Diagnosis of Adult-Onset ADHD

ADHD used to be understood as an illness exclusively experienced in childhood. However, Adult-Onset ADHD is raising questions about the brain disorder.

New data suggests that some people experience ADHD in adulthood without having been diagnosed with ADHD in childhood. Theories suggest that there may exist two distinct syndromes: adult-onset ADHD and childhood ADHD.  Researchers believe that childhood-onset and adulthood-onset of ADHD, may reflect different causes.  Adult-onset ADHD is not as clear as simply developing ADHD as an adult, though.

What Causes Adult-Onset ADHD?

More studies are needed to determine the nuances of this disorder.  It is unclear exactly what causes a late onset of ADHD.

It is possible that some people with symptoms of ADHD in adulthood do not have ADHD at all, but rather an unrelated mental health problem such as an addiction, or stress.

It is also possible that it is not a late onset of ADHD, but rather a concealed mental health issue during childhood.  One could have had some characteristics of ADHD, but didn’t meet the official criteria for a diagnosis in their youth. Thus, this would cause individuals to seek treatment for ADHD later on in life. There may have been signs during childhood that things weren’t going too well, but the symptoms and signs weren’t bad enough to go see a doctor until they were older.  Growing up, they may have had supportive environments that let them learn in creative ways, but as soon as those environments changed into holding down jobs with rigid deadlines and strict bosses, these individuals started experiencing symptoms more prominently, causing problems in their lives.

What is the understanding of Adult-Onset ADHD Now?

While an understanding of ADHD has evolved to include adult sufferers, there remains controversy around the diagnosis.

Even though the condition can look very different at different ages, the conventional wisdom remains that adults with ADHD also had it as children.

Much of the recent literature on adult ADHD is fresh, since it’s a relatively new diagnosis.

These findings raise questions, such as how to adequately treat adult patients, and how should clinicians evaluate adults who have no childhood history of ADHD.

What to Do If You Believe You Have ADHD

Dr. Gordon is an experienced ADHD expert. He is devoted to helping you learn more about ADHD and find solutions for each individual’s needs. Please feel free to contact Dr. Gordon at DrGordon@pathwaysna.com for any concerns or questions regarding ADHD about yourself, or a loved one.

Dr. Gordon is an experienced ADHD expert. He is devoted to helping you learn more about ADHD and find solutions for each individual’s needs. Please feel free to contact us for any concerns or questions regarding ADHD about yourself, or a loved one.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with ADHD. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

Differences In Brain Structure For Children With A.D.H.D

Significant differences are present in the brains of those with and without A.D.H.D as early as preschool according to a new study published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

Changes include a smaller brain, and reductions in the size of several specific regions, including the frontal lobes. The magnitude of those reductions predicted how bad their A.D.H.D. is.

It is more common for an A.D.H.D. diagnosis to be made when children have trouble in school, rather than in the preschool years. That’s partly because there are few demands for most 3-year-olds to sit still and focus, and it is considered developmentally normal to be somewhat boisterous at that age. 

This study has contributed to the belief in the biological basis of A.D.H.D. However, what matters most is how the brain grows and changes; it’s the trajectory that needs to be understood, and which will help project future function and target help.

How Where The Four And Five Year Old Kids Coaxed Into Taking This Fancy Brain Scans?

Dr. Mahone’s team would bring the children in for practice sessions in a mock scanner, which looks and sounds just like a regular M.R.I. machine. If the child has trouble holding still, they can practice with a motion detector worn on the forehead, while watching a favorite movie that shuts off if the child moves.

It is important to acknowledge that the need to stay still for the scans may mean that the study included only children with more moderate symptoms.

The Takeaway

This is the first comprehensive study to have used M.R.I. scans on the brains of children as young as 4 with A.D.H.D. symptoms. This is a descriptive study that cannot establish cause and effect. But looking at these children’s brains as they change over time will be very important in providing invaluable data that allows us to learn more about children with A.D.H.D.

This study and others like it may help to identify A.D.H.D earlier on and start behavioral interventions as early as possible to improve outcomes.

Dr. Gordon is an experienced ADHD expert. He is devoted to helping you learn more about ADHD and find solutions for each individual’s needs. Please feel free to contact us for any concerns or questions regarding ADHD about yourself, or a loved one.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with ADHD. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.

The Kazdin Technique

According to the Kazdin technique, punishment alone does not change bad behavior and teach a new more appropriate behavior. Even gentle punishments, like time-out, or reasoning, does not work by itself.

The fundamental principle in the Kazdin technique is to positively reinforce a behavior you want to see until the negative behavior is replaced. It can be applied to all children but it can be especially helpful if your child has ADHD.

Applied behavior analysis focuses on 3 steps in changing behavior:

1) What comes before the behavior

2) How you craft the behavior

3) What you do at the end, after the behavior occurs

One of the most important tools in getting your child to behave in a certain manner is the appearance of choice. The appearance of choice increases the likelihood of compliance.

For example, if you are trying to get your child to brush their teeth, you can give them the option of eating a snack then brushing, or playing a game then brushing. The appearance of choice is there but brushing is inevitable.

Dealing with the behavior itself.

If you are seeking compliance and it is achieved, you praise the behavior, or use ‘positive attention’.

You also should try and have the child practice the behavioral changes in order to lock in the habits. The change can usually take about one to three weeks to take hold.

What are Positive Opposites?

Positive opposites are behaviors that are the exact opposite of problem behaviors.

For example, leaving a mess is a problem behavior whereas cleaning up, is the opposite of the problem behavior.

Whenever you want to get rid of something, think of what you want in its place.

For example, if your child’s behavior is running in the house, you want to replace it with walking in the house.

Research shows trying to suppress certain behaviors by using guilt or control will lead to escape behavior on the part of the child. It will lead them to avoid you as soon as they get home from school and it will model negative interactions toward you.

Reasoning With Your Child

It is also important to reason with your child because it changes how they process things and think. But while it may help problem-solving, it is not influential in changing their behavior.

Dr. Gordon is an experienced ADHD expert. He is devoted to helping you learn more about ADHD and find solutions for each individual’s needs. Please feel free to contact us for any concerns or questions regarding ADHD about yourself, or a loved one.

The Pathways team of professionals has helped thousands of people with ADHD. We are Dedicated to effective and compassionate care for individuals with neurological challenges.