Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behaviour, and over-activity.

Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviours of ADHD. It is normal for all children to be inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive sometimes, but for children with ADHD, these manifest in a more severe form.

To be diagnosed with ADHD, a child must have symptoms for six or more months and to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age. With treatment, most kids with ADHD can be successful in school and lead productive lives.

Listed below are four common approaches to deal with ADHD in kids used today:

1) Anti-depressants: Stimulant drugs and medications to treat depression are used to manage ADHD symptoms. These drugs only help manage certain symptoms such as aggressive behavior and do not heal the condition.

2) Neurotherapy: This is a rather new medical discipline which focuses on stabilizing the brainwave patterns. Studies showed that children with ADHD responded positively to neurotherapy.

3) Special ADHD diet: ADHD diet tries to ensure that the patient gets complete nutrition through supplementing dietary needs. It also aims to minimise the intake of processed food by children with ADHD as these contain too much of artificial flavors, additives and preservatives.

4) Family Counseling: Children with ADHD are prone to get isolated amongst their friends and parents because they almost always seem to get into trouble both at home and school. Family counselling programmes have been found beneficial to kids suffering from ADHD. It is recommended that both the parents and child attend the counselling so that the parents can also get some advice and knowledge about ADHD.