Hyperactive Child: What Can Parents Do?
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The definition of a hyperactive child varies greatly from person to person and their level of experience with children that display symptoms of hyperactivity. To some parents, a child that occasionally decides it would be fun to jump up and down on the bed would seem to be hyperactive to them. Others might believe their child could be hyperactive if he or she has problems sitting still in certain situations.
For parents of kids with an ADHD diagnosis, the most critical component of hyperactivity is that it is constant and consistent. You do not think that your kid is only sometimes overly energetic or active – you use the word always.
Children with extreme hyperactivity usually begin their day starting off with extreme energy. Parents might not even be fully awake enough to find the coffee pot and make themselves a cup of morning coffee and their child is acting as if he or she has already had about 6 cups of coffee. The hyperactivity continues through breakfast – he or she will not be able to sit still at the table while eating, often standing up or rocking the chair back and forth. The child might talk excessively about many different things all at once. Most of us, even those who are “morning people”, do not have that type of energy the moment they wake up in the morning!
Throughout the day the hyperactivity will continue. A younger child or toddler will likely display behavior such as jumping up and down on furniture or running through room to room. Children in school will likely display signs of restlessness as they try to sit through class, and the restlessness may lead to other problems that disrupt the classroom. Even when children are engaged in physically demanding sports such as swimming or soccer and others they may not show any signs of wearing out.
By the end of the day, when parents are exhausted and you would think that your child should be ready to sleep, you may find that your hyperactive child cannot fall asleep. He or she may toss and turn in bed and even when routines are in place will lie awake restlessly until finally they simply can’t stay awake any longer. At that point, the child may be in such a deep sleep that very little will cause him or her to awaken, which is sometimes attributed to the belief that ADHD children are more prone to continue bed wetting until later ages in life than others.
Behavior like that described above is not just once a week or once a month thing for the ADHD child. What is described above is a “normal” day in the life of a hyperactive child – and it continues this way for quite some time before parents and teachers begin recognizing it as a problem and often before a licensed professional will give an evaluation and ADHD diagnosis. Days where the child does not act hyper are welcome breaks, but few and far in between.
Having a hyperactive child poses many things that need to be addressed for both parents and children. Parents might find themselves exasperated by the boundless energy and find themselves getting angry at the child or unable to deal with the constant demand for attention and redirection. Hyperactive behavior can also lead to injury if the child is doing things such as jumping on furniture or other reckless behavior.
So What Can Parents Do?
The first thing to do if you haven’t done so already, is to consult with a well qualified professional about your child’s behavior. No two children are alike, and many different things can cause a kid to display the symptoms of hyperactivity. Just because you think your son or daughter may be displaying some of the symptoms of ADHD does not necessarily mean he or she has it – many other things can cause similiar characteristics.
Your pediatrician should be able to give you referrals for different behavioral health specialists in your area. Other tremendous resources include your state or county’s department of child welfare or medical assistance office. Several areas have programs that can provide you with services at little to no cost as well as a caseworker who will help coordinate services and help you make a decision on what is best for your child. You can expect to receive an evaluation of behavioral and emotional factors which if leads to a diagnosis of ADHD will then lead to creating a treatment plan for helping you regain control of your life.
There is a lot of different controversy about the many different treatments and remedies available for ADHD. Despite what the media would make you believe, medication is often a last ditch resort after many months of cognitive behavior therapy seems to prove ineffective. Medication does have its place for treating the problem, but it cannot be considered a “cure” since the child will still need to learn ways to cope with behavior. Children under the age of 6 diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are very rarely placed on medications.
There are also an array of alternative treatments, such as experimenting with diet or taking different vitamin supplements. Again, these also meet quite a bit of controversy and opposition, especially amongst medical professionals. Lacking well documented studies and research also contributes to confusion on what is actually effective in treating the disorder.
With or without medication, it is crucial for parents to seek different skill building activities with the child to help him or her control the energy and channel it into productive and positive activities. A behavioral therapist will be able to suggest different relaxation activities and calming techniques that you can do in conjunction with therapy or medication that over time will help show improvement.
It’s also very important that as a parent you seek the support that you need as an individual. It can be very demanding to have a child that is constantly full of boundless energy. Speaking to your own counselor for ways you can cope and find peace will not only help you but also help your child. Parents should also be sure to get much needed breaks and time for themselves in order to avoid becoming resentful or depressed.
If you are concerned about your hyperactive child, the best thing you can do is talk to a professional in your area about his or her behavior. The worst that can happen is that you do absolutely nothing and the problem escalates to larger issues that may be more difficult to fix later on. While there’s no instant cure for decreasing hyperactivity, there is plenty of help and support for the parents of a hyperactive child.