The child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Hyperkinetic multi-disciplinary therapeutic approach

Abstract

Attention deficit disorder has a high prevalence in the infant population: from 3 to 5% of children of school age and, it could be as high as 8.1 + 2.7% of children at ten years of age, according to a study in the autonomous community of Valencia. It is a persistent problem whose manifestations can change in the course of its development, from pre-school age to adult life. In this paper we review the disorder in its epidemiological and etiological aspects, its natural history and its prognosis, as well as its diagnosis and treatment. We set out our experience with children and their families in two primary care paediatric units of the Navarra health service in two different settings - rural and urban. Finally, we draw attention to some of the difficulties faced in dealing with this disorder in a reasonable way.