Prevention of ADHD is a scarcely explored area of research
A child with a severe form of ADHD can experience limitations in daily life. This can be very annoying for the child, says researcher Catharina Hartman of the University Center for Psychiatry (UCP) of the UMCG. With her research into the development of ADHD and the possible role of prevention, she wants to help these children.
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The condition can manifest itself in attention problems, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Existing treatments can significantly reduce the symptoms of ADHD, but they do not cure the condition or provide significant long-term improvement. ‘That is why it is crucial to find out how ADHD develops and whether prevention is possible,’ says Hartman. ‘Not because ADHD is exclusively negative’, she emphasizes, ‘there are many nice sides to it. Children with ADHD are often very energetic and enthusiastic. But children with a severe form of ADHD sometimes experience significant problems in their daily lives. In that case, a child cannot keep up with class at school, even though it does have the capacity to do so’, Hartman gives as an example. ‘Or you don’t succeed in making or keeping friends.’ With her research into the development of ADHD and the possible role of prevention, she wants to help these children.
Little is known about the prevention of ADHD
Prevention of ADHD is a scarcely explored area of research. ‘A diagnosis of ADHD is usually given when a child is in primary school, but parents often realize earlier that their child’s development is different from that of other children.’ Little is known about the early signs of ADHD. In Hartman’s study, which she is leading together with her colleague Nanda Rommelse from Radboudumc, researchers follow 700 babies and their parents from pregnancy up to the age of 6. This is the period before the onset of ADHD. Some of the babies have at least one biological parent with ADHD.
The environment probably influences
‘In order to be able to recognize the early signs better, we look at heredity, among other things. ADHD is strongly hereditary and often occurs in families, so there is a chance that children of parents with ADHD will also develop ADHD themselves,’ says Hartman. ‘But by no means all children who have a parent with ADHD will develop ADHD themselves and not all children experience the same amount of ADHD symptoms.’ The environment probably also influences the extent to which children have ADHD symptoms. “As we know more about the early signs of ADHD in relation to the environment, we can use this to reduce symptom severity or adverse effects.”
Emotional outbursts at a young age
Hartman suspects that children who have significant problems regulating their emotions at a young age may develop ADHD later on. For example, you can think of frequent and violent outbursts of anger or frustration. Children learn from their parents how to regulate their emotions. ‘As a young child you don’t realize that you have to take a rest if you feel too many stimuli or if things don’t work out,’ she explains. ‘As a parent you can distract a child or give them a hug to reassure them. It is therefore important how you as a parent respond to your child, but this is not always easy.’
Supporting parents
In the study, Hartman and her colleagues look at whether ADHD can be prevented or less severe by supporting parents in teaching their child emotion regulation skills. In this therapy, with the support of a therapist, parents can practice how to deal with their child’s emotions in difficult situations. By providing parents with tools, the researchers hope that children will learn better to deal with these intense emotions. ‘As a result, ADHD may develop less violently in the future and children experience fewer problems in their daily lives.’
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