What is ADHD?

Article: Dr. Meirav Klo – physiologist and neurofeedback therapist

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder. 

The symptoms of this disorder include difficulty paying attention and concentrating (we will discuss the difference between them in the future), hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The symptoms can appear in varying degrees of severity, but it is not necessary that they will all be present.

Awareness of attention deficit disorder has increased significantly in recent years and with it the number of children diagnosed.

However, not every energetic child, or child who has difficulty concentrating from time to time, suffers from attention deficit disorder. Because this disorder is complex and chronic and there is no single blood test for an unambiguous diagnosis, it is customary to use various criteria reported by the child as well as by a therapist, including distractions, difficulty maintaining activity over time, difficulty focusing, etc. However, most healthy children, as well as adults, tend to lose attention from time to time and even act impulsively and hyper-actively.

It is equally important to consider the nature of the activity under test and its suitability for the child’s age and development. The range of attention can also change during the day and sometimes it is about behavioral characteristics related to boundaries and what the child is allowed to do in the parenting setting.

One of the crucial criteria for defining the disorder is the fact that it interferes with a person suffering from various life functions such as learning, work, interpersonal relationships as well as conduct and self-attention. Therefore, it is not correct to treat the disorder as a learning disability only. In addition, the person with ADHD suffers from the disorder in changing environments and not only in his/her study environment.

Diagnosis of attention deficit disorder can only be made by a licensed person: a doctor (who is a neurologist or psychiatrist) or a psychologist. The purpose of the diagnosis is actually the treatment. Using the results of the diagnosis, it is determined whether the drug is needed and if so, in what dose, and optimal learning conditions are defined for the child diagnosed.

The Excellent Brain company develops neurofeedback technology for brain training to improve attentional skills. Because it is a non-invasive method that encourages the brain through positive feedback to reach electrical frequencies identified with attentive behavior, the use of the software does not interfere with or depend on medication or diagnosis.

Anyone who has difficulty concentrating or completing a task may benefit from brain training for attention.