is suffering from this disorder.
It is not a challenge either, to identify if and when a child is experiencing this disorder; for the symptoms are striking and rather obvious. Being a neurodevelopmental disorder, as stated before, it mainly comprises a child finding it particularly difficult to focus, remember things, and have a hard time resisting the urge to do whatever it is they wish to do. Remember all the tropes given to your parents about you in your parent-teacher meetings; namely being distracted often, giving teachers a hard time, daydreaming, and having trouble waiting till your turn to do something? Well, it is not hard then to point out you may be experiencing the symptoms of ADHD. It is a culmination of all of the above-stated behavioral traits but amplified to a much larger extent. Achild with ADHD daydreams often, forgets facts often, fidgets more, talks a lot, takes unnecessary impulsive risks, and has difficulty getting along with others. From the symptoms, stem the different ways in which ADHD presents itself in children; namely “Predominantly Inattentive Presentation”, “Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation” and “Combined Presentation”. The first, being minor and fixated on a child not being able to finish tasks in time, or getting distracted from daily tasks easily. The second, being more severe; ranging from interrupting people when they speak, snatching stuff out of people’s hands, speaking at inappropriate times, and screaming or moving restlessly.
“The hardest thing about ADHD is that it is invisible to outsiders. People assume that we are not good parents and that our child is a brat, unbeknownst to them that we are truly exhausted and so is our child” — testimony by the parents of a child suffering from ADHD.
Now by this point, most of you are wondering what causes this disorder, and the causative agents are as follows: brain injury at a young age, exposure to the mother of the child to environmental risks such as lead during pregnancy, alcohol use during pregnancy, and a low birth weight/ premature delivery.
One thing that is rather necessary to point out is that ADHD is NOT caused by exposure to too many gadgets, parenting issues, and environmental factors such as poverty or chaos and household troubles, contrary to popular belief. It is rather common to hear comments that using devices too much, hanging out with friends too much, and being distracted by social media causes ADHD, but this is untrue and is not backed by science.
Now, what should be of immediate concern to everyone reading this article, is the identification, proper diagnosis, and treatment of a child that suffers from this disease. It is crucial that people, especially guardians of a child, are privy to the symptoms of ADHD, so that they can identify quickly if their child displays them. For classmates and teachers, it is crucial that they sympathize with the child, treat the child with the required understanding and patience and assist them in their learning and developing process. For doctors, it is essential to recommend or provide psychotherapy and give guardians proper guidance as to how they should treat their child. A child should be told to follow healthy eating habits, participate in physical activities as much as possible, limit the amount of screen time that exacerbates attention span issues, and get the right amount of sleep each night based on their age. The most common way to treat ADHD is by a combination of behavioral therapy, light prescribed medication (not for children below 5–6 years of age), and constant follow-ups with doctors.
Proper representation of this disorder in media can also help bring light to ADHD among children and parents alike and help them realise the symptoms earlier. The most infamous example being that of how ADHD is portrayed as a regular symptom of Demigods, ‘half mortal, half god’ children from the best-selling and soon to be a Disney+ series, ‘Percy Jackson and The Olympians.’ The series was created by its author Rick Riordan for his son Haley Riordan, who suffered from Dyslexia and ADHD, to fascinate him with Greek Myths that he loved while encouraging normalcy around the difficulties he faced in school due to his disorders. The representation provided in this book series has helped many young children across the world learn about this disease, sympathize with it and diagnose their own symptoms, showcasing the importance of representation. However, it has also led to many young children romanticising ADHD due to it being the ‘power of demigods’, which is harmful and insensitive to those who actually have to suffer through it. The point of extending sympathy and raising awareness is to normalize this disorder and provide inspiration and a safe environment to the young kids who have to suffer through ADHD, not to romanticise it and minimize the hardships it causes.
While ADHD, as it stands, is still a pressing issue across the world, it is completely and absolutely in our hands to help children who have been diagnosed and diagnose children who display symptoms, creating a safe environment in which we can allow such children to progress and move ahead with their lives with the esteem that they truly deserve. Together, we truly can understand and overcome this disorder.
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Instagram: @aniruddh_.tiwari
