How to help distracted children?

By: Wild Black Crows of Nuevo Toledo in Puebla F.C.

Nowadays, many parents face a variety of threats and problems to their children, but the attention deficit (being distracted) is perhaps the main brake on a full learning for the development of future generations. This article will deal more in depth with the impact that defícit of attention can have in children.

Normally a distracted child has problems to follow instructions, difficulties to finish school jobs and house chores. Other "symptoms" include: losing toys, books and school supplies very regularly or they change quickly from one activity to another, showing impatience and experiencing problems to control their emotions. One usually thinks that it is a prank or a temporary distraction. But over time, nothing is achieved, they are insisted on paying more attention and following instructions quickly, and the failure is due to not knowing how to be patient with distracted children. This ends up generating greater conflict in family relationships, and later inferring that children have a disorder known as attention deficit.

Attention deficit or ADHD for its acronym stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a neurobiological disorder originated in childhood that involves a pattern of attention deficit, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity, and that is often associated with other comorbid disorders. Two new studies have provided a new perspective on the challenges faced by children on the autism spectrum who also have symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These children have difficulties with adaptive behavior, a key measure of independence, according to findings from researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the United States. In addition, they identified weaker functional connections in two large brain networks in children on the autism spectrum who have coexisting ADHD symptoms. The first study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology, analyzed adaptive behavior, a key measure of how a person can function independently in the home, school and community.

And everything gets even worse when it comes to communication skills, personal care and social skills are examples of adaptive behavior. Many of these skill areas are often affected in children on the autism spectrum, and the gap between autistic children and children with typical development widens during adolescence. Understanding the factors that contribute to the deterioration of adaptive behavior can reveal critical points for intervention. According to Benjamin Yerys, a psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Children and Adolescents at CHOP, the weakest functional connections in two brain networks are critical for higher order thinking and reasoning -the frontoparietal and ventral networks- are linked with ADHD symptoms in autistic children.

It is concluded that attention deficit in children is a disorder that should raise awareness in parents. Making them look for the "cure" to not only prevent a delay in learning, but also to be able to develop at a 100% their social skills, personal care and the ability to perform tasks of all kinds. It is expected that there will be fewer and fewer children with attention deficit and may have a matured brain.

 Source: Anonymous. (2019). They detect weaker brain connections in people with autism and ADHD. 2019, Medical Drafting Website: https://www.redaccionmedica.com/secciones/psiquiatria/detectan-conexiones-cerebrales-mas-debiles-en-personas-con-autismo-y-tdah--6373