Bakgrund: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) är en neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning som kännetecknas av hyperaktivitet, ouppmärksamhet och impulsivitet. När en person behöver vård på grund av sin neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättning upplever ofta de anhöriga en skuld och anklagar sig själva för att deras familjemedlem behöver vård. När anhöriga söker vård med en familjemedlem önskar de att de skall tas på allvar, bli lyssnade på samt få känna sig betydelsefulla. Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka hur anhöriga upplever mötet med vården när en familjemedlem har diagnosen ADHD. Metod: Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och har genomförts via intervjuer av nio anhöriga till familjemedlemmar med diagnosen ADHD. Analysen har skett via kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: I intervjuerna framkom att de anhöriga upplevde att sammanhang och kontinuitet saknades, att det rådde brist på viss kunskap vilket medförde stort ansvar för anhöriga. De anhöriga upplevde att det varierade i tillgången till stöd. Anhöriga upplevde även att vården inte såg hur hela familjen påverkades av att en familjemedlem hade ADHD och att det inte fokuserades på hela familjens vardagliga situation, utan mest på medicinering. Bemötandet från vårdpersonalen samt miljön runtomkring mötet var även av betydelse. Slutsats: Utifrån den inledande litteraturgenomgången och föreliggande studie kan författarna anta att vården borde anamma ett mer systemiskt förhållningssätt då de arbetar med dessa anhöriga och deras familjemedlem. Kunskap om familjefokuserad omvårdnad hos vårdpersonalen hade eventuellt varit till gagn under mötet för de anhöriga och deras familjemedlem med ADHD, för att vården skulle kunna uppfylla det behov av stöd som varje familjemedlem behöver. / Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsychiatric disability characterized of hyperactivity, inattentive and impulsiveness. When a person with a neuropsychiatric disability need help from the healthcare, it´s common that relatives often feel a fault and judges themselves. The relatives desired that health professionals would listen and give the relatives a feeling of being important. Aim: The aim of this study where to examine how relatives experiences the meeting with healthcare when a family member has ADHD.   Method: This study has a qualitative starting point and are made with nine interviews of relatives with a family member with ADHD. The analyze has been done by qualitative content analysis. Result:  The relatives experienced that the healthcare where missing a point of context, continuity and lack of knowledge which result in a big responsibility for the relatives themselves. It was a variation of access to support and help from the healthcare according to the relatives. The relatives also experienced that the healthcare didn’t see the whole family and how the person with ADHD affected all the family members and their everyday life. Experiences of focus on medication instead of the family’s everyday life where described. The environment and treatment from the health professionals where important to. Conclusion: Based on the initial literature review and the present study, the authors can assume that healthcare should involve a more systematic approach when working with these relatives and their family members. Knowledge of family-focused nursing care staff might have benefited during the meeting of the relatives and their family members with ADHD, so that healthcare could meet the need for support of the whole family.

Inledning: Den neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningen ADHD (engelsk förkortning för Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) drabbar både barn och vuxna. Orsaken till ADHD är okänd men sannolikt sker en hämmad transmission av dopamin och noradrenalin i hjärnan. Tillståndet ger symptom som uppmärksamhetsproblem, hyperaktivitet och impulsivitet till den grad att den drabbades vardagsliv ofta berörs och livskvaliteten påverkas negativt. Behandlingen innefattar läkemedelsbehandling och icke-farmakologiska åtgärder som t.ex. kognitiv beteendeterapi. Förstahandsvalet av läkemedel är centralstimulerande metylfenidat och antalet användare i Sverige år 2014 var över 73 000 individer. Andrahandsvalet är atomoxetin, ett icke centralstimulerande läkemedel med ca 14 100 användare år 2014 i Sverige. De exakta verkningsmekanismerna hos läkemedlen vid ADHD är okända. Effekterna av dessa läkemedel bedöms som otillräckliga när det gäller kontinuerlig långtidsbehandling i perioder över sex månader. Syfte: Denna studie riktades mot att undersöka de kända effekterna av långtidsbehandling med metylfenidat och atomoxetin, hos både vuxna och barn med diagnostiserad ADHD. Metod: Via PubMed gjordes litteratursökning med ämnesrelaterade sökord. Inklusionskriterierna var att studierna skulle vara utförda på människor under minst sex månaders tid och att presentationen skulle vara på engelska. Registerbaserade studier sorterades bort så att kliniska prövningar och öppna studier återstod. Tio artiklar är inkluderade i studien. Resultat: De tio artiklarna visade sammantaget att långtidseffekterna för både metylfenidat och atomoxetin var signifikant bättre än för placebo. Studielängderna varierade mellan sex månader och fyra år. Studierna kring metylfenidat utfördes med sammanlagt över 900 studiedeltagare och visade att läkemedlet hade effekt på kärnsymptom, emotionella symptom och svårighetsgraden på sjukdomen. Effekter på dessa områden redovisades också för atomoxetin och baserades på sex studier utförda med sammanlagt över 3 250 studiedeltagare. I en jämförande studie redovisades signifikant effekt på livskvaliteten för båda läkemedlen. Både metylfenidat och atomoxetin visade sig förbättra livskvaliteten när den var allvarligt negativt påverkad. Varken metylfenidat eller atomoxetin visade nedsatt terapeutisk verkan efter långtidsbehandling. Typ A-biverkningar av noradrenerg karaktär rapporterades fler gånger i grupperna som fått aktiva läkemedel jämfört med grupperna som fått placebo. Diskussion och slutsats: Resultatet i denna studie baseras på många olika skattningsskalor och för alla skalor visas effekt till fördel för läkemedel jämfört med placebo, vilket tyder på likheter mellan skattningsskalorna. De effekter som syntes vid långtidsbehandling med metylfenidat och atomoxetin överensstämmer med de resultat som redovisats i tidigare studier, både för de under kortare tidsperioder och de med långtidsbehandling. På grund av att det råder brist på långtidsstudier stöder resultatet i denna studie rekommendationen att läkemedelsbehandling vid ADHD ska omvärderas minst en gång per år, med anledning av att endast fyra av de tio inkluderade studierna hade studielängder på mer än ett år. Eftersom många blir långtidsanvändare av läkemedel finns det fortsatt stort behov av studier som sträcker sig över flera år.

Background: The two most common neuropsychiatric disabilities are attention deficithyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Functional impairmentsentail some difficulties for the child that affects the family situation such as interaction withother people and learning and memory difficulties. Aim: The aim of this study was to illuminate the family's experience of living with childrenwho have a neuropsychiatric disability. Method: A qualitative approach was used for this literature based study. The CINAHL and PubMed databases were used to search for scientific articles. Through systematic searches we found ten articles and these were analyzed using Friberg's five-step method. Results: The result is presented on the basis of three themes: An everyday battle, Experiences of understanding and support from the outside world and Family life in light and darkness. It shows that it was a daily struggle for family members in their daily lives. The parents experienced a lack of understanding from the outside world and received limited support. Several parents felt socially isolated and alone. Their daily situation ended up in strong emotions. Conclusion: This study provides an understanding of how family members experience their everyday situation with the child with neuropsychiatric disability. The family relationship was affected in one way or another and it was important for family members to receive support. The nurse has an important responsibility to provide the support and care that family members need to avoid suffering.

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Education and Learning Support) / This study focused on the design, implementation and reflection of the development of a workshop for educators with regards to understanding and effectively managing learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in their classrooms. This study was done in an action research framework in four specific stages, (a) the educators role, (b) educators knowledge about teaching, (c) teaching practices, and (d) reflective practices. Data was collected from a video recording of the workshop on ADHD, an informal focus group assessment questionnaire, and collection of participant's artifacts of the activities during the workshop. Educators who were engaged in the stages of action research during the workshop were provided with theory, strategies, and a checklists on ADHD. This structure assisted educators through the process of becoming knowledgeable, effective, and reflective managers of learners with ADHD.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / The purpose of this study was to determine whether children who are diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD), and Geschwind's syndrome, show a tendency to greater allergic responsivity manifesting in a greater sensitivity to specific foods than a control group. In order to test out these predictions, it had to be assessed whether these children displayed differential sensitivity to the food groups of sugar, dairy products and artificial flavouring and colouring. It was also necessary to establish whether these children will show a decrease in levels of activity contingent upon withdrawal of a foodstuff to which a differential sensitivity has been demonstrated. The subjects participating in this study were rated on a Conners Rating Scale to assess the degree of hyperactive behaviour, by both parents and teachers over a six week period. The overall pattern of results indicated that children with a combined diagnosis of ADHD and Geschwind's syndrome would show a greater behavioural responsivity to certain foodstuffs, and contingent upon their withdrawal, show a significant decrease in hyperactive behaviour. It is proposed that the study be repeated utilising a larger sample.

Ph.D. (Psychology) / Attention deficit disorder, or its theoretical antecedent minimal brain dysfunction, has been the subject of numerous investigations as to the nature and cause of this disturbance that so often affects children. Although the findings of these studies appear to be equivocal as regards the precise cause of the condition, there are numerous indications in the literature that there might indeed be a neurological, albeit a "soft" neurological basis or cause, for this disturbance. A study was performed to test the hypothesis that minimal brain dysfunction indeed has its basis in higher cortical dysfunctions as assessed within the context of neuropsychological investigations. In order to perform the study, two measures of neuropsychological functioning, the Luria-Nebraska neuropsychological investigation for children and the Majovski determination of higher cortical functions in children and adolescents were subjected to a determination of its validity within the South African context. Subsequently these tests were applied to two groups of children with organic brain damage, a group of children diagnosed as having minimal brain dysfunction, a group of children with emotional disturbance, and a group of normal children. The two groups of organically brain damaged children consisted of a group of children with predominantly left hemispheric brain damage and a group of children with predominantly right hemispheric brain damage. It was postulated that children with minimal brain dysfunction would show less higher cortical dysfunction than the two groups of children with organic brain damage, but more higher cortical dysfunction than the normal children, and the children with emotional disturbance. The validation procedure indicated that both measures of neuropsychological functioning have adequate validity in terms...

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has become the disorder of the nineties. The name has been bandied about by experts, teachers, parents, lay people and specifically the media, however, when a child or children are diagnosed with this disorder, parents, and in particular for this study, mothers, are left feeling confused, frightened and uncertain. The method of treatment is the specific study of this research. Ritalin is the most popular form of treatment utilised for the alleviation of symptoms, yet mothers are afraid they are drugging their children or taking the easy way out. Constant media hype and ignorance exacerbate the mother’s experiences and they are left in a quandary of which course to follow. The purpose of this research was to investigate if mothers share similar experiences when administering Ritalin for the treatment of symptoms of ADHD. Literature indicates enormous controversy surrounding this disorder and in particular the treatment methods recommended to alleviate symptoms. There are two strongly opposed camps regarding the negativity or positivity toward utilising this schedule 7 drug. Media publicity intensifies the individual’s uncertainty of administering this drug and suggests bad parenting as the reason mothers resort to Ritalin. The goal of this study is to highlight the mother’s experiences and to become aware of their feelings and isolation when being advised that their child or children have ADHD. The lack of awareness and the uncertainty of which course to follow seems to have profound affects and cause mothers to have negative experiences. The purpose of this research is to see if mothers share similar experiences regarding the administering of Ritalin as a treatment method for ADHD. The researcher is hopeful that the outcome of this small study will assist experts, counselors and lay people to empathize and recognize the mother’s plight in this regard, and consequently for them not to feel as troubled and unaided without this knowledge. Finally, she expects that the research may help mothers to be aware that they are not alone with their predicament and sense of apprehension and uncertainty regarding the administering of a drug like Ritalin to assist in alleviating the symptoms presented. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

The purpose of this research was to determine if a multi-component consultation intervention was effective in improving pragmatic performance in students with ADHD. Participants for this study consisted of 7 children for whom 3 data points were obtained by a parent or 2 data points by a teacher. Changes in pragmatic performance were measured by comparing reports provided by parents or teachers pre- and post- intervention. Descriptive analysis procedures were completed to summarize changes in pragmatic behavior. Results revealed the mean overall change in pragmatic behavior for children in the MCC condition (Χ=1.133) was greater than the change seen in the CAU condition (.334) after 2 months of intervention as per parent reported data. Data indicated improvement in each behavior but incongruence between teachers and parents was found. Results support the hypothesis that the multi-component consultation intervention is effective in improving the pragmatic language performance of children with ADHD.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is not a new phenomenon. Researchers have studied children with restless, inattentive and impulsive types of behaviours for over one hundred years. Although the primary distress of AD/HD falls mainly on the child’s shoulders, all family members experience the disorder’s negative effects. While the challenges that families have to face are many, families seem to have the ability to “bounce back” (i.e., they have resilience). There has been limited research to date focusing on the resiliency of families living with children diagnosed with AD/HD. Research on the construct of resilience, and more specifically, family resilience has surged in recent times. However, South African research on family resilience is limited. This study aimed to explore and describe the factors that facilitate adjustment and adaptation in families after a child has been clinically diagnosed with AD/HD. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation, developed by McCubbin and McCubbin (2001) served as a framework to conceptualize the families’ adjustment and adaptation processes. Non-probability purposive sampling was used in order to gain participants for the study. Twenty-two families participated in this study, providing a total of 44 participants. Participants consisted of the caregivers of a family living with a child diagnosed with AD/HD, between the ages of seven and 12. The study was triangular in nature, with an exploratory, descriptive approach. A biographical questionnaire with an open-ended question was used in conjunction with seven other questionnaires to gather data. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the biographical information. Quantitative data were analyzed by means of correlation and regression analysis, and content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data obtained from the biographical questionnaire. The results of the quantitative analysis indicated six significant positive correlations with the FACI8. These variables were relative and friend support, social support, problem solving and behavioural strategies, family hardiness, family problem-solving communication and family time and routines. The results of the qualitative analysis revealed that social support, adherence to a treatment regime, information and knowledge about AD/HD, a supportive family unit, the caregiver’s acceptance of the disorder as well as communication were the most important strength factors identified. The findings of the research could assist parents in managing their children diagnosed with AD/HD more effectively and has helped create further insight into what resiliency areas they could improve upon. Furthermore, this study could be used as a stepping stone for future research on resilience in families living with a pervasive psychological disorder and will contribute to the broader context of family resilience research in the South African context.