Brain Power with Dr. Eko

EP. 39 | Let's Talk About ADHD: Top Questions Parents Ask

• Dr. Hokehe Eko • Season 1 • Episode 39

Share episode

Listen in and get answers to the top ADHD questions parents ask! Plus, don't miss our discussion on how lifestyle choices can impact your child's ability to thrive.

Could understanding the early signs of ADHD change the way you see your child’s behavior? Join me as we tackle the most common ADHD questions parents ask, unraveling the complex world of ADHD. We’ll explore how symptoms present differently in boys and girls—while boys may show hyperactivity and impulsivity, girls often display more subtle signs like inattentiveness, making them more likely to be underdiagnosed.

What’s the typical age for diagnosis, and how can you tell if it’s just normal childhood energy or something more? We’ll break it all down for you, helping you identify key markers to look out for early on. Beyond behaviors, we dive into how brain function and environmental factors, like diet and exercise, can influence symptoms, giving you practical tips to support your child’s focus and overall well-being.

From understanding the role of genetics to the importance of nutrition for brain health, this episode is packed with insights for parents. If you’re curious about ADHD evaluations or simply want to boost your family's health, this episode is a must-listen!

TEDx Talk: "We must change the way we treat Children's ADHD".

Find the full episode on your favorite podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel!

CONNECT WITH ME!
If you want to schedule an ADHD/Autism appointment for your child, you may contact Glow Pediatrics:

🌐 Website: www.glowpediatrics.com
📱 Instagram: @drhokeheeko / @glowpediatrics
📧 dreko@glowpediatrics.com
👍 Facebook: Dr.HokeheEko / glowpediatrics
💼 LinkedIn: hokeheeffiongmd

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

Hi parents. Today I'm going to be talking about what are the early signs of ADHD, and I'm going to preface that by saying you know, adhd can manifest differently in boys versus in girls, and so we'll talk a little bit about both, all right. So ADHD stands for Attention Deficit, hyperactivity Disorder yes, it's a mouthful, but basically what that stands for is, if we were to break it down, basically it simply means that there's a deficit or there's less attention. So where there's an issue with paying attention, with hyperactivity, right, and your child may have one or the other, and sometimes your child may have a combination, right, of both things. So what do we look for when we're concerned about a child possibly having ADHD? In boys, this is more likely. What happens, right, most likely boys will be hyperactive, will be more impulsive, will be more disruptive in class, things like that, and even at home, because an important thing is that these behaviors should be happening both at home and at school or somewhere outside of the home, right, and so that's what we tend to see more in boys, but in girls, and lots of research is showing now that girls may be underdiagnosed a lot, because there's some girls who will show symptoms of hyperactivity, of course, but mostly in girls. You'll see symptoms of inattentiveness and what you mostly see is more anxiety, more social anxiety. So they tend to keep to themselves. You may see depression, because ADHD has a lot of comorbid, so basically means it shows up with depression and anxiety as well, and so you want to be on the lookout for those two behaviors, especially in girls. If they are withdrawn and we not want to be around other people, things like that should clue you in, and maybe they're not doing so well in school or they could be doing well in school.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

So really, what I always say to parents is if there's even a question in your mind about could this be ADHD, it's important to get your child diagnosed or at least evaluated, which brings up the second question I get more often is what age do you diagnose ADHD at? That's a great question. So ADHD is typically not diagnosed before the age of six. And why is that? It's because we want the child to be of school age. Remember earlier I said that it's important to note that the behaviors are occurring both at home and outside of the home, preferably like in a school setting, so that way you can tell that the behavior is across the board and it's not just happening in one place versus the other, and so that gives you an indication that, like, yes, there's probably a problem here and it's not something I should ignore, right? And so the next question I usually get is how can I tell if my child's behavior is just normal energy or ADHD? Great question why we don't often diagnose children before the age of six, because four-year-olds are playful, they're rambunctious, they can jump on things and are for three-year-olds. So how do you differentiate that from a child with ADHD? That's why we wait a few more years to see how the child matures, what happens with the child and how they interact with the world, with the environment, before we say, okay, it's more likely that your child has ADHD, right, because it's important to make that differentiation.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

And so one of the ways we often describe the energy level of children with ADHD is like they act like they are run by a motor, right? It's like it never shuts off. It's like they're always on the go from the minute they wake up, with no nap during the day, all day until bedtime, and it's hard to shut them down for bedtime. It's something a lot of parents often say as well. It's like their brain is running and running, and running and it's like they want to keep being active, and so those are some things that might clue you in. Right To say, hmm, is my child's energy level more than usual? But, like I said, it depends also on the age of your child, right, you want to really be careful about that. I've had parents tell me oh, my one-year-old has ADHD, and I'm like, nope, one-year-olds are run all over the place exploring their newfound freedom and their environment. That's what they're supposed to do. So we don't label them or we don't diagnose them with ADHD that early.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

Next question can my child grow out of ADHD? That's a great question. So what is ADHD? Adhd is a brain-based disorder, right. It affects mostly the frontal lobe, which is right here, and that's the area of the brain that deals with regulation of emotions, how you make decisions, organizational skills, right? So if you heard the term executive function, yes, that's a major skill that is affected in children with ADHD is that they may struggle with organization. They may struggle with completing tasks, they may struggle with remembering multiple step tasks, so like, for example, if you tell your child close the fridge, take out the trash and put on your shoes, they may do the first one or the second and not remember the third. That could be an indication that there might be something going on. So to answer the question of is it lifelong and that answer is something that's still being researched I mean, there are adults that have ADHD as adults absolutely, and it may change depending on the individual right as they grow. I've met people who were on medication for ADHD as children and as they've grown older they've learned skills to cope with any difficulties they may have with organization or hyperactivity or inattentiveness, and those are things that you work on. So to some degree it is present, even in adulthood, but to the severity of it that depends on the child and the individual.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

So the next question is what causes ADHD in children? Excellent question. So there isn't one cause for ADHD. Instead it's multifactorial. And what do I mean by that? There are multiple factors that research has shown in recent times to affect the way the brain functions right, which results in behaviors that we now call ADHD. So before I continue that, I want to talk about what ADHD is not.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

Adhd is not a parenting disorder, so it's not because of bad parenting and I've seen that over and over, and that's a myth. Adhd is not caused by bad parenting. Adhd is not caused by, oh, my child is just a bad kid. Adhd is not caused by, oh, my child is just a bad kid, right, because that's how children used to be labeled if they didn't act within the setting or they didn't act like other kids. Adhd is not because your child is just being lazy and they don't want to do the work. They really, really, really need the help to learn how to organize their areas, organize the work that they have to do, organize their lives just organization in general. That's something that's lacking in a lot of children and a lot of adults, frankly, with ADHD, and so that's important. That's something important to note. It's not because you're a bad parent. It's not because your child is woefully not listening to you. It's not because your child is just a bad kid. It's actually a combination of factors. One of them is the environment.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

I did a TEDx talk on ADHD and if you haven't listened to it, please go listen to it. It's on YouTube. I will put a link in this video as well, where I talked about how it's so important that we look at the environment. We look at what the child is eating. We look at any trauma that's occurring in the child's life because, believe it or not, trauma can show up exactly with the exact same symptoms as ADHD, and you can medicate that child, and if you don't address the trauma, the behaviors will persist and will only worsen, despite behavior. Nutrition is another important factor, right, because so much research and we can link research in this episode as well to show that things like red dyes, yellow dyes, just food coloring in general, just by itself makes changes in the way the brain functions and definitely can create the hyperactive behaviors or inattentive behaviors. And so that's just one.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

But then the other things that in my work with children at Glow Pediatrics that we focus on. We focus on looking at how do we improve the health of the gut, because the gut and the brain are connected. The gut has been called, or is being called, the second brain, and so the way I like to think of it is whatever you put in your mouth is going to your brain, right? The first one and the second one, or both? Right, both of them, and literally you are what you eat. So if your child and you, the adult, is eating the wrong thing, guess what? You're literally setting your brain and your gut on fire, and inflammation plays a major role in behaviors like hyperactivity and inattentiveness.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

I have seen it over and over again in my practice that when we make changes in children's nutrition and lead them towards healthier nutrition, take out inflaming foods, replace it with healing foods and just work on the gut and the brain together. I have seen children go from hyperactive to being able to sit still in their seat and learn better. I'm not claiming to cure ADHD or cure autism, but, my goodness, I have seen that so much that it does make a huge difference what your child and what you are eating, right. And the other big thing, the other big factor, is genetics. Research shows that more than 50% of adults with ADHD, their child also has ADHD, and so that's something that's passed on and that's not a point of oh my gosh, guilt. I did this, no, you didn't cause your own genetics, right? We are created beings and so it is what it is right.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

So the key, the question to always ask, is how can I improve my environment, how can I improve my nutrition, how can I improve the exercise, how can I improve my brain health, my gut health, so that, overall, me and my children thrive, and so if you're looking for a pediatrician who does just that, if you need an ADHD evaluation, reach out to us. If you need help with moving your child forward and yourself, like becoming healthier, working on your gut health and your brain health, reach out to us. We're here and we're happy to be of help, and so we'll link some resources in the notes, and so please take advantage of that, and we're here to answer any questions you may have. So have an amazing day.