Hyperactive Children: How And When ADHD Is Detected
When children are together with other people, hyperactivity increases, especially with those who do not have a frequent relationship or do not know. When they are alone, on the contrary, this behavior decreases.
Often, along with hyperactivity, they develop problems concentrating and paying attention, known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It is not a simple disorder to diagnose, but we can study the child’s attitudes and determine if we should make the diagnosis.
How hyperactive children act
One of the most striking characteristics of hyperactive children is the difficulty they have in being able to concentrate and focus their attention. Below are some of the main attitudes that a hyperactive child can have:
- They are especially problematic, destructive, insensitive to punishment, restless and nervous.
- Difficult to educate.
- They are impulsive and disobedient.
- They have a low threshold for tolerating frustration.
- They remain restless in whatever activity they do.
- They have difficulty concentrating.
- Presence of disruptive behaviors.
- cognitive impulse
Causes of Hyperactivity
Childhood hyperactivity is much more common than it sounds. According to some studies, it affects 3 percent of children under the age of 7 and is more common in boys than girls.
In 1914, it was determined that the causes are due to minimal brain dysfunction, an encephalitis lethargic, by which the area of behavior is affected, hence the consequent compensatory hyperkinesia, explosiveness in voluntary activity, organic impulsivity and the inability to stand still.
Then, in 1937, the therapeutic effects of amphetamines in hyperactive children were discovered, and based on the 1914 theory, brain-stimulating drugs such as amphetamine were administered, and a remarkable improvement was observed in patients.
Hyperactivity indicators according to age
As a child grows up, he develops different types of behavior that make him a hyperactive child. This behavior is very simple to recognize because your actions are so obvious. But we must take these signs into account early to determine if the child is suffering from hyperactivity.
From 0 to 2 years
They have clonic discharges during sleep and problems keeping pace with eating. They have short sleep periods and often wake up with a start. They also show resistance to usual care, high reactivity to auditory stimuli and irritability.
2 to 3 years old
Lack of maturity in expressive language, excessive motor activity, low awareness of danger and propensity to suffer several accidents because they don’t recognize when something is really dangerous.
From 4 to 5 years
They have great difficulties in relating to other children, disobedience and inability to follow the rules. It’s hard to get them to pay attention to adults’ observations about their behavior.
From 6 years old
Some of the characteristics of hyperactive children from age 6 onwards are that they are impulsive, have poor grades at school, attention deficit becomes more evident and difficulties in establishing social relationships increase.
Symptoms of a Child with ADHD
When the child also has attention deficit and impulsivity, accompanied by their hyperactivity, we are talking directly about an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which must be determined with a medical evaluation. As we mentioned earlier, the three main signs that a child with ADHD should have are:
- Lack of attention.
- Hyperactivity.
- Impulsiveness.
Not everything that seems to be ADHD
Some behaviors in children can be very similar to this disorder, but that does not mean that they suffer from this disorder . In childhood, children can be restless, have problems concentrating and impulsive. However, these are normal behaviors as long as they do not exceed certain limits.
In order to consider a possible diagnosis of ADHD, the following criteria must be met by the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition):
- The child manifests these behaviors excessively compared to other children.
- Appears before age 12.
- It affects the child at school, in their family environment and in the social sphere.
- It harms your quality of life.
- It is not caused by a medical, toxic or other psychiatric problem.
Treatment
The most used pharmacological treatments are stimulants that help the child to concentrate better and calming if the child has psychotic traits. For its part, psychotherapeutic treatment is aimed at improving the family and school environment, helping the child to have a better integration.
Finally, cognitive treatment is based on the approach of performing tasks, situations in which the child plans his actions and improves his internal language.
If at any time you notice any of these characteristics in your child, it is important to follow up to determine if your child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or if it is simply normal childhood hyperactivity.
Analyzing your child’s behavior will be vital to identifying any behavior that is not normal.
