ADHD and Down syndrome By: Sue Buckley
It talks about:
What is ADHD:
There are three main sets of symptoms of ADHD described in typically developing children. These are:
• problems with concentrating or paying attention (attention deficit)
• being very active (hyperactivity)
• acting before thinking (impulsivity)
The diagnosis is made by a psychiatrist on the basis of agreed diagnostic criteria which are descriptions of behaviors. There is no blood test or truly objective way of agreeing that a child has ADHD. It is thought to be very common among children, with estimates suggesting 3% to 8% of children may have ADHD in the UK [1] and USA.[2] Boys are about 3 times more likely to have ADHD than girls and some research indicates that there may be a genetic component to the condition.
It is suggested that there are three types of the disorder, the inattentive type, where attention and staying on task is the main problem area, the hyperactive-impulsive type, where the child is very active and often acts without thinking, and the combined type, where the child is inattentive, impulsive and too active.
ADHD is even more difficult to diagnose reliably in children with additional difficulties. In the typical child, a judgement is made as to whether the child is more inattentive, active or impulsive than would be expected for his or her age. In a child with Down syndrome, allowance will also have to be made for developmental delay and speech and language delay.
Click HERE to read more.
It talks about:
What is ADHD:
There are three main sets of symptoms of ADHD described in typically developing children. These are:
• problems with concentrating or paying attention (attention deficit)
• being very active (hyperactivity)
• acting before thinking (impulsivity)
The diagnosis is made by a psychiatrist on the basis of agreed diagnostic criteria which are descriptions of behaviors. There is no blood test or truly objective way of agreeing that a child has ADHD. It is thought to be very common among children, with estimates suggesting 3% to 8% of children may have ADHD in the UK [1] and USA.[2] Boys are about 3 times more likely to have ADHD than girls and some research indicates that there may be a genetic component to the condition.
It is suggested that there are three types of the disorder, the inattentive type, where attention and staying on task is the main problem area, the hyperactive-impulsive type, where the child is very active and often acts without thinking, and the combined type, where the child is inattentive, impulsive and too active.
ADHD is even more difficult to diagnose reliably in children with additional difficulties. In the typical child, a judgement is made as to whether the child is more inattentive, active or impulsive than would be expected for his or her age. In a child with Down syndrome, allowance will also have to be made for developmental delay and speech and language delay.
Click HERE to read more.
References
- ADDiss: ADHD Information Services. (2003). Retrieved 20 February, 2006, from http://www.addiss.co.uk/adhd.htm
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2005). Mental Health in the United States: Prevalence of Diagnosis and Medication Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder - United States, 2003. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 54(34), 842-847. Retrieved 20 February, 2006, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5434a2.htm
--Sue Buckley
By: Sue Buckley,
The next article, written by Ruth Palatnik from Israel, describes the profile of difficulties that her daughter Rina experienced, and which finally led to her being diagnosed as having ADHD as well as Down syndrome.
This led me to do a search of the literature to see what information there was on this particular dual diagnosis.
The answer is - very little. We found only 4 articles mentioning either attention difficulties or hyperactivity in individuals with Down syndrome - with widely differing estimates and interpretations of their findings.
One reason for this will be that a pediatrician or child psychiatrist will be reluctant to make the diagnosis when a child already has a developmental disability. In addition, checklists may overestimate ADHD symptoms if the rater does not take account of the child's level of developmental delay.
--Sue Buckley
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