ADHD: Expertise and Care at the Children's Hospital
On this World ADHD Day, discover how Huderf diagnoses and treats ADHD to improve the quality of life for affected children and adolescents
What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, significantly impacting the daily lives of children, adolescents, and adults
Diagnosis and Evaluation of ADHD
Diagnosing ADHD requires a thorough clinical evaluation by specialists. At the Queen Fabiola Children's University Hospital (Huderf) in Brussels, young patients receive comprehensive diagnoses with personalized therapeutic support.
Clinical Evaluation
- Medical History: A detailed medical and family history of the child is taken to understand the overall context.
- Reports and Questionnaires: Medical reports and questionnaires completed by parents and teachers are analyzed to get a complete picture of the child's behavior.
- Physical and Biological Examinations: Physical examinations and biological tests may be necessary to rule out other conditions such as hyperthyroidism or epilepsy.
- Comprehensive Neuropsychological and Speech Evaluations: Cognitive functions such as attention, executive functions, and memory are assessed using neuropsychological tests. Speech evaluations may be conducted to rule out or detect other learning difficulties.
Care at Huderf
At Huderf, specialized teams, including pediatric neurologists, child psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and speech therapists, offer specialized care pathways for children with ADHD. They evaluate symptoms and develop personalized treatment plans. This integrated approach includes the evaluation of cognitive and emotional functions, as well as therapeutic and psycho-educational interventions. The goal is to improve the quality of life for young patients by providing strategies to manage their symptoms and strengthen their skills, both at home and school. Medication treatment is also considered beneficial by the specialist in agreement with the family.
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Scientific Research
In addition to patient care, Huderf teams also conduct scientific studies to better understand patients with ADHD. They have published numerous research papers on this subject.
Baijot, S., Slama, H., Söderlund, G., Dan, B., Deltenre, P., Colin, C., & Deconinck, N. Neuropsychological and neurophysiological benefits from white noise in children with and without ADHD. Behav Brain Funct 12, 11 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12993-016-0095-y
Wylock, JF., Borghini, A., Slama, H. & Delvenne, V. Child attachment and ADHD: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32, 5–16 (2023).
Massat, Isabelle, Hichem Slama, Thomas Villemonteix, Alison Mary, Simon Baijot, Ariadna Albajara Sáenz, Danièle Balériaux, Thierry Metens, Martin Kavec, and Philippe Peigneux. 2016. “Hyperactivity in Motor Response Inhibition Networks in Unmedicated Children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder.” The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 19 (2): 101–11.
Mary, A., Slama, H., Mousty, P., Massat, I., Capiau, T., Drabs, V., & Peigneux, P. (2015). Executive and attentional contributions to Theory of Mind deficit in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Child Neuropsychology, 22(3), 345–365.