Almost every child has times when they may seem hyperactive.
It is perfectly normal for your children to sometimes be nervously wound-up and excited.
However, for about one in twenty children under the age of twelve, there is a condition which causes them to be so hyperactive and easily distracted that they will need medical attention.
This condition is known as "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder", or simply "ADHD" for short.
Some typical signs of children who may be experiencing ADHD, are :- - Have a tendency to always be moving around a great deal - Unable to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time - Difficulty in paying attention or listening to events that are going on around them.
- Very easily distracted - Often act on impulse - Trouble sleeping Of course, many children, particularly toddlers, behave this way some of the time - it doesn't necessarily mean that they need medical attention! If you think your child is showing signs of hyperactivity, you can start by comparing him to other children of his age, and getting a feel for whether he is acting normally.
Children with ADHD are noticeably more excessive in their behavior, have excitability levels that are higher, more severe distraction problems, and they never seem to calm down from one day to the next.
Children with ADHD are just as intelligent as other kids, but can appear to be slow learners or fall behind in school.
This is because their condition causes them to loose concentration quickly, and have difficulty in following instructions to completion.
They are typically more emotional, more demanding, and extremely disobedient, more so than other children of their age.
This types of behavior, often immature behavior can cause many problems at school and with friends.
Sometimes these children may get in trouble with the law at an early age.
So, unless their condition is recognized, and they get the care and treatment that they need, the child's life could easily remain out of control well into their adult years.
Nobody knows exactly what causes the condition, so treating and managing severe hyperactivity can be very hard.
However the manner in which the child is raised and disciplined does seem to have an effect on how severe the disorder becomes.
Parents who are emotionally healthy themselves, practice discipline with gentle firmness, and who offer unconditional love, seem to more successful at raising children with ADHD into healthy young adults.