When C was younger we use to say he is just like the energizer bunny. He keeps going and going. He has so much energy I wish we can bottle it up and sell it. I would make a fortune.
Yeah, it’s great to have energy and be able to go on and on but it’s not so great when it starts to interfere with everyday life, decision making, and childhood development.
ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The National Institute of Mental Health www.nimh.nih.gov has this definition:
“ADHD is a disorder that makes it difficult for a person to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors. He or she may also be restless and almost instantly active.”
There are three ongoing patterns of kids with ADHD
- They have difficulty paying attention
- They are hyperactive
- Act without thinking (impulsive)
Healthychildren.org says this:
“Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have behavior problems that are so frequent and severe that they interfere with their ability to function adequately on a daily basis.”
ADHD is REAL!
I once read an article on the topic of ADHD not being real and is a made up condition. They said something to the effect of if you take your child into the forest will they still have ADHD?
And I say YES! YES! They will!
Yes, my son will still have ADHD. First, he may run around and yell. He will not listen to me or even notice I’m there. Eventually, he will get bored and ask for my phone. Or he will run for hours, not taking a break and I will have to offer him something to get him to calm down and rest.
Understand this, symptoms of ADHD will happen everywhere. Not just in school, but at home, church, friends house and yes even in the forest.
Many times ADHD goes along with Autism. You can check out my post on autism symptoms and autism traits and symptoms that you may miss because they are rare and unusual.
If you’re wondering if your child has ADHD everydayhealth.com has a good list of questions to ask.
ADHD: What to Look for
- Is your child paying attention to details, or rushing through homework and making careless mistakes?
- Do you think your child listens to you most of the time?
- Does your child find it hard to organize activities?
- Does your child avoid tasks that require thinking?
- Does your child just refuse to do what you ask?
Here’s another visual
If you think your child may have ADHD please talk to their pediatrician. Once your child gets diagnosed there are different things you can do to help them succeed.
There are dietary changes, sensory diets, therapy, create reward and consequences. And of course medication. All to help you and your child.
Once we got C diagnosed and started treating his ADHD with a combination of things I mentioned above we saw such a huge difference.
My child started speaking! That was the biggest change! He could finally pay attention in speech therapy and was starting to put sentences together.
He was able to follow 2 – 3 step directions!
He stopped running and started walking!
My favorite is when C said to me “Thank you, mama, for giving me medicine. It help my brain work”
I can go on and on.
ADHD is real and we live with it every day. But things we put in place help us conquer each day and make it a success.
Be blessed mama!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with your kid as well as for sharing all these information. I will pray for you and your family that all will be well. God bless!