Your Essential Guide To ADHD Signs and Symptoms
What should I be looking out for?
One of the signs of an ADHD child is the constant motion, restlessness, and hyperactivity. Even toddlers will be more hyper than their peers and will have problems changing from one activity to another. Other signs could be that the child never sits still, will not read a book quietly, and runs everywhere. These are just some hyperactive signs of an ADHD child but there may be other signs as well.
The child may be constantly distracted and will be unable to focus on any task. Inattention will mean a failure in following instructions and the lack of focus will be very evident when homework has to be done.
“Picture a room with 1,000 TVs with each TV showing something different. Now try and concentrate on just one TV without getting distracted.” — Damian DaViking Aird
Usually, if ADHD is diagnosed and confirmed, it is just a mental condition or disorder where there is an imbalance of brain chemicals. This can cause inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity which are the classic signs of a child with ADHD. It is not a phenomenon of modern society as it has been around for ages in that Hippocrates described similar symptoms in a patient he observed around 350 BC!
This article in the World Journal of Psychiatry states that there is nothing new about ADHD — it has been around for a very long time.
Do you suspect your child may have ADHD?
Are you worried that your child may have ADHD? You may have noticed some unusual signs or common ADHD symptoms that you might think apply to your child but you are not sure. The only way of being sure is to get a proper diagnosis.
But first, let us look at the most common ADHD symptoms to see if your child fits any of these. We should remember that very often, the common ADHD symptoms mimic about fifty other childhood conditions. When and if you first go for diagnosis, it is very important that these are considered as possibilities, rather than the doctor jumping to any conclusions about ADHD. The conditions which may ape ADHD in some respects range from depression, anxiety, hearing and sight problems, thyroid deficiencies, allergies, sleep deficit and so on.
Common ADHD symptoms There may be problems with attention and this will manifest itself in doing homework very slowly indeed. This is because the child may have Inattentive Type ADHD which is one of the three types.
Reckless behavior
Other children display impulsive behavior which could range from doing dangerous tricks on bikes or running across a road on impulse. There are also problems in talking and blurting out answers in class and constantly interrupting. That would also be evident on the playground where he constantly butts in where he is not wanted and have problems in waiting for his turn.
Fidgeting
If your child is never still and will never sit quietly and read a book or do a game, then this may be another sign. Constant fidgeting and restlessness may be other signs. These are the common ADHD symptoms that identify the Hyperactive Type or the Combined Type.
Are the symptoms actually holding your child back?
How can you tell that certain attention deficit disorder symptoms are not just those of a normal energetic child who wants to let off steam and will run around and cause general mayhem? Experts tell us that the answer is that when this disruptive behavior becomes a barrier to normal development, then it is time to think that ADHD might be the cause. Symptoms of attention deficit disorder tend to show a pattern whereby behavior is so bad that it severely affects social relationships (eg. friends and schoolmates), school work suffers and family life is hell!
Four action points if you think your child has ADHD
What action points should parents carry out if they notice symptoms of ADHD in child behavior?
- The first one is to get a proper diagnosis by a qualified practitioner such as a pediatrician, child psychologist or ADHD specialist.
- Get a second opinion because there are cases of misdiagnosis. For example, one boy went through hell because he was misdiagnosed and in the end, after years of wrong medication which spoilt his childhood, they found that his condition was due to a parasite!
- The third action point is to read up on ADHD and try to get access to ADHD forums, blogs, and parent support groups and find out what the main issues are. This is assuming that the diagnosis is positive.
The expert in making a diagnosis will refer to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) Vol V manual together with the Connors Rating Scale which are standard criteria for specialists in assessing symptoms of ADHD in childhood disorders. ADHD child symptoms are not as cut and dried as that, as co-morbid disorders may also be present, thus complicating the diagnosis and prognosis.
4. The fourth action point is to research as much as possible the risks and side effects of ADHD drugs. Parents should know that this is not a cure and will just alleviate ADHD symptoms. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) states quite clearly that unless there is some psychological support such as behavior therapy together with medication, then there is no guarantee that they will be able to cope with ADHD or improve their ADHD symptoms.
Most doctors will not prescribe medication until the child is at least five years old. Then, there is also the possibility of using a variety of other treatments or a combination of several of them.
Ty Pennington who has ADHD made a short video encouraging kids who may have ADHD to try and focus on one thing at a time.