Comorbidities of ADHD

Approximately half of all people with ADHD suffer from another condition. This is known as a comorbidity. Sometimes comorbidities are considered 'secondary' or triggered by ADHD. For example, a child could be particularly depressed because they are constantly being told off for being impulsive or not being able to focus on the task at hand. This will generally subside once the ADHD is diagnosed and treated. When the problems don't resolve this is when a condition is considered comorbid or standalone, a diagnosis in itself. The condition is both chronic and pervasive. That means they were noticed early on in childhood and…

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Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in Children

Since blogging about ADHD in children, I have come across so many other comorbidities such as ASD, ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder), Anxiety, RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria) and here is yet another one, PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance).  PDA is widely understood to be on the autistic spectrum or ASD as it is now called.  As I have learnt ASD and ADHD are also closely linked.  My daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD, and I work with children who have ASD and PDA, so I was really interested in the difference between ODD and Pathological Demand Avoidance in children.  What is Pathological…

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ADHD and Dysgraphia in children

ADHD and Dysgraphia can both impact a child's ability to learn. ADHD is a condition that impacts a person's ability to focus and stay on task. Dysgraphia is a condition that impacts a person's ability to write correctly. Children who have ADHD and dysgraphia may struggle in school and may have difficulty completing assignments or taking tests. Approximately 31-45% of children with ADHD have a learning disorder such as Dysgraphia, and vice versa (Sage Journals). My daughter has ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia. What is Dysgraphia? Dysgraphia is a condition that affects a person's ability to write correctly. The word dysgraphia comes from…

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ADHD and Bipolar Disorder

ADHD and bipolar disorder are both mental disorders that can cause problems with focus, energy, mood, and impulsivity. People with ADHD have difficulty paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours, or being overly active. Those with bipolar disorder experience extreme changes in mood, energy, and behaviour. ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents. It is estimated that between 3 and 5% of school-aged children have ADHD. Bipolar disorder is less common, affecting about 1-1.8% of all children, but that's still a lot of children! Until only quite recently it was believed that only adults could have bipolar. However,…

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ADHD and Dyspraxia in Children

ADHD and dyspraxia are both neurodevelopmental disorders. ADHD is a condition that affects focus, attention, and impulsivity. Dyspraxia (also known as DCD, Developmental Coordination Disorder) is a condition that affects fine and gross motor skills, coordination and movement. It is often referred to as a "motor learning disability." This means that it can be difficult for people with dyspraxia to learn new motor skills, or to execute previously learned motor skills. Dyspraxia can occur in isolation, or it can be comorbid with other conditions, such as ADHD. In fact, research suggests that ADHD and dyspraxia often co-occur. One study found that 36…

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ADHD and OCD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are two of the most common mental health conditions in the United States. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by problems with focus, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. OCD is a chronic condition marked by unwanted and intrusive thoughts, emotions, or impulses that lead to repetitive behaviours or compulsions. Roughly 30% of people with OCD have ADHD. While they have some similarities, they are also two very different disorders. I decided to write this post to explore the link between ADHD and OCD, as well as the symptoms and treatments available for each condition. The…

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ADHD and Depression in Children

Children as young as six years old are susceptible to depression.  It is estimated that nearly half of all children with ADHD will suffer from depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders.  Some statistics show up to 70 per cent of individuals with ADHD will at some point be treated for depression. That is an incredibly high figure.  Statistics also show that the third leading cause of death for adolescents aged 15-24 years is suicide, with depression on the rise. Those are incredibly sad figures to read.  This post isn’t supposed to scare you, but rather to raise awareness for what some of…

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ADHD and Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is often thought of as dyslexia with numbers.  It is a learning disorder involving numbers and concepts relating to numbers.  What was shocking to read is that about 60% of children with ADHD also have another learning disorder such as dyscalculia.  This figure is only about 5% in neurotypical (NT) children.  My daughter has ADHD and dyscalculia, so I really wanted to try and understand exactly what it is, hence this post. What is Dyscalculia? Dyscalculia is a maths learning disorder.  This involves difficulties with not only everyday numbers but also maths symbols (addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication), wording (one more…

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ADHD in children and sleep problems

There is not one part of our body that does not benefit from sleep.  And it’s no surprise that importantly, our brain needs sleep to function correctly.  Lack of sleep not only impacts our physical but also our mental health... I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I love my sleep.  But that’s probably because I rarely get a good night’s sleep.  Like a lot of parents, I am a light sleeper because I’m always listening out for a child who might need me in the night.  When one tiptoes in, after I’ve managed a couple of hours of sleep, my…

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ADHD and Emotional Regulation

Keep Moving! When we think of ADHD the first things that generally spring to mind are hyperactivity, fidgeting and/or attention difficulties.  However, one of the biggest burdens someone with ADHD must deal with is the inability to regulate their emotions.  This emotional dysregulation is extreme and largely underestimated. Whilst children with ADHD experience the same emotions as others, they experience them more intensely.  As discussed before, (The ADHD Brain) there are very real brain differences in a child with ADHD.  These differences result in delayed development of parts of the brain, one of these being delayed emotional development.  The prevalence of emotional…

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