ADHD

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

注意力缺陷多动障碍是发生在儿童身上最为常见的神经发育障碍之一。这种障碍最早发生在儿童生长发育阶段，很多时候会一直持续到成年。 患有这种疾病障碍的儿童可能难以集中注意力，也难以控制冲动性行为（也就是不考虑后果就行动），或者过于活跃。

Signs and Symptoms

表现和症状

It is normal for children to have trouble focusing and behaving at one time or another. However, children with ADHD do not just grow out of these behaviors. The symptoms continue, can be severe, and can cause difficulty at school, at home, or with friends.

对于孩子来说，偶尔难以集中注意力，或者难以控制自己的行为倒也正常。但是对于患有ADHD的孩子们，这些行为不是暂时的，也不会随着成长而消失。这种症状会一直持续，有时候很严重，不管在家里，学校还是跟朋友相处都会有麻烦。

A child with ADHD might:

一个患有ADHD的孩子可能会

• daydream a lot 经常做白日梦

• forget or lose things a lot 经常性忘记或者丢失东西

• squirm or fidget 非常害羞或者坐立不安

• talk too much 话痨

• make careless mistakes or take unnecessary risks 经常粗心犯错或者冒不必要的风险

• have a hard time resisting temptation难以拒绝诱惑

• have trouble taking turns难以做到轮流

• have difficulty getting along with others很难跟他人相处

Types

There are three different types of ADHD, depending on which types of symptoms are strongest in the individual:

关于ADHD,根据症状的轻重，划分成三种

• Predominantly Inattentive Presentation: It is hard for the individual to organize or finish a task, to pay attention to details, or to follow instructions or conversations. The person is easily distracted or forgets details of daily routines.

• 注意力不集中型： 这种类型的患者很难单独组织或者完成一项任务，没办法注意到细节或者听从指挥或者对话。患者特别容易分心或者忘记日常生活的细节。

• Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation: The person fidgets and talks a lot. It is hard to sit still for long (e.g., for a meal or while doing homework). Smaller children may run, jump or climb constantly. The individual feels restless and has trouble with impulsivity. Someone who is impulsive may interrupt others a lot, grab things from people, or speak at inappropriate times. It is hard for the person to wait their turn or listen to directions. A person with impulsiveness may have more accidents and injuries than others.

• 冲动型：这种患者坐立难安，话很多。对他们来说长时间坐着不动比较困难（比如吃顿饭或者写作业）小一点的孩子还可能时不时地跑，跳，或者攀爬。这类患者感到难以安定，而且对于冲动总是难以抑制。这种冲动型的患者可能经常打扰到他人，从别人那里抢东西，或者不分场合就突然开口说话。对于这群患者，很难让他们按照顺序或者让他们听指令。这种冲动型的患者也比正常人有更高几率出现意外或者受到伤害。

• Combined Presentation: Symptoms of the above two types are equally present in the person.

• 两者结合：这种患者，上面提到的症状他都有。

Because symptoms can change over time, the presentation may change over time as well.

因为症状会变，所以疾病的表现情况也会变。

Causes of ADHD

Scientists are studying cause(s) and risk factors in an effort to find better ways to manage and reduce the chances of a person having ADHD. The cause(s) and risk factors for ADHD are unknown, but current research shows that genetics plays an important role. 

科学家一直致力于控制和减少患者患有ADHD的几率。现在对ADHD的原因和诱因都还未知，但是有研究调查表明，基因可能是比较重要的因素。

In addition to genetics, scientists are studying other possible causes and risk factors including:

除了基因，还有其他的可能因素，包括

• Brain injury 大脑损伤

• Exposure to environmental (e.g., lead) during pregnancy or at a young age环境伤害（比如铅），尤其在孕期或者幼年。

• Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy 孕期饮酒和抽烟

• Premature delivery 早产

• Low birth weight 出生时体重过轻

Research does not support the popularly held views that ADHD is caused by eating too much sugar, watching too much television, parenting, or social and environmental factors such as poverty or family chaos. Of course, many things, including these, might make symptoms worse, especially in certain people. But the evidence is not strong enough to conclude that they are the main causes of ADHD.

没有调查研究显示，ADHD是由于吃太多糖，看太多电视，缺乏父母管教，或者其他社会环境因素比如家境贫寒和家庭争吵造成。虽然这些“原因”是社会普遍认为的原因。但是，这些因素可能会恶化原本的病情。然而，如果说这些就是ADHD的主要原因，我们又没有足够的证据。

Diagnosis诊断

Deciding if a child has ADHD is a process with several steps. One step of the process involves having a medical exam, including hearing and vision tests, to rule out other problems with symptoms like ADHD. Diagnosing ADHD usually includes a checklist for rating ADHD symptoms and taking a history of the child from parents, teachers, and sometimes, the child.

决定一个孩子是否患有ADHD需要好几步。其中一步需要进行医学测试，包括听力和视觉测试，以便可以排除其他跟ADHD类似的病症。如果需要确诊ADHD需要一系列的工作，包括评估ADHD的病症还有从父母老师还有孩子本身拿取相关的历史资料。

Treatments 治疗

In most cases, ADHD is best treated with a combination of behavior therapy and medication. For preschool-aged children (4-5 years of age) with ADHD, behavior therapy, particularly training for parents, is recommended as the first line of treatment before medication is tried. What works best can depend on the child and family. Good treatment plans will include close monitoring, follow-ups, and making changes, if needed, along the way.

大多数情况下，ADHD的治疗方案需要结合行为治疗和药物。对于学龄前儿童（4-5岁）， 行为疗法，尤其是对于相关父母进行训练，是更为合适的治疗方案。然而一个最适合的治疗方案取决于两个因素：孩子本身和所处的家庭。有效的治疗方案包括：仔细观察，跟踪，改变。如果需要，一定要持续进行。

Managing Symptoms: Staying Healthy

控制症状：保持健康

Being healthy is important for all children and can be especially important for children with ADHD. In addition to behavioral therapy and medication, having a healthy lifestyle can make it easier for your child to deal with ADHD symptoms. Here are some healthy behaviors that may help:

保持健康对于所有孩子都很重要，尤其对于患有ADHD的孩子来说，更是如此。除了行为疗法和药物以外，拥有一个健康的生活方式对于患有ADHD的孩子来说更为重要。下面有一些健康的行为以作参考：

• Developing healthy eating habits such as eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and choosing lean protein sources 培养健康的饮食习惯：比如吃很多水果，蔬菜，全谷物和精益蛋白的食物

• Participating in daily physical activity based on age 根据年龄大小每天进行一定量的体育锻炼

• Limiting the amount of daily screen time from TVs, computers, phones, and other electronics控制每天的屏幕时间包括：电视，电脑，手机和其他电子产品

• Getting the recommended amount of sleep each night based on age 睡眠充足。