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)