my 5 year old over the past 6-8 months has become very hyper at home but is not having a problem at school to the point it has been sugested by a friend who herself had adhd as a child that i may need to have her tested. i do not want my child on medication if i can help it but sometimes feel overwhelmed by her new abundance of energy. she is normally a very good child and i never have any problems but even on days where i take her out to do things to use some of that energy i still seem to have a problem sometimes, she is very very smart could she just be bored...should i be worried or is this just a 5 year old thing and she will grow out of it soon???
maybe you need to challenge her mind. find a playgroup to join so that she can interact with other children her age. maybe she is not being challenged enough in school and she is taking out her frustration at home. I think they begin to have a lot of energy at this point in their lives and dont know what to do with it all. Hope this helps.
J.
I agree that medication osn't always the way to got, but having her tested for ADD isn't really all that bad. Your family doctor can give you a few forms for the teacher, yourself, and any child care provider can fill out as the first step. If they all say about the same thing then you can go on with the testing. If it only appears that the hyperactivity is only with you then maybe there is an underlying problem that is totally different from ADD or ADHD. You could look into getting her involved with an after school activity or play group that will help to stimulate her a little more. It sounds like you have given this some great thought and things always have a way of working out.
Hey M., im in the health and wellness industry and see this all the time! im with you on not wanting to put her on medication! what kind of childrens vitamins do you give her. does she get a well balanced diet? nutrition is often the case with over diagnosed problems, even though not intentional. the good news is that its easily fixed! let me know if i can be of more assistance! good luck. i have a great testimonial on childrens vitamins and childrens meal replacements.( which ones are great and the ones that are not so great!)
Dear M. -
I was a very hyper child and my mother was told by friends that maybe she should put me on medication. At that time my mother used to leave me at a daycare run by nuns. When she discussed this with the mother superior she told my mom that I just had a lot of life in me and not to ruin my health by putting me on medication. My mother followed her advice, and I am grateful she did. The mother superior was right. I have always been a very active person, but my parents provided enough structure and discipline, and were good models of hard-working people. I now have a degree in Applied Math from the engineering school of an Ivy League School (I got a private scholarship), and had a very successful consulting business for many years. I am now a stay-at-hom mom and have a very bright, very active (yes, hyper at times) son who is 3 years old. Someone has already suggested putting him on medication. Our pediatrician told me that it is better to have an active child than one who is not, and in the book What To Expect The First Year it says that hyper children can turn out to be some of the most productive people if they are helped to channel their energy in the right direction. Don't try to slow your child down, help her channel her energy in productive ways. I heard from a mom who has a hyper child that getting him involved in a sport helped. I hope this helps!
R.
Medication should be the last resort in treating hyper children. some children just have more energy than others and need to spend more time using it. Also if she is busy at school and not having problems it might be that she is just not active enough at home, you might need to consider letting her join a gymnastics class or something to keep her busy on a Saturday for a few hours. I would also check into her diet, remove all processed, dyed, non natural foods and get her on a whole foods diet. This may be the problem and it is pretty easy to fix. I wish you the best.
Behavior disorders like ADHA happen at all times not just in one place. If she is good at school odds are she doesn't have ADHA. School is a big adjustment and they have to sit still so much of the time. When they get home they have sooo much engery to burn off from all those hours of sitting still. Now you need to look at her behavior. Is she misbehaving or does she just have energy to burn. Being hyper in and of itself is not misbehaving it is just energy. Give her time to play it off. Also, look at what she is eating and drinking. Cut out sugar and caffeen and see what kind of difference that can make. If all else fails then talk to her doctor. Don't let them guess at her diagnoses. There are brain test (scanes) that they can do to see if it is a brain problem. Alot of doctors will just try to "guess" it though and not do the test. So you may have to insist on the brain scane, but it will keep you from putting her on meds that she may not need.
M.,
Don't you wish you could bottle their energy and sell it? :) I am severe ADHD, and the only thing that has kept me off of medication is training in the Martial Arts for the majority of my life. The focus and discipline that comes with this training is unmatched! And I'm not talking about Tae Kwon Do, either, but a Martial Art that focuses away from competition. Please email me if you would like and I will help you with recommendations on styles and possibly even locations (my instructor knows people all over the world). Email is ____@____.com
M.,
I have been in the same position as you are. I have two boys who are 7 and 8. I would not rush out to get her tested until school becomes an issue. It is just the age that she is at. I would just do thing with her to keep her busy. There are days that I want to pull my hair out due to all the energy that mine have. I actually had my oldest one tested for add & adhd and it just caused problems in school for him. I recommend trying different things to exert her energy while she is at home. And as an EMT I know about the medications that they use to treat these disorders and they all have some side effects that I wouldnt want to have. Well I hope that I have been some help. If you want to talk more about it shoot me an email at ____@____.com
This is just my 2 cents worth here I was going thru this with my 7 year old he just turn 7 he is doing great in school but at home WOW and I have him seen by the doctor and thought well while im at it I will have the others go to and come to find out the hyperness was indeed ADHD with a small does of meds it has helped with the older boys but with my 7 year old I am still wondering should I go thru with meds for him .
any ideas would be great here to.
Thanks again
R.
