Many different theories of hyperactivity have been suggested, but so far there has not yet been one that can fully account for all aspects (and all occurrences) of the condition. Most of them fall within the following three broad categories.
Many different theories of hyperactivity have been suggested, but so far there has not yet been one that can fully account for all aspects (and all occurrences) of the condition. Most of them fall within the following three broad categories.
Minimal brain damage, the popular term for the condition about twenty to thirty years ago, reflected current thinking that the condition was a result of minimal damage to the central nervous system thought to occur before or at the time of birth. Although this can account for a small percent of hyperactive children, there are many brain-damaged children who are not hyperactive.
It is being increasingly accepted that hyperactivity is a generic condition that is passed on from generation to generation.
The environment has an important part to play and it has been suggested that unfavorable environmental condition (both physical and emotional) can causesymptoms of hyperactivity .It is also possible that an unfavorable environment could aggravate and accentuate problems to such an extent that a child who is mildly hyperactive manifests very server symptoms.
Physical environmental conditions include smoke, excess lead, exposure tochemicals and pollutants. A child coming from a relatively calm and stable home environment is far less likely to display the extremes of behavior as another who has a volatile, unpredictable and unstable family life.
Two areas responsible for hyperactivity.
Messages from the perceptual organs (eyes, ears, skin) travel to the brain along specific neuronal pathways. When moving from one neuron (nerve cell) to the next, the message must cross a minute gap between the two cells. Neurotransmitters are biochemical substances which determine how efficiently this will happen. Some neurotransmitters have an excitatory effect while others have a calming effect. The nerve endings produce the required neurotransmitter for each message and reabsorb it immediately after the message has been relayed. If the body produces to little of a specific neurotransmitter or reabsorbs it to soon, then that neurotransmitter is in short supply. A neurotransmitter imbalance will therefore affect the functioning of that person. Drug therapy usually targets this neurotransmitter imbalance and attempts to correct it.
The frontal lobes are apart of the brain involved in the regulation of behavior and intellectual activities. Photon Emission Tomography (PET) Scans ofADHD children have shown underactive of the frontal lobes. As a result, there is a lack of control of the higher centers of the brain associated with impulse control, memory, the ability to pay attention and reasoning with respect to the consequences of actions. Drug therapy or stimulant medication is also used to stimulate this area into functioning more effectively.
Many parents have turned away from medication and resorted to a natural way of helping their child find positive result in their own strengths for a sense of accomplishment. Encouraging the child is the best thing the child needs.Products such as these help bring out the strengths in ADD and ADHD children unlike drugs that leave the child drowsy and unhappy.
