WORKSHOP PLANNED ON THE TOPIC OF ADHD

Dealing with a hyperactive child can be a trying experience.

Is persuasion through reason the answer? Or should the child be disciplined instead. Too often, in exasperation, the hyperactive child will simply be ignored.

But hyperactivity can be treated.

Psychologists say that attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychological disorder of childhood. It's estimated that 3-5 percent of all children in the United States have attention deficit disorders.

There will be a workshop in Cape Girardeau today on ADHD for parents, teachers, social workers, counselors, and health professionals who work with ADD or ADHD children.

The program will run from 9 a.m. until noon at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School, 300 N. Clark.

Julia Davis, a parent of two ADD children, said she hopes the workshop can clear away some of the misconceptions surrounding hyperactivity.

"It's becoming more and more an identified problem with children," Davis said. "A lot of parents don't know much about attention deficit.

"Their children have been identified, and they want to know more about it. A lot of parents don't know where to turn. It's a real trying time."

Davis said most ADD and ADHD children aren't identified until they're in school. She said the added structure and stress of school often leads to teachers identifying children who suffer from ADD.

But Davis said ADD and ADHD can be treated.

"People have heard the term hyperactive, and I think they've used it rather loosely for years," she said. "There's been a misconception about it, and just now people are becoming educated about it. That's the purpose of this workshop."

Also, the funds from the workshop will be used to start a Cape Girardeau chapter of Children with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD), a support group for parents of ADD and ADHD children.

"The closest CHADD group is in Marion, Ill, and there's also a large group in St. Louis," Davis said. "We think Cape Girardeau is a good place to start one. We will pull from Perryville as well as Scott County."

The new CHADD group will meet monthly, with its first meeting slated for Nov. 16 at the Community Counseling Center.

At today's workshop, parents will be given information on how to live with an affected child, how to get help, and how to communicate with physicians and school officials.

Professionals will learn how to deal with the ADD or ADHD child in the classroom or with the family, and successful medication and treatment.

The workshop is sponsored by the Department of Social Work and the College of Health and Human Services at Southeast Missouri State University, Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Southeast Missouri, and The Community Counseling Center.

The cost is $20 for both parents, $12 for one parent and $15 for professionals in the field.