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[Hyperactive children meeting the health service system]
1Nic Waals Institutt, Oslo.
Insights
Parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) face significant delays in healthcare recognition and diagnosis. Early intervention is crucial, yet parents receive inadequate support long before a formal diagnosis is made.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Disorders
Context:
- Parents report dissatisfaction with healthcare system's response to hyperkinetic disorders (MBD, ADHD).
- Concerns about children's development arise early, often by age one.
- Delays in recognition and diagnosis by healthcare professionals are common.
Purpose:
- To investigate parental experiences with the healthcare system regarding hyperkinetic disorders (MBD, ADHD).
- To highlight the gap between early parental concerns and healthcare system's diagnostic and treatment timelines.
- To emphasize the need for early intervention and support for families.
Summary:
- A questionnaire study of 192 parents revealed significant delays in healthcare recognition (average age >3 years) and diagnosis (average age 5-6 years) for children with hyperkinetic disorders.
- Parents expressed frustration over insufficient information, inadequate treatment, and lack of practical help from medical doctors and psychologists.
- Support from the Norwegian MBD Association was highly valued, underscoring the need for early, practical assistance.
Impact:
- Highlights the critical need for enhanced early intervention strategies within primary and specialist pediatric healthcare services.
- Underscores the importance of providing timely information and practical support to parents of infants and toddlers with developmental challenges.
- Identifies a significant challenge for healthcare systems in addressing the needs of families with children exhibiting early signs of hyperkinetic disorders.
Abstract:
Parents of children with hyperkinetic disorders (MBD, AD/HD) often criticize the health care system for being reluctant in recognizing the children's problematic behaviour and reluctant in examining and treating the problems at an early stage. They are also frustrated by insufficient information, inadequate treatment and too little practical help. In collaboration with the Norwegian MBD Association, an anonymous questionnaire was sent to members of the association with children born in 1983 or later. 192 of 350 questionnaires were returned and are included in the analysis. Parents had started being concerned about their child's development very early. When the child was one year old, more than 1/3 of the parents were concerned, at the age of two almost 2/3 of the parents were uneasy or alarmed. However, about 50% of the children were older than three years before the health care system recognized the problems, the average age for receiving a diagnosis was between five and six. Most parents felt there was a lack of sufficient information to the family from professionals, especially from medical doctors and psychologists. The support and information given by the MBD Association were highly appreciated. The study documents that parents need help and support concerning their difficult and demanding baby or toddler long before a diagnosis can be given. The importance of early intervention is strongly emphasised. This represents a challenge for the primary health care system and for the specialist services for children.