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Facts:

1. ADHD is a biological, brain-based condition which is caused by a minor difference of fine tuning in the
normal brain. The dysfunction of ADHD is thought to be an imbalance in the brain¶s neurotransmitter
chemicals, noradrenalin and dopamine. This imbalance is mostly found in those parts of the brain
responsible for self-monitoring and putting the brakes on unwise behavior (the frontal lobe and their deep
connections, which are the basal ganglia circuits and cerebellum). These areas of dysfunction are now being
demonstrated by researchers who use the latest brain scanning techniques, Positron Emission Tomography
(PET) and volumetric and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

2. ADHD presents in two ways, impulsive, poorly self-motivated behaviour and in the problem of attention,
short term memory and learning. A child may present with one of these in isolation, but most ADHD
children have a mixture of both. To qualify for a diagnosis of ADHD, a child must be significantly out of
step with others of the same developmental level and standard of parenting. ADHD is a long term condition
that occurs mostly in boys and about 60-70 percents of these children will carry some of their ADHD with
them into the adulthood.

3. Genetic markers are being identified for ADHD. ADHD is a strongly hereditary condition. Most ADHD
children have a close relative (usually male) affected to some degree by the same problem. Approximately
half of the children who present with ADHD are also troubled by specific learning disabilities, for example
Developmental Reading Disorder (dyslexia) which is often associated with ADHD is also a strongly
hereditary condition, Language disorder and a weakness with mathematics.

4. At school the two parts of ADHD present in different ways. The hyperactive-impulsive, poor self
monitoring behaviours result in the child rushing through work, getting slowly after a break, tapping and
fidgeting, calling out in class and failing to check work before it is handed in. The attention deficit problems
affect organisation, getting started with work, listening skills, sustained work output, distractibility and short
term memory. Meanwhile, problems of short term memory make memorising homework difficult. The
information is locked in the night before but forgotten by the time of the test. The memory problems can
cause a weakness in reading comprehension, where ADHD children forget what was at the beginning of the
paragraph by the time they reach the end.

5. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is a comorbid condition found in 40 percent to 60 percent of

children with ADHD. The ADHD child acts impulsively, without thought, and is remorseful after the event.
When ADHD and ODD exist together, treatment will be much more difficult as the behaviours of ODD do
not respond to stimulants or any other medication. The ADHD child is not deliberately difficult. They just
act before they think. Successful patients make allowances but still ensure that children with ADHD know
they are responsible for their own actions.
 ADHD is an explanation, it is not an excuse.
Brain research in ADHD:

At present the main research interest is in five areas: assessing frontal lobe function,
investigating areas of under and over function, measuring levels of activity, studying the
message-transmitting brain chemicals and molecular genetics.

1.Y Assessing frontal lobe function ± neuropsychology

-Y In testing, the child is bombarded with a flood of distracting information, and in the
midst of this they are repeatedly challenged to see if they will make a considered, not
reflex, response. The ADHD child shows a weakness in knowing when to react, when
to hold back and when to modify their response. This poor performance in response
inhibition, planning and mental flexibility confirms a wea kness in frontal lobe
function.
-Y Children who are purely inattentive shows the same frontal lobe problems but also
have a slow processing speed:´slow moving cogs´ in the brain.
2.Y Brain imaging
-Y Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission
Tomography (PET scans) assess the level of activity in the various part of brain where
they show function rather than anatomy. The SPECT measures the blood flow to
different parts of the brain and emits much less radiation than a PET scan. In the PET
scan, a sugar is tagged with a radioactive marker and injected into the body, The sugar
accumulates in the areas of the brain that are doing most of the work, which ³light up´
with high levels of the tagged radioisotopes.
-Y Research comes up with some fascinating findings:
„Y The frontal lobes and their close connections are found to under function in ADHD.
„Y The areas of the brain that collect auditory and visual input are overloaded in
ADHD, suggesting that they are being bombarded with a lot unnecessary,
inappropriate information.
„Y When stimulant medication is administered, the ADHD difference seen in the brain
scan can be largely reversed.
-Y MRI scans is also used due to their limitations of SPECT and PET. These give out less
radiation and the hard copy can be assessed by experts around the world.
-Y 70 percent of ADHD children showed a marker. r2