“Pay attention, Parents and Educators, to the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)”, seems to be the clarion call from Dr. Lalith Mendis. He has distilled his thoughts, his rich and eventful encounters and the personal diverse experiences harvested through the years on this subject and has embellished the contents with knowledge gleaned from the multiple roles he plays in society, as a father and grandfather, a medical doctor and scientist and as a teacher and menttor.
ADHD is a developmental neuropsychiatric disorder in which there are significant problems with executive functions such as attentional control and inhibitory control that cause attention deficits, hyperactivity or impulsiveness which is not appropriate for a person’s age. Despite being the most commonly studied and diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents, it still lurks and stays under the radar disguised simply as a mischievous kid in many a class room.
This book fills a yawning hiatus in the field and has successfully infused a fresh whiff of knowledge and optimism to parents, care givers and doctors. In the present time adults and children alike are bombarded by the pernicious spin offs of a digital revolution which virtually grab our undivided attention resulting in the detachment and fragmentation of factors like human and personal interaction and other social and spiritual elements which dictated our lives in the predigital era.
The book advises and guides one throughout the journey of understanding, detecting and managing the disorder. It also attempts to tell you the “right way” to go and serves as a road map to the stakeholders in a simple and smooth flow of language as you arm yourself with facts and knowledge of what is normal and what is not. It is a readable, informative and down to earth book for those who are in the “front line”, such as parents and educators.
Prof. Rohan W. Jayasekara
MBBS, Ph.D [N’Cle.U.K.] C.Biol.,FSB [Lond] [Hon] FCSSL
Chair & Senior Professor of Anatomy
Founder Director – Human Genetics Unit
Medical Geneticist
Former Dean – Faculty of Medicine, Colombo
Appeal – Parents, Teachers and Children & Youth……..
You all should read this book. I also have a special appeal to medical profession & corporate planners. Use your influence to make children have more time with their parents rather than with digital monsters, aliens & super heroes – causing them to be aliens at home. The book is divided into chapters that can easily help parent & child to read together.
I have spoken at many schools, government departments & corporate entities. They all agree this to be a critical issue. How do we reduce digital time of children & increase parental time? Sleep, Learning, Memory, Character, Family Connections – are all influenced by digital surplus. I have four previous books published which you ought to read. They have the basics.
My four previous books available at Vijitha Yapa, Sarasavi, Lake House, MD Gunasena, Catholic Bookshop Borella – Ideal gift for parents with children from ) to 16 years. Sinhala, English or Tamil –
- Right Learning & Recovery of Childhood – with Foreword by Prof Rohan Jayesekere
- Children Our Heritage – describes the predators out there risking children’s lives with emphasis on digital safety. Layman’s guide to averting ADHD.
- Mom, Dad, Me – Our Crash Course on Mistake Management – is a hilarious approach to creative management of mistake
- Child Star – basics of planning your child’s digital life
For The Medical Profession
I have researched ADHD for the last 3 years. My last post was as Lecturer in Charge/ Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Kelaniya. Hence my anguish re drug abuse in ADHD. This monograph attempts to
- Emphasise the causative effects of digital overstimulation in ADHD
- Offer rational for & Propose Empathic Learning Therapy before trying drugs
- Provide rational understanding of the cause & effect of the ADHD process on the brain
- Discourage children from being labelled & branded as ADHD when the issue is only a matter of varied symptoms
- Explore causes of ADHD
It’s important to distinguish between which one of the triad of symptoms of ADHD (inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity) is predominant in a child & decide if drugs will help. A rule of thumb is – if impulsivity is major child will deteriorate with drugs. 20% of children with inattention & moderate hyperactivity will respond to a morning dose for school hours only. A dose frequency more than that will cause down regulation of receptors needing a higher dose of methylphenidate. That causes undesirable side effects. Give a drug holiday. Don’t give the drug daily. Give only the minimum dose once a day. The benefit of methylphenidate comes from stimulating post synaptic α2a in the over aroused Reticular formation. When methylphenidate is given once a day minimal dose during school hours. No methylphenidate for weekends. Minimal dose of methylphenidate acts on α2a but with increasing dose, the receptor specificity is lost & side effects increase.
Of the Two schools of thought I subscribe to ADHD being a behavioural problem rather than a sensory process problem.
Dr Lalith Mendis
374, Serpentine Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka
<lm2srlk@sltnet.lk>