ALL parents love their children. Or at least they try to. But sometimes those children can be so difficult and frustrating.
It’s easy to criticise other parents for losing their temper or resorting to physical punishment to discipline their child, but what would you do if your child persistently failed to pay close attention to details; did not appear to listen; had difficulty sustaining attention; struggled to follow instructions; had difficulty with organisation; avoided or disliked tasks requiring sustained mental effort; lost things; was easily distracted; was forgetful in daily activities; fidgeted or squirmed in chairs; had difficulty remaining seated; ran about or climbed excessively; had difficulty engaging in activities quietly; acted as if driven by a motor; talked excessively; blurted out answers before questions were completed; had difficulty waiting or taking turns; or interrupted or intruded upon others?
What parent wouldn’t question what was ‘wrong’ with their child? Is he lazy? Naughty? The answer to those questions may be no.
Occasionally, we may all have difficulty sitting still, paying attention or controlling impulsive behaviour. For some people, however, the problem is so pervasive that it interferes with daily life. These people suffer from the neurological brain disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The disorder affects three to five per cent of all children, boys twice as much as girls. While some children outgrow ADHD, about 60 per cent carry symptoms into adulthood.
ADHD is a complex condition because symptoms can vary. Typically, sufferers who are particularly hyperactive are more likely to be referred for treatment than are those with symptoms of inattention, which leads to under-diagnosis of the disorder. Moreover, the expression of the illness tends to change over time, with the symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity decreasing with age, although the symptoms of inattention often persist.
Another difficulty is that ADHD often co-exists with other conditions, making it difficult to distinguish. Many patients may also suffer from depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, relationship problems, while some symptoms may overlap with other medical conditions.
This is why early diagnosis and treatment is so important. The earlier children are helped, the better quality of life they will have.
But what about the parents? Who do they turn to when they can’t take it any more? Who will support them and help them understand what they, their child and family are going through? Who will help make the teachers understand that their pupils are not simply naughty or lazy and that they need to take the time and effort to get to the root of the problem?
Around three years ago, feeling, alone, frustrated and fed up, Susan Chrysostomou, a parent of ADHD children, founded ‘ADHD Support’ in Cyprus. Today, 80 families from Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paralimni are registered with the group.
It has taken that long to build it up because ADHD is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week disorder that absorbs families, leaving them with no time to commit their time elsewhere.
Feeling alone in the problem is very common, said Chrysostomou. Everyone needs emotional support, and ADHD Support can offer just that.
“We are like a family. We make friends and know everyone. Just knowing you have someone to call who understands and can share your problem is a great comfort,” she said.
ADHD Support seeks to help families and teachers of sufferers and to give them a better understanding of the disorder. In the past year, a committee of 11 members has been set up. These members divide into groups, with group leaders who focus on various projects that ADHD Support has undertaken. These include medical, educational, public awareness and internal social matters, such as workshops.
“On a general scale, we hold monthly meetings where we might have a guest speaker who talks about an ADHD topic, or we might have a question and answer forum, we might watch a controversial video followed by a discussion, or we might even give out information on ADHD and discuss it, particularly if there are new members at the meeting who don’t know as much about the subject as our older members,” said Chrysostomou.
The meetings are held in Nicosia and members are notified via SMS, e-mail or phone. “Naturally with the right amount of commitment and if there is a big enough demand the group would start holding meetings in Limassol as well,” said Chrysostomou. This would then meet the needs of interested parties living in Paphos.
Members normally gather at around 7.30pm, giving them a chance to have a coffee and a chat before the meeting actually begins in order to feel more comfortable. The topic of discussion for the day begins at 8pm and lasts around two hours. Talks are either in English or Greek, or both with the use of a translator.
“In two weeks’ time, a psychiatrist will be joining us to discuss medication and new treatments available abroad, which we are moving towards using in Cyprus.
“At present, we only have Ritalin and it’s only available in one dosage, which means kids often have to top up at school, thus attaching stigma to them,” said Chrysostomou.
The new medications to be discussed at next month’s meeting are slow release and extended release drugs, which mean children only have to take one pill in the morning, which lasts throughout the day.
“This means there is no stigma at school, the teacher has a better handling of their student and parents have an easier handling on their child on a 24-hour basis.”
Chrysostomou said the speaker would go into the pros and cons of the medication because the group did not want to offer bias in any way. Taking medication was a family’s personal decision and one that was made with the family physician and the child’s psychiatrist, she explained.
On top of the monthly meetings, family days are also held several times a year, at which all members and their families, including their ADHD children and non-ADHD siblings, get together on a day out.
ADHD Support has also undertaken to inform primary schools and all private English schools about the disorder by posting them information.
“Public gymnasiums and lyceums have been a problem because there is no real educational support in the government system. To do this we are trying to get support from the Education Ministry and one of our project leaders has set up a meeting with them,” she said.
The group also wants to meet with government educational psychologists to find out what they offer. “Most children are not getting the attention they need and most teachers are not trained to identify that there is a problem like ADHD. Instead they label the child as lazy, naughty or a delinquent.”
Early diagnosis means the problem is easier to address. “It will also help teach the child to help himself or herself. That’s why our target is nursery schools and primary schools. Once a child hits adolescence, other problems are brought about and it’s more difficult to start helping them,” said Chrysostomou.
In the New Year, the group also plans to start teacher workshops, run by pre-school teachers, to help teach them ways in which to recognise and deal with ADHD students.
“Teachers are already brought to us by existing parent members so that they gain awareness. They can discuss the problems they face in class and then we discuss it to help them deal with the problem.”
Parents also needed to work with teachers to explain the situation. Otherwise a lack of understanding and care can lead children to feel lost, alone and misunderstood, which in turn enhances difficult behaviour.
Meanwhile, parent training workshops are also in the pipeline to help give parents tips on how to treat their child within set structures and limits, such as
using charts and reward techniques. And children’s theatre workshops are also being discussed to help sufferers learn how to interact with other children and to help teach them how to behave in certain situations.
“The more people we reach and make aware of this problem, the better quality of life these children will have, which they are entitled to. We can’t go around training all the teachers, but we can try and teach them while they are still at the University of Cyprus or studying at local colleges. We need more awareness from the root. This is not a straightforward problem. It is a hidden disability and families, as well as the general public, need to understand this,” she said.
ADHD Support have a long, arduous road ahead of them. Can they make it?
“Who knows? All we can do is try,” said Chrysostomou.
For further information, telephone 22-816084. If there is no answer, leave a message and Susan Chrysostomou or another member will get back to you.
