While there isn't a parent on the planet who hasn't come across a child who seems to run at higher RPM than the rest, information about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has yet to be widely understood in the Islands.

Those in the know here, however, are hoping that support groups and parent-to-parent training can fill the gap.

But it hasn't been an easy road — for them, or for families coping with ADHD.

ONE FAMILY'S STORY

There was a time S. marveled at what a good baby J. was. So calm. He'd stare at them so intently.

"Once he started walking, a different story," S. said.

J. and her husband, B., asked that the family only be identified by initials to protect J., now 6. It's been hard enough working with doctors and teachers, the couple said over coffee at Zippy's.

A preschool teacher had pointed out that J. wasn't able to sit still during circle time, bopping up to examine other things as the rest of the class sat quietly. In kindergarten, it was even harder.

S.'s eyes turn glassy as she recounted those days: "He said, 'Mommy, I'm going to quit.' I never heard a kindergartner say that. I was shocked."

First, she blamed herself. Did they spoil their bright, curious boy? She began researching something the preschool teacher had said: Perhaps J. had ADHD.

What she learned surprised the whole family. Not only was J. diagnosed, but his father was, too. Both now take medications.

WHAT IS ADHD?

There is a hereditary component to ADHD, a disorder caused by a lack of activity in a section of the brain responsible for focusing and impulse control, said Dr. Alicia Salyer of Palmetto Pediatrics on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

It's among the most prevalent and widely researched afflictions of American children, with about 4.5 million ages 5 to 17 diagnosed, according to a 2008 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Diagnosing children can sometimes be difficult because it's natural for kids to have short attention spans, Salyer said.

"The key question is, is it causing problems in your life?" Salyer said.

If it is, Salyer said, treatment is essential, either with medicine to stimulate the brain or behavioral accommodations at school, such as extra time to finish tests. While parents might be apprehensive about giving children a psychiatric drug, Salyer said untreated ADHD can cause other problems later in life, such as low self-esteem or poor grades that could prevent them from finishing high school or going to college.

HELPING PARENTS

Amy O'Hora knows all about that. She has ADHD, as does her eldest son.

Married to a Navy pilot, she had a diagnosis in hand when she knew the family was coming to Hawai'i. O'Hora signed her son up for Assets School and took a training session — on her own dime — through CHADD, a nationwide nonprofit organization that advocates for ADHD.

These days, she offers parent-to-parent sessions, where others can learn what techniques work well with ADHD kids (see list). O'Hora doesn't want others to be surprised, as she was, that the child who was flunking first grade actually scored very high in intelligence.

Through a multifaceted approach, her eldest was able to come out of what she calls the "cone of static." Those suffering from ADHD can't tune out extrasensory information: all information gets equal attention.

As someone who teaches college-level classes on base, O'Hora knows that executive functioning of the brain is key.

Others around the Islands are stepping up, too. Michelle Wilson, a teacher at Mililani Middle School, has set up a CHADD support group here, initially aimed at middle-school families, but she's been receiving interest from elementary schoolers' families, as well.