ADHD Occupational Therapy Sydney
What is it?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. ADHD is characterised primarily by inattention, easy distractibility, disorganisation, procrastination, forgetfulness and lethargy or fatigue. Symptoms usually show before the age of seven. It is most common in school-age children.
ADHD is a chronic disorder, meaning that it affects an individual throughout life. The symptoms are also pervasive, meaning they occur in multiple settings, rather than just one.
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What are some signs or symptoms of ADHD?
Current research supports the idea of two distinct characteristics of ADHD, inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity. A child with these characteristics typically demonstrates the following signs:
- Restlessness
- Being easily distracted
- Constant fidgeting
- Children with ADHD may also experience sleep disorders or learning difficulties.
- ADHD has no effect on intelligence.
Treatment for individuals with ADHD usually involves a combination of medication, behaviour modification, learning coping techniques, lifestyle changes and counselling. Many children with ADHD will also have sensory processing disorders and this can contribute to their inability to pay attention, focus and concentrate.
Children with ADHD often have difficulties with their fine motor, cognitive and play development which affects their participation, academic and social success at home, preschool/school and extracurricular activities. Children with ADHD benefit from Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy to assist develop these skill areas. School readiness activities are often important in order to ensure that your child has the best start to school.
Inattention
- Has difficulty concentrating
- Has unrelated thoughts
- Has problems focusing and sustaining attention
- Performance depends on task
- May have better attention to enjoyed activities
- Has difficulty planning, organising, and completing tasks on time
- Has problems learning new things
- Demonstrates poor self-regulation of behaviour, that is, he or she has difficulty monitoring and modifying behaviour to fit different situations and settings
Hyperactivity
- Seems unable to sit still (e.g., squirming in their seat, roaming around the room, tapping pencil, wiggling feet, and touching everything)
- Appears restless and fidgety
- May bounce from one activity to the next
- Often tries to do more than one thing at once
Impulsivity
- Difficulty thinking before acting (e.g., hitting a classmate when he/she is upset or frustrated)
- Problems waiting his/her turn, such as when playing a game
How is ADHD diagnosed?
ADHD is diagnosed by the child’s doctor. A physician will work with the family and student to prescribe medication, if needed, to help with attention. If medication is prescribed, the SLP will work with the family and other professionals to observe the student’s pre- and post-medication behavior.
As part of the educational team, the SLP will communicate with the family and physician regarding any post-medication behavioural changes.
- Is the student drowsy?
- Is sustained attention better/worse?
- How long does it take for the medication to take effect?
The physician will use these observations to adjust dosage, the time medications are administered, and which medication is used.
The SLP, along with other team members, will work with the teacher to change the classroom environment as needed (e.g., sitting the student in the front of the classroom, having the student repeat directions before following them, using checklists and other visual organisers to help with planning and follow-through).
Many professionals are often involved with children with ADHD. These professionals include:
- Paediatricians
- Psychologists
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech Language Pathologists
- Regular, special education, and resource teachers
- Nurses
What you can do
When symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity or impulsiveness are significantly affecting a child’s ability to learn and to complete activities of daily living, then a diagnosis and intervention should be sought.
Our therapists are happy to conduct an assessment and begin intervention as required. We can help you determine whether your child would benefit from occupational therapy, speech therapy, or both. Be sure to speak with your child’s teachers and carers to gather information about any concerns they may have as this will help prioritise therapy intervention goals.
What Therapies for Kids can do
Following a full assessment of your child’s individual differences in motor skills, play, learning, organisation, planning and their sensory process your therapists will develop goals and a therapy plan with you.
Your Occupational Therapist may target...
- Fine motor skills
- Gross motor skills
- Handwriting
- Social and play skills
- Sensory processing difficulties
- Visual perception
- Help the child to attend and learn by adapting the environment and activities and providing and teaching specific strategies
Your Speech Language Pathologist may target...
- Observing the interactions with peers and authority figures in the classroom and during formal testing
- Observing conversation with parents and other family members
- Interviewing parents/caregivers about speech and language development
- Interviewing the child to evaluate self-awareness of needs and difficulties, as age appropriate
- Formally evaluating speech and language skills, such as fluency (whether or not child stutters), speech articulation (pronunciation and clarity of speech), understanding and use of grammar (syntax), understanding and use of vocabulary (semantics ), awareness of speech sounds (phonemic awareness)
- Evaluating the ability to explain or retell a story, centering on a topic and chaining a sequence of events together
- Assessing social communication skills (pragmatic language)
- Discussing stories and the points of view of various characters
- Assessing the ability to plan, organise, and attend to details
Specific speech and language patterns vary from child to child with ADHD. For example, some children with ADHD also have learning disabilities that affect their speech and language. Evaluation of each child’s individual speech and language ability is critical to developing an appropriate treatment plan.
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