Early detection crucial for ADHD kids

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 06/25/2009 11:23 AM  |  City

Children with special needs such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), will have better and earlier treatment of their problems if parents pay more attention to their children's behavioral and physical development, experts say.

Nawangsasi Takarini, a pediatric physiotherapy expert from Surakarta's Health Polytechnic Academy in Central Java, said parents should personally examine the behavior of their children.

"For example, most children who are overly sensitive to touch, light or sound may be hyperactive. They are moving around and become aggressive because they feel over stimulated," Nawang told parents and teachers attending a seminar held at Plaza Indonesia recently.

Nawang also urged parents who suspect their children may have learning difficulties, ADHD or special needs, to seek medical advice.

"A doctor can recommend certain therapies for children," she said.

Early detection is also needed to determine the most suitable education for children with special needs, said Prakalathan Kelaver, an expert in the education of students with learning difficulties.

He said that by knowing specifically what a child suffered from, a parent or teacher could arrange a personalized education plan.

"For example, we can use computers to assist the learning process of children with ADHD as they are very attracted to its colorful and interactive features," US-trained Kelaver said.

Kelaver, who runs a school for students with special needs in Singapore, also emphasized the importance of giving special-needs students the opportunity to mingle with other students.

"By letting them study in the same school, students that do not have special needs, will understand the term *special-needs students' and will learn to respect them. Special-needs students will also benefit from this interaction," he said.

"It is estimated that there is currently more than five million children with special needs in Indonesia. Some of them have physical disabilities and other have learning difficulties such as, dyslexia, autism, Down syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), ADHD or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)."

Unfortunately, many children with special needs are often treated as though they have a physical disability, like blindness or deafness at the school for disabled children (SLB).

Tuition at special schools, which is usually much higher, is another headache for parents.

Harry Dharsono, 59, a fashion designer and educational psychologist, recalled that he was once diagnosed with ADHD when he was in elementary school. He was expelled from four different schools within a year for his impulsive and hyperactive behavior.

"In the 1950s, there was not much information about this syndrome. My parents sent me to Paris, which has much better facilities and more trained experts, to handle a child like me," Harry said.

With support from his new environment, Harry successfully finished his degree in art and later obtained a PhD in psychology from Oxford University, England.

"Today, times have changed, a parent of a child with special needs has to realize their children have the same opportunities as other children," he said. (hwa)

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