Expert talk demystifies ADHD
By Jonathan Wexler
If you think that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder) is becoming more prevalent, you are not wrong. It is certainly being
diagnosed more often, and affects up to 10 percent of children in our
classrooms.
ADHD is a psychiatric condition affecting a child's
self-control, leading to impulsive behavior, trouble in school and with
relationships, and with performing tasks in general. While ADHD also affects
adults, it is mostly diagnosed in children and is often first noticed by
teachers.
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Dr. Emmett Francoeur spoke at the Eleanor London
Côte Saint-Luc Public Library |
ADHD also happens to be a specialty of recognized
pediatrician Dr. Emmett Francoeur, developmental physician with the Montreal
Children’s Hospital, who spoke on the subject to a crowd of mostly teachers and
parents at the Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc Public Library on September 14, 2016.
Dr. Francoeur, suffering from laryngitis, but in good spirits,
started his presentation ADHD, TED talk
style by making it clear that ADHD is a neurobiological condition and that
"it is not the invention of teachers or parents who are at their wits
end." In fact, Dr. Francoeur clarified that there
are anatomical differences in the brains of ADHD sufferers that can be seen in
MRI tests.
He explained that ADHD affects the executive functions of
the brain. He listed a variety of technical terms for these, such as the
"mental energy controller", "the processing control part",
and "saliency determination", which boil down to the brain being able
to understand, organize, and prioritize the information it takes in and act
accordingly. "Someone with severe ADHD can walk into a classroom like it
is their first time, even when it is November or December," said Dr. Francoeur.
"Executive functions don't work efficiently for people with ADHD."
Dr. Francoeur emphasized that diagnosing a child with ADHD
is not straightforward. "There has to be due diligence as to whether a
child has ADHD," he said, adding that there are 2,000 faces of ADHD. Other
conditions and medical reasons have to be ruled out. There is no substitute
for, what he says, are "asking the questions".
These questions are actually the diagnostic criteria for
ADHD in the psychiatric manual DSM-V, which describes three variants of the
condition: the inattentive type, the hyperactive compulsive type, and the most
common which combines symptoms of the first two.
Dr. Francoeur suggested various classroom accommodations,
such as smaller classes, frequent recess periods, and flexibility of due dates
for the ADHD student. His four-pronged approach to helping children with ADHD
includes medication, parent training, interpersonal training for children, and
study skills.
Jonathan Wexler is a Montreal area writer
with extensive experience in the technical communications field.
