“Please come in and have a seat,” the doctor told Raji. She sat tensely across the desk from the pediatrician. “I’m very glad that you took Gautam to see a psychologist and had him tested. Between my observations, the psychological test results and the description of your symptoms, we can be certain that Gautam has ADHD.”
“What is ADHD?” Raji asked. Raji’s mind was racing. Was it a type of brain tumor? It would explain why her son had so much trouble in school and focusing in general. His seemingly irrational and impulsive behavior could be a result of a tumor, she thought. Of course it broke her heart to think maybe her child might be so sick. She braced herself for the pediatrician to talk about further testing and chemotherapy.
“It is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a psychological disorder that affects about 6-8% of children worldwide,” the pediatrician began.
Raji interrupted him. “No, you must be mistaken. Gautam does not have an attention deficit. When he’s playing video games or watching his favorite movie, he can sit still for hours!” Raji was frustrated. This is what they came up with after days of different types of testing?
“You’re right. The name is a misnomer. ADHD is not a deficit of attention but actually a problem with regulating attention,” he said. Raji was intrigued. She didn’t think the doctor would have an answer to her argument.
The pediatrician continued, “Children with ADHD are able to sit still and focus on tasks that are interesting and highly stimulating for them. Sometimes they can actually be so focused that they cannot register anything else that is going on around them. Other times they can be so distracted that even the slightest sound can perk them up.
“These children have a very difficult time with boring tasks or managing time when nothing is happening. You’ve mentioned that standing in line is very hard for him.”
Raji said quietly, “Yes he says he’s bored a lot.” She was taking in everything he was saying.
“Yes that is very common. Activities where he is not adequately stimulated can result in impulsive behavior like him cutting in line or interrupting another conversation. Imagine sitting through the most boring lecture you can imagine. Eventually, your brain is going to seek out the stimulation that it requires so you may shake your leg or start doodling. That is how he feels consistently throughout the day,” he added.
“So this explains why he does so poorly in school?” Raji asked.
“Yes it does. Children with ADHD can’t focus on tasks that are boring so homework may be quite a challenge for him. Generally, these children are great at starting projects or assignments but follow through is very difficult so they have trouble finishing them,” the pediatrician explained.
“Yes!” Raji said, surprised that the doctor was describing Gautam’s very specific and nuanced behaviors. “He always tries to rush through his work, he always makes careless mistakes and never checks anything. Every time I look over his math homework he’s made so many mistakes and I tell him repeatedly to look it over but he never does.”
“This is very typical,” the pediatrician said reassuringly.
“Is there a cure?” Raji asked.
“No, there is no cure. But with proper treatment, Gautam can grow up to be a very happy, healthy and successful young man,” the pediatrician said. Raji’s heart sunk. It was very hard for her as a parent to think that her 8 year old child was already permanently affected by something. But she knew pretending this to not be true would only hurt Gautam in the long run. So she asked about treatment options.
“Common practice is to prescribe a stimulant medication to help Gautam regulate his attention better. They have shown to have very high success rates but do come with some side effects,” he said as he ran through her options. “There is also a newer treatment option that does not include medication and has been showing a very positive results called neurofeedback.”
Raji had a lot to think about but as she sat in her car and took it all in, she was proud of herself for trusting her gut that something was amiss with her son. Like the doctor said, he is only 8 and it is the right time to get him on track so he can be happy. She had to believe that treating this now was far better than denying the problem existed.
What do you think about ADHD treatments?