Hyperactivity and ADHD - Help!

moon_bug wrote: I need some help here! My son is 3 years old and is very hyper. I have been doing a lot of research on hyperactivity and everything comes up with ADHD. The thing is he has all the symptoms of ADHD except for the AD part. He is capable of sitting a watching 30 minute program on TV and sometimes longer, if he is really into it. He also pays attention to detail, like when he is playing with his cars and trucks, he likes them to be lined up in a specific way. So, my question, is there any such thing as hyperactivity without the AD part of it. Any information is helpful. Please put in your two cents worth.

Thanks,
Cindy

Alice replied: I'm a teacher, but of high school, so I'm in over my head here.

I imagine it's very possible to be hyperactive w/o having Attention Deficit.

- Do you have lots of experience with small boys? Is it possible that his behavior is on the wired side of normal?

- Take a look at his diet. Is he consuming lots of starches and sugar? Sugar can do wicked things to a teenager; I can only imagine what it does to a preschooler who is sensitive to it. (That's why you keep reading about schools eliminating soda machines-- can you imagine 25 6 year olds on a sugar high? )Try cutting it down and see if it helps.

- Has he had a physical recently-- with blood work? Talk to your doctor about physical causes.

-Make sure he gets plenty of exercise, to work off some of that energy.

-You hit on something that works for him: thing he's interested in. So load him up on activities you've thought about, in an effort to calm him down at certain parts of the day. My son was also a big truck lover: try
The Lot at the End of the Block, by Kevin Lewis-- a great story (maybe he'll sit quitely while you read it together)
The "There goes a....(truck, firetruck, tow truck, tractor, boat......) series of videos, produced by Real Wheels I think. YOu can find them everywhere-- like Target. Brian still loves them. Again, maybe they'll encourage him to sit quietly for a while.

Hope some of this helps!

gr33n3y3z replied: He sounds like a normal little 3 year old to me.
Can he have hyperactivity? He sure can without AD
change his diet no red coloring ,no sugar, and see how it goes.
And plenty of water.
Watch the juices that you buy most have lots of sugar in them.
Good Luck

amymom replied: The advice you have here is dead on. Try diet. And give him lots of exercise and lots of Water.

moped replied: I also think he sounds perfectly normal to me!!!!!

JAYMESMOM replied: He sounds like a normal 3 year old boy to me. The one thing to do would be to check his sugar intake around times when he needs to be still.

3 year old boys needs lots and lots of excercise and activities that keep them really really busy.

From dealing with my own son and his step-siblings and all my friends little boys he sounds normal to me.

3 is a very interesting stage for boys and they are now big enough to do all the things they want to do and they are growing so much they have boundless energy that seems to supercede any engery they have ever had.

Try to give him things he really likes at times when he needs to sit quietly.

And just love him for him.

ammommy replied: Everyone's given great advice, just want to throw in my 2 cents. First, remember that fruit and fruit juice are high in sugar, so that needs to be taken into consideration when you are watching his sugar intake. That's easy to forget.
Also, remember that kids this age have energy to burn! I wish I could bottle it for me What seems hyper to you, may be normal (and it sounds like it is). The fact that he can sit still when he wants to makes me believe that he's not hyper, just active and busy.

Mommy2BAK replied: I hope this helps, my husband has ADHD, and he still takes medication for it and he is 21 now. But his mother tells me that he was hyper for as long as she can remember, she has told me stories about him sitting in chairs and he would just fall over out of the chair and laugh. He is definately one of those children who needed/still needs ritalin. But your son may grow out of it. I hope so!

Haferers7 replied: Hi,

I have 5 children. My 3rd son is ADHD and was diagnosed at 4. We suspected it from infancy. We now treat him and he is doing amazingly well. He is a straight A student in grade 2 and a very well adjusted boy. It has not been an easy road but we felt strongly about getting him diagnosed early so that we could help him and make sure that he got off to the right start. he like your son does not have the AD part of the ADHD. Apparently that only accounts for about 4% of ADHD"s and it is the best kind to have. I'm not saying that your son does have it but it is worth learning more about. Your doing a great job getting out there with it early. If it isn't, great but if it is you'll want to deal with it ASAP as children have a better outlook the sooner they are dealt with.(not necessarily meds) I would love to hear more about your son (eg. what he was like as a baby, what kind of delivery you had etc.)those things definatly help with the search for a dianosis but the only one who can really do theat is a doc. Are you in Canada or the States? It's really important to get support with this because oit can be a long road and you need to talk to moms who have been through it. It has been a god send for me.

Best of luck!!

Heidi

Feel free to ask away.

choochoo replied: My daughter, now 7, was diagnosed with ADHD in Kindergarten. I knew something was up from crawling age, though. She would never nap (and I do mean never!), she was constantly active (so I was constantly tired), she did not have a problem watching tv (because the videos (baby einstein) were constantly changing and very stimulating to her mind) and she couldn't sit still if given a task (like drawing/coloring a picture). Of course, as a child, she wasn't given sugary items, so I knew whatever was going on with her wasn't because of anything she was eating or drinking.

Good luck, and much patience. You're going to need it if he is indeed ADHD. :-)

austins mom replied: My son was like that when he was little. Me and dh thought the same way but we dscided to just ride it out and see how he does. As he got older he calmed down. He is still a little hyper but not as bad.

tsheahan replied: I would like to add a pediatrician's viewpoint. It is possible to be diagnosed with hyperactivity alone, however, you need to show that these behaviors impair a part of his life (example: difficulty with school). Also, these symptoms need to be present before the age of 7 to truly be a diagnosis.

It is important that your doctor make sure he/she eliminates other causes of hyperactivity and/or innattention. For example, I saw a 7 year old boy yesterday with a learning disability who his teacher keeps calling "lazy" and "impulsive" and "unable to focus". He does not have ADHD which the school thinks, he actually has difficulty reading which leads him to not focus and act out at school.

I know alot of parents believe sugar and/or food additives play a part in hyperactivity, but the research does not fully support this. (although i always advocate for the least amount of sugar in children's diets for other reasons) However, soda which has caffeine CAN increase activity because of the caffeine itself, not the sugar. ADHD is a neurobehavioral problem, and scientists believe it is largely inheritable.

If you are concerned about your child, please see your pediatrician. Early intervention is the best answer!! I hope this helps.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
I know this is an old post, but WOW, great advice! So cool to have a ped on PC! Welcome!