Therapy vital for hyperkinetic kids

Therapy vital for hyperkinetic kids

JAKARTA (JP): Effective treatment is vital for the up to 1.5
million Indonesian children who are hyperkinetic, a brain
disorder characterized by hyperactive and impulsive behavior,
child psychologist Dwidjo Saputro said on Saturday.

Speaking in a seminar on hyperkinesis, Dwidjo said the
disorder could affect between 2 percent and 5 percent of the 31.7
million elementary school children in the country.

Without suitable early treatment, 70 percent of the children
would experience difficulty engaging in normal social interaction
in adult life, he said.

He proposed enrollment in special schools, therapy and
individualized treatment for hyperkinetic children.

Symptoms are usually identifiable by the age of 3.5 years when
a child is exposed to educational programs requiring greater
social interaction.

Besides hyperactive and impulsive behaviors, other symptoms
include problems concentrating and, because the brain cannot
organize sensory stimulus, especially for audio-visual material,
the inability to organize responses to the stimuli.

"With low academic performance and poor social behavior of
aggression and hyperactivity, hyperkinetic children cannot
establish emotional and social relationships," Dwidjo said.

Their problems in socializing usually lead to them being
labeled delinquent and socially inadequate. Dwidjo said their
problems were aggravated by a lack of understanding among
teachers.

Dwidjo founded Kid Gro, the first integrated kindergarten for
hyperkinetic children in the country, in Meruya Ilir district in
West Jakarta.

He also practices at KPAKB, a clinic specially designed for
children with developmental and learning difficulties.

Ignorance of the disorder often leads parents and teachers to
mistakenly send hyperkinetic children to schools for the mentally
and physically handicapped, he added.

He emphasized the importance of painstaking treatment of the
children's condition to avoid problems in later life. "Without
proper treatment, therapy, counseling and education, the problem
will last to their adult life."

Studies from many countries found that hyperkinetic children
can develop serious psychosocial problems in later life,
including antisocial behavior, substance abuse and criminal
offenses, he said.

Child psychologist Gerda Waney recommended the placement of
affected children in an integrated kindergarten which could
educate them and at the same time monitor their condition.

Education focuses on the children's daily activities and
teaching them to take care of their needs, she said, adding that
it helped in their personality and behavior development.

The seminar was sponsored by the Patmos foundation,
pharmaceutical company PT Novartis and Atma Jaya University. (06)