Pediatric ADHD

What is pediatric ADHD?

Pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral health condition that commonly appears in early childhood. ADHD can last for the rest of a person’s life, but the signs and symptoms tend to fluctuate over time. 

If your child has ADHD, they might struggle in school. Even if you don’t notice any of the effects of the condition at home, you might hear about them while talking to your children’s teachers or coaches. 

While there is no cure for ADHD, the condition is highly manageable. With consistent care from Healthy Horizons Clinic and coordination with your child’s teachers and caretakers, you can reduce the behaviors associated with ADHD that might be inhibiting your child’s school performance or social life. 

What are the early signs of pediatric ADHD?

ADHD comes with a variety of signs and symptoms in children that typically start before the age of 12. Sometimes, they appear as early as age three. There are three main types of ADHD, each with different groups of symptoms and signs. Your child might have:

Predominantly inattentive type

The predominantly inattentive type of ADHD causes patterns in children such as trouble paying attention in school, trouble with organizational skills, frequent distraction and daydreaming, and losing items frequently. 

Predominantly hyperactive type

Children who have the predominantly hyperactive type of ADHD tend to exhibit hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. Some patterns to look for include talkativeness, constant movements or fidgeting, interrupting, and trouble taking turns. 

Combined type

Children with the combined type of ADHD show symptoms of both predominantly hyperactive and predominantly inattentive ADHD. 

How is pediatric ADHD treated? 

Healthy Horizons Clinic works with you and your child to build and personalize a treatment plan for your child’s ADHD. A typical treatment plan for ADHD in children combines medication and behavioral solutions. 

Medications for ADHD include stimulant and nonstimulant options. Not every ADHD medication will work well for every child with ADHD, so trying a few before finding one that works is common. 

Behavioral treatments can help your child manage ADHD symptoms in school and other contexts. Parents, teachers, school counselors, and other adults in a child’s life can all benefit from working with a child’s therapist to implement behavior management strategies. 

If your child shows signs of any type of pediatric ADHD, call Healthy Horizons Clinic to make an appointment or use the online scheduling feature today.