The academic of the Dept. from ULS Psychology and Ph.D. in Psychology shares some recommendations for the support and work that should be given to children and young people with attention deficit and hyperactivity-impulsivity (ADHD) during the time of quarantine by COVID-19.  

Two and a half weeks of quarantine have passed for Chilean families in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, a situation that is even more complex in special cases such as children with attention deficit and hyperactivity.

In this context, it can often be difficult to look for alternatives or care to take into consideration when experiencing prolonged situations of isolation and confinement. This is why the academic from the Department of Psychology at the University of La Serena, Dr. Sonia Salas, provides various recommendations for working during this quarantine period.

In the first instance, Dr. Salas refers to the characteristics that a child or young person with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder presents. “Children and young people with this disorder present difficulties in attention, especially in what is known as executive functions, which can be various (planning, emotional instability, flexibility, working memory among others); From their personal perspective, young people with ADHD find it difficult to describe themselves, which is important to take into account when promoting and developing self-knowledge activities when carrying out treatment with them."

From this perspective, the Doctor of Psychology refers to how being exposed to a situation such as isolation can affect people with this disorder. “Today we are in a moment of uncertainty, where we do not know how this disease (COVID-19) will evolve; However, I believe that, in the case of families of children and young people where one of the members has ADHD, being in the same space and time with their families should be taken advantage of. Although everyone being at home interacting can be a source of 'conflict', it is time to stop and reflect on how to help the child and/or adolescent with ADHD develop the skills that are in deficit."

Regarding what activities to do with children with hyperactivity, the academic recommends involving them in the daily activities of the home, along with giving them space where they can work on their personal interests. “In these cases, it is the families who can propose scenarios that include these children or young people, and subsequently propose to them that they can decide what activities they want to do. This is an important opportunity for them to work on knowing themselves, and in that the family must be supportive.”

Add that “Among the actions that can be carried out is making them participate in the activities that are done within the home on a daily basis. For example, in homes we cook every day, we must take this opportunity and invite these children to be part of that, cooking all together, seeking to encourage creativity, trying new recipes and ingredients and thus finding pleasure in everyday tasks.” .

Distance learning

On the academic side, schools have implemented the use of distance learning, which could be difficult in cases of children and young people with this disorder. That is why Dr. Salas provides recommendations when working on studies. “First of all, it is important to reinforce your skills and for this it is recommended to read what the disorder is about, where it is recommended to plan activities instead of reproaching or punishing. For this reason, it is important to organize the work with a beginning, intermediate steps and an end, for example, and at the end watch a movie together as a reward at the end of the day's work.”

It adds, moreover, that “In terms of study, it is important that the mother or father allocate significant time to help their son or daughter. For example, in the case of a book or text, it is a good idea to be able to record the reading of this book or chapter aloud and have the child listen to it, instead of leaving them reading alone. In addition, it is advisable to propose short, serial jobs, with brief and precise instructions, since a boy or girl with ADHD cannot be given jobs with long slogans since they are going to forget them, so you have to try to be simple and clear when it comes time to tell them, this afternoon, from such and such time to such and such time, we will do a certain activity or task.”

Finally, the academic highlights that the most important thing is that all this work is done as a family, where everyone can help, generating stronger ties between each member. "On these types of occasions, it is vital that each member of the family can put themselves in the place of the other, especially in children with this disorder, for example, that the older brother of these children comes closer and helps them with their studies as well, or add it to your activities to do things together. This is an opportunity for people to get to know themselves better and for families to come together and get to know each other better, in terms of their interests and motivations, and get to know each other better.

Written by Tomás Rodríguez, DirCom