ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The condition can manifest itself in problems with attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Existing treatments can significantly reduce ADHD symptoms, but they do not cure the condition or provide significant long-term improvement. “That’s why it’s critical to find out how ADHD develops and whether prevention is possible,” says Hartman. ‘Not because ADHD is exclusively negative,’ she points out, ‘there are a lot of positives. Children with ADHD are often very energetic and enthusiastic. But children with severe ADHD sometimes experience significant problems in their daily lives. In that case, a child cannot keep up with the class at school, even if he has the ability, ‘Hartman provides as an example. ‘Or you can’t make or keep friends.’ Of his research on the origin of ADHD and the possible role of prevention, would like to help those children.
Little is known about ADHD prevention
The prevention of ADHD is a little explored area of research. “A diagnosis of ADHD is usually given when a child is in primary school, but parents often realize earlier that their child’s development is different from that of other children.” Little is known about the early signs of ADHD. In Hartman’s study, which he is conducting alongside his colleague Nanda Rommelse of Radboudumc, the researchers track 700 children and their parents from pregnancy to age 6. This is the period before the onset of ADHD. Some of the children have at least one biological parent with ADHD.
The environment probably influences
‘In order to better recognize the first signs, let’s look at heredity, among other things. ADHD is highly hereditary and often occurs in families, so there is a possibility that children of parents with ADHD will develop ADHD themselves, ‘Hartman says. “But not all children who have a parent with ADHD will develop ADHD on their own, and not all children will experience the same amount of ADHD symptoms.” The environment likely also affects the extent to which children have ADHD symptoms. “Because we know more about the early signs of ADHD in relation to the environment, we can use it to reduce symptom severity or adverse effects.”
Emotional outbursts at a young age
Hartman suspects that children who have significant problems regulating their emotions at a young age may develop ADHD later. For example, you can think of frequent and violent outbursts of anger or frustration. Children learn from parents how to regulate their emotions. “As a child you don’t realize that you have to rest if you feel too much stimulation or if things don’t work out,” she explains. ‘As a parent you can distract a child or hug him to reassure him. It is therefore important how you as a parent respond to your child, but it is not always easy. ‘
Support parents
In the study, Hartman and his colleagues examine whether or not ADHD can be prevented as severe by supporting parents in teaching their child emotion-regulating skills. In this therapy, with the support of a therapist, parents can practice how to cope with their child’s emotions in difficult situations. By providing parents with tools, the researchers hope that children learn better how to cope with these intense emotions. “As a result, ADHD may develop less violently in the future and children have fewer problems in their daily lives.”
