Home
>
Parenting
>
Is it Attention Deficit Disorder or is it Tourettes Syndrome?

Is it Attention Deficit Disorder or is it Tourettes Syndrome?

During the assessment process it is of great importance for the physician or clinician to consider other possible causes of inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity in your child (or teen, or yourself). In fact, this is probably the most important element of a good assessment. There are several possible causes of these behaviors, especially in children, and the clinician must have great certainty that these other possible causes have been ruled out before giving the label of "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" to your child.

One of the first things to have ruled out is a thyroid problem. Only MD's can do this, so off they go for a physical. This is not a common problem, but it does happen, even in children. Thyroid problems can cause inattention, learning problems, even hyperactivity and impulsivity in some. Once that has been ruled out by the doctor, then other environmental or emotional causes of inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity need to be ruled out.

Depression in children often causes inattention, as in adults, and also often causes impulsivity and irritability and excessive restlessness or agitation. Anxiety disorders in children can result in agitation, impulsivity, hyper- vigilance, motor restlessness, and excessive startle responses, as well as inattention to task. Significant emotional traumas can also result in these behaviors. Physical or sexual abuse, divorce or other significant loss, or the death of a loved one.

Physical traumas can also cause the same behaviors as ADHD, such as a minor head injury from an auto accident, sports injury, falling as a child, and so on. For example, one of my "ADHD" kids, who was extremely hyperactive and also very oppositional and at times violent toward others, took part in one of our research projects. As part of the study we "brain mapped" him (QEEG) at the onset of the study. We saw two small head injuries in the back of the head and one big injury in the front of the head.

The frontal problem was expected, but the problems in the back of the head were not. I simply asked the parents, "When did he bash the back of his head?" They thought for a minute and remembered that when he was about six weeks old he had fallen out of his crib onto a hard flood so hard that they had to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital. They had forgotten about the incident during the clinical interview, but the mapping showed a clear problem. He fell on the back of the head, causing those injuries, and the brain "sloshed" forward causing the frontal injuries. These injuries have resulted in a lack of inhibition and cortical control, temper outbursts, and learning problems. The diagnosis here would not be ADHD, but rather a head injury.

Mark my words, in the next five years you will see lots of research showing that playing soccer causes minor head injuries from "heading" the ball. A brain researcher friend of mine has seen this several times now in treating soccer players (professional and collegiate) for memory problems and other cognitive problems.

Every once in a while we see someone who has been exposed to toxins come down with cognitive problems. We live one of the biggest agricultural areas in the world, and sometimes people get sprayed by chemicals, or get exposed to pesticides other ways. This can result in all kinds of neurological problems.

Tourette's Syndrome is also commonly misdiagnosed as ADHD. Think of it as basically ADHD with tics, and it is a close genetic cousin to ADHD. But it is important to know the difference, as the treatment for ADHD is often stimulants, and sometimes stimulant medications can make Tourette's worse. You can learn a great deal about Tourette's Syndrome in a great book by David Comings, MD, titled, "Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior." It should be available through your library.

What are the major things to look for then? The big clue is in knowing whether the target behaviors (inattention, or impulsivity, or hyperactivity) have always been apparent to some degree or other, or if they just started one day. And if they just "started one day," then did they start as the result of some event (traumatic or environmental) ?

ADHD is usually "always there" while the other things tend to have a starting date. Tourette's is the exception, as sometimes it has "always been there," and sometimes it has a starting date. Realistically, if it looks like ADHD, then it probably is, but as a clinician the other possibilities must always be ruled out before making a diagnosis and developing a treatment plan. Information on the different types of adhd and specific treatment recommendations is available at the ADHD Information Library.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including different types of adhd, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.

family-safe home cleaners Morton Grove ..

In The News:

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Is it Attention Deficit Disorder or is it Tourettes Syndrome?

Parenting