Symptoms of ADHD in Children

The symptoms of ADHD in children tend to be many and varied but I will attempt to summarize and discuss the more commonly experienced ones in this page.

I gave only a brief overview of ADHD symptoms in children in the what is ADHD page. This page goes into much more depth however

Please ensure you read all of the information on the following pages as well as this page, in order to be fully informed and have a fuller rounder picture.

• What is ADHD
• Natural Remedies for ADHD - Herbs and Supplements
• Natural Remedies for ADHD - Homeopathy and Flower Essences
  
• Causes of ADHD
• Diet and ADHD

It is important to realize that your child may not display every single symptom as listed below. Children are all different and so are the ways that they show their difficulties.

The symptoms of ADHD in children that are listed below are when things are at quite an extreme level and so your child may be displaying some of these attributes but not so severely, and possibly not all of them.

This may mean he does have ADHD at a lower end of the spectrum but it is also important to realize that it may be a manifestation of some of the problem in his life. Some emotional upset or stress.

Therefore when considering the symptoms below it is generally accepted that the child needs to have been displaying a good number of these to some degree for a minimum six months before a parent or caregiver should start to be concerned about whether this is ADHD or not.

Hyperactive Behaviour

Symptoms of ADHD in children actually means that the level of activity is inordinately high and would include the following examples:

• Has great difficulty standing still or staying seated without moving in some way such as fidgeting or bouncing around or otherwise restless.
• Tends to talk excessively and is often labelled as a chatterbox.
• This child will climb all over the furniture or jump off things inappropriately such as chairs, tables and garden walls even if he has been told not to (he will probably have forgotten but if not will have found himself ignoring it due to his relentless need for physical activity)
• Finds a way of constantly moving in one fashion or another as he cannot keep still no matter how much he tries.
• Has great difficulty with quieter activities such as doing homework or reading or drawing and can find these tasks almost impossible.

Impulsive Behaviour

Symptoms of ADHD in children, displaying the impulsivity components might include the following examples:

• He cannot wait his turn in a conversation and will interrupt other speakers constantly.
• He has great difficulty waiting for his turn in a general sense whether that is in a game with his siblings or school friends, or in a queue at sweetshop with his mother.
• When other children are playing games he will interrupt their play inappropriately.
• He cannot contain himself and will blurt out answers inappropriately in lessons or in any other situations that ordinarily would call for restraint.
• He can act recklessly and not think about the consequences of his behaviour including in regard to his own personal safety or the safety of others such as jumping off garden walls or running into traffic to play chicken.
• He will also not think about the fact that his behaviour may get him into trouble with his teachers or parents who may consider it naughty or against the rules.

Inattentive Behaviour

The inattentive aspect of symptoms of ADHD in children can manifest itself in various ways including:

• He will generally display great difficulty in being able to focus on anything for any length of time.
• His concentration span will not be as long as his counterparts of a similar age.
• The child will appear not to be listening when he is being spoken to whether that is by a teacher or a parent or even a friend.
• He has great difficulty following directions and finishing tasks appropriate for his age, including even those that are fairly simple.
• This child is very easily distracted from whatever it is he might be paying some attention to at that time.
• He will make careless mistakes in any tasks that he attempts to perform
• This child is particularly disorganized and will often lose things or not know where he has put things

Other Symptoms

There are a range of other symptoms of ADHD in children that may accompany a diagnosis of ADHD that have not been mentioned above. These include:

• The child may seem to be very clumsy and accident prone due to poor coordination and motor skills.
• He may have speech or learning problems and development in these areas will be slower than what is considered the norm for a child of that age.
• He could have difficulty in remembering things because his memory is also impaired.
• This child may suffer from frequent temper tantrums and fits of anger and his mood can swing from one extreme to another in an instant.

Emotional Aspects to Consider

Although I am mentioning the emotional symptoms of ADHD in children last they are certainly not least. If you consider the whole list above and imagine a child who is struggling with many of those things listed, it is not difficult to imagine or understand why he would also have emotional problems to contend with in addition to his ADHD.

It is not uncommon for a child with ADHD to suffer with anxiety or depression and in many cases both. Of course these emotional problems will exacerbate the symptoms of the ADHD which in turn exacerbate the emotional problems and so vicious cycle is very easily setup. It is vital that this is addressed.

As well as anxiety and depression often being a part of symptoms of ADHD in children, there are other emotional problems that a child with ADHD may well be trying to deal with. It is obvious that with all of the symptoms above this is a child who is not going to cope very well at school and will struggle with the mainstream education system in the West.

As a result he will often be an under achiever and in frequent trouble with his teachers or parents. Other children are bemused by him and struggle to understand his behaviour and may even try to avoid him seeing him as a troublemaker or possibly just "strange".

Consequently he can become isolated and a loner and yet may desperately want to fit in and be like everyone else. His confidence will plummet and he may develop behavioural coping strategies to help hide his inadequacies.

Some children seek acceptance with their peers by becoming the class clown, always making jokes and playing around in an attempt to make the children laugh and like him. Of course this will not endear him to the teachers and is not necessarily conducive to his or anyone else's learning experience either.

He may even become a bully, picking on other children and causing fights and similar problems. Equally he is just as likely to become a victim of other bullies who sense that he is different from them and so makes a convenient scapegoat.

Of course this easily explains why a child with ADHD may well be prone to depression or anxiety problems. Who wouldn't be trying to deal with all of these things and at such a young age?

Therefore, when considering symptoms of ADHD in children, it is important not to exclude the emotional experience of these children for it is a vital factor and left un-addressed will only serve to exacerbate the problems that this child already has and in the long-term set him up for a very difficult teenage and adult experience.

This is another reason that I encourage you to consult an experienced and qualified natural health practitioner who can help you to address these issues as well as utilizing the information contained on this web site.

A practitioner of this caliber will be familiar with the symptoms of ADHD in children and this is essential in order to work out what is actually going on.

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