ADHD: At 10 years old, Lou launched the idea of an association to promote mutual aid in the valleys of the Alpes-Maritimes
Lou has always been full of energy. Her T-shirt sums it up: "ADHD is my superpower."
A fifth-grade student, he spins ideas like a whirlwind that never stops, and seems to perceive the world at his own pace. Lou lives with ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (1).
This common neurological problem makes it difficult for Lou to concentrate and intensifies his reactions. " In my head, it's like a Formula 1 car ," he describes, a mixture of mischief and honesty in his gaze.
But behind this energy also lies a sense of loneliness. In the remote valleys of the Nice hinterland, specialized resources are scarce and support limited.
It was this realization that prompted Lou to come up with her own solution: creating an association. "I felt alone in my struggle, so I told my parents, 'I'd like to have my own association, to meet other children like me.'"
Long years of wandering and sufferingBecause despite all her energy and determination, Lou is no exception to the difficulty of the course, as her parents, Nathalie and Stéphane Bruiant, can attest.
"Since kindergarten, Lou has been moving around all the time, he interrupts people, he has trouble concentrating. At school, we're told he can't stay still," says Nathalie.
And, beyond the academic difficulties, there is the way others look at me. " I often had to face criticism. I was made to understand that Lou was badly brought up, that they didn't know how to manage him. It's very hurtful and makes us, as parents, feel guilty ."
At school, teasing is common. Lou holds back tears during our conversation. "It's very hard for him to talk about it... " his mother confides.
A diagnosis… and then what?A year ago, the diagnosis was finally made in Nice, at the Lenval Coordination and Orientation Platform (PCO), then confirmed by a neuropsychologist after a long journey.
" It's a relief to finally put a word on how he functions, but it's also a vague starting point. We're told he has ADHD, but what next? " Nathalie regrets.
Finding a child psychiatrist is almost an impossible task. "Many no longer take patients, not to mention that the vast majority of them are too far away for regular follow-up."
A lack of resourcesLou is currently being treated by an occupational therapist, who helps him better manage his daily life by adapting his environment and developing strategies to strengthen his attention, organization and autonomy, as well as by a physiotherapist and a speech therapist.
Last year, he received support from a student support worker (AESH) two days a week. This year, the family is waiting to find out if he will be able to access this support again.
Her teacher, for her part, tries to adapt: she writes the homework in the notebook herself and takes the time to re-explain the instructions if necessary.
"This support is invaluable, but accessing it is a real challenge. Lou needs a doctor to act as a control tower for her care. It is crucial to raise awareness among the public and institutions about this disorder, which is still too little known, in order to develop suitable and inclusive environments for all children with ADHD, whether they live on the coast or in the valleys."
An association to break isolationFounded last July, the "Loubarut" association aims to support children with ADHD and their families, organize meetings and workshops, and provide a space where people can feel understood and less isolated.
It also includes interventions from professionals, psychologists and educators, to enrich these moments of exchange and support.
"It already brings together several families from the surrounding area – Daluis, Valberg, Puget-Théniers, Entrevaux – but we still need support to organize regular meetings and workshops. The idea is to create a real network for exchange and advice so that no one feels isolated."
To finance the first projects, piggy banks were installed in the villages and an online kitty was launched . Lou, for his part, is not lacking in ambition; a die-hard fan of the TV show Les Douze Coups de Midi and of Jean-Luc Reichmann, the presenter, he even wrote to him to ask him to talk about the association on air and, why not, to become the ambassador of Loubarut.
1. ADHD is a common neurological disorder that affects approximately 4% of school-aged children and 2.5% of adults. It is characterized by three main symptoms: attention deficit, often the mainstay of the syndrome, motor hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects nearly two million French people, including 640,000 young people under the age of 20. However, diagnosis often remains late, waiting times are interminable, and treatment is very uneven, with academic, social, and psychiatric repercussions.
To remedy this situation, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Health Agency will certify an ADHD resource center, funded to the tune of €198,000.
This project is part of the 2023-2027 national strategy on neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), which requires each region to structure a sector around pivot centers.
In the Paca region, establishments have until September 23 to submit their applications. The challenge: to establish specialized teams and strengthen partnerships.
This future center will be tasked with coordinating the entire regional sector. It will build on the existing coordination and guidance platforms (PCO), currently reserved for children aged 0 to 12, but will expand its reach to adolescents and adults.
Objective: to offer a continuous course, involving child psychiatrists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, neurologists, but also speech therapists, occupational therapists, neuropsychologists and liberal psychologists.
The priorities are clearly stated: reducing diagnostic delays, training caregivers and teachers, making the offer more readable via a regional directory and guaranteeing equitable access, including in rural areas.
The center will also be expected to handle complex situations and ensure coordination between different levels of care. It is expected to open by the end of 2025, with nationwide rollout planned for 2026.
For Dr. Hervé Caci, child psychiatrist at Lenval Hospital and president of the ADHD Paca association, this project is also an opportunity to change mentalities.
"This disorder is still too often reduced to laziness or an educational problem, when in fact it is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It is also thought to only affect children, when in fact it frequently persists into adulthood, with symptoms that evolve. And no, not all ADHD is hyperactive: there are also inattentive forms, which are more subtle and therefore more difficult to spot, particularly in girls."
And to temper: "This resource center will represent a step forward. But funding remains limited given the scale of the project, and the inequalities in access to care between the coast and the valleys will not disappear overnight."
Var-Matin
