Symptoms and signs of hyperactivity in a child

Every child is active and inquisitive, but there are children whose activity is increased in comparison with their peers. Can such children be called hyperactive or is this a manifestation of the child's character? And is the child's hyperactive behavior normal or does it require treatment?

What is hyperactivity

This is the abbreviated name for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which is also abbreviated as ADHD. This is a very common childhood brain disorder that also affects many adults. According to statistics, 1-7% of children have hyperactivity syndrome. Boys are diagnosed with it 4 times more often than girls.

Timely recognized hyperactivity, in which therapy is required, allows the child to form normal behavior and better adapt in a team among other people. If a child's ADHD is left unaddressed, it persists into an older age. A teenager with such a disorder acquires school skills worse, is more prone to antisocial behavior, he is hostile and aggressive.

Signs of ADHD

Not every active and easily aroused child is classified as a child with hyperactivity disorder.

To diagnose ADHD, you should identify the main symptoms of such a disorder in a child, which are manifested:

Attention deficit.
Impulsiveness.
Hyperactivity.

Symptoms usually begin before the age of 7 years. Most often, parents notice them at 4 or 5 years old, and the most frequent age period for contacting a specialist is 8 years and older, when the child is faced with many tasks at school and around the house, where his concentration and independence is needed. Babies who are not yet 3 years old are not immediately diagnosed. They are monitored for a while to make sure they have ADHD.

Depending on the predominance of specific signs, two subtypes of the syndrome are distinguished - with attention deficit and hyperactivity. Separately, a mixed subtype of ADHD is distinguished, in which the child has symptoms of both attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit symptoms:

The child cannot concentrate on objects for a long time. He often makes careless mistakes.
The child does not manage to maintain attention for a long time, which is why he is not collected during the task and often does not complete the task to the end.
When a child is approached, the impression arises that he is not listening.
If you give a direct instruction to a child, he does not follow it or begins to follow it and does not finish it.
It is difficult for a child to organize his activities. He has frequent switching from one activity to another.
The child does not like tasks that require long mental stress. He tries to avoid them.
It is not uncommon for a child to lose things that he needs.
The kid is easily distracted by extraneous noise.
In everyday life, the child is noted for increased forgetfulness.

Manifestations of impulsivity and hyperactivity:

The child often gets up.
When a child is worried, he moves his legs or arms vigorously. In addition, the baby will periodically shiver in the chair.
He rises very abruptly and runs often.
It is difficult for him to participate in quiet games.
His actions can be described as "wound up".
During classes, he can shout from a place or make noise.
The child answers before hears the question in full.
He can't wait for his turn during class or play.
The child constantly interferes with other people's activities or their conversations.

To make a diagnosis, a child must have at least 6 of the above signs, and they must be noted for a long time (at least six months).

How hyperactivity manifests itself at an early age

Hyperactivity syndrome is detected not only in schoolchildren, but also in preschool children and even in infants.

In the smallest, this problem manifests itself in the following symptoms:

Faster physical development when compared with peers. Hyperactive babies roll over, crawl, and walk much faster.
The appearance of whims when the child is tired. Hyperactive babies are often excited and more active before going to bed.
Shorter sleep duration. A toddler with ADHD sleeps much less than it should be at his age.
Difficulty falling asleep (many children need to be rocked) and very light sleep. A hyperactive child reacts to any rustle, and if he wakes up, it is very difficult for him to fall asleep again.
A very violent reaction to a loud sound, a new environment and unfamiliar faces. Because of these factors, babies with hyperactivity get excited and become more capricious.
By quickly switching attention. Having offered the baby a new toy, the mother notices that the new object attracts the baby's attention for a very short time.
Strong affection for mom and fear of strangers.

ADHD or character?

The increased activity of a child can be a manifestation of his innate temperament.

Unlike children with ADHD, a temperamental healthy child:

After active running or other activity, he sits or lies quietly, that is, he can calm down on his own.
He falls asleep normally, and the duration of his sleep corresponds to the age of the baby.
Sleeps long and calmly at night. If this is a baby, then he wakes up for feeding, but does not cry and falls asleep again quickly enough.
Understands the concept of "dangerous" and is afraid. Such a child will not re-climb into a dangerous place.
He quickly masters the concept of "no".
May be distracted during a tantrum with a story or some object.
Rarely shows aggression towards a mother or another child. The kid can share his toys, albeit sometimes only after persuasion.

Causes of hyperactivity in children

Previously, the onset of ADHD was associated mainly with brain damage, for example, if the newborn suffered hypoxia while in the womb or during childbirth. Nowadays, studies have confirmed the influence on the appearance of the syndrome of hyperactivity of the genetic factor and disorders of intrauterine development of the baby. The development of ADHD is facilitated by too early childbirth, cesarean section, low birth weight, a long anhydrous period in childbirth, the use of forceps and similar factors.

What to do

If you suspect your child has hyperactivity disorder, the first thing to do is go to a specialist. Many parents do not go to the doctor right away, because they do not dare to admit the child's problem and are afraid of the condemnation of friends. By doing so they waste time, as a result of which hyperactivity becomes the cause of serious problems with the child's social adaptation.

There are also parents who bring a completely healthy child to a psychologist or psychiatrist when they cannot or do not want to find an approach to him. This is often observed during crisis periods of development, for example, at 2 years old or during a three-year crisis. At the same time, the baby does not have any hyperactivity.

In all these cases, without the help of a specialist, it will not work to determine whether the child really needs medical help or just has a bright temperament.

If the child is confirmed to have hyperactivity disorder, then the following methods will be used in his treatment:

Explanatory work with parents. The doctor must explain to mom and dad why the child has hyperactivity, how this syndrome manifests itself, how to behave with the child and how to raise him correctly. Thanks to such educational work, parents stop blaming themselves or each other for the child's behavior, and also understand how to behave with the child.
Changing learning conditions. If a student with poor academic performance is diagnosed with hyperactivity, he is transferred to a specialized class. This helps to cope with the delay in the formation of school skills.
Medication therapy. Medicines prescribed for ADHD are symptomatic and effective in 75-80% of cases. They help facilitate the social adaptation of children with hyperactivity and improve their intellectual development. As a rule, medications are prescribed for a long period, sometimes until adolescence.

Komarovsky's opinion

The popular doctor has come across in his practice many times with children diagnosed with ADHD. The main difference between such a medical diagnosis and hyperactivity as character traits, Komarovsky calls the fact that a healthy child does not interfere with hyperactivity to develop and communicate with other members of society. If a child has a disease, he, without the help of parents and doctors, cannot become a full-fledged member of the team, normally study and communicate with peers.

To make sure whether a child is healthy or has ADHD, Komarovsky advises contacting a child psychologist or psychiatrist, since only a qualified specialist will not only easily identify a child's hyperactivity as a disease, but will also help parents understand how to raise a child with ADHD.

A well-known pediatrician recommends that when raising a hyperactive child, follow these rules:

It is important to establish contact when communicating with your baby. If required, for this child, you can touch the shoulder, turn towards you, remove the toy from his field of vision, turn off the TV.
Parents should define specific and enforceable rules of conduct for their child, but it is important that they are always followed. In addition, each such rule must be clear to the child.
The space in which the hyperactive child resides must be completely safe.
The regime should be adhered to constantly, even if the parents have a day off. For hyperactive children, according to Komarovsky, it is very important to wake up, eat, walk, swim, go to bed and perform other usual daily activities at the same time.
All difficult tasks for hyperactive children must be broken down into parts that will be understandable and easy to do.
The child should be constantly praised, noting and emphasizing all the positive actions of the baby.
Find what the hyperactive child does best, and then create the environment for the child to be able to do the job and get satisfaction from it.
Provide the hyperactive child with the opportunity to spend excess energy channeling it in the right direction (for example, walking the dog, going to sports classes).
When going with your child to the store or on a visit, think over in detail your actions, for example, what to take with you or what to buy for the child.
Parents should also take care of their own rest, because, as Komarovsky emphasizes, it is very important for a hyperactive baby that dad and mom are calm, peaceful and adequate.

You can learn even more about hyperactive children in the following video.

You will learn about the role of parents and many important nuances by watching the video of clinical psychologist Veronica Stepanova.