Hyperactive children: what to do with a restless child, how to raise them and whether they need treatment - advice from a psychologist to parents. Hyperactive child - what should parents do?

More and more often lately, parents have been complaining that their children are becoming simply uncontrollable. They are inattentive, restless, disobedient, do not know how to communicate... The list of such “don’ts” can be continued for a long time, but this will not change the problem. And its essence is that the child has symptoms ADHD– attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Such hyperactive children They’re not “lazy” or “poorly brought up,” they’re just different. They require a special approach. Character hyperactive child makes life difficult not only for his parents, but also for himself.

ADHD- This is perhaps the most common neuropsychiatric disorder today, which is observed not only in children, but also in adults. Typically, children with such deviations do poorly at school, suffer from misunderstanding and, as a consequence of all this, have low self-esteem. The main signs of such a child's behavior are impulsiveness, inattention and hyperactivity. Moreover, if the signs of hyperactivity can gradually decrease over the years, then inattention and impulsiveness remain for life, interfering with the normal existence of the individual in society.

Hyperactivity manifests itself most clearly in preschool and primary school age. Such child restless, fussy, often distracted, and has some constant signs of motor restlessness. For example, he constantly rubs his palms, adjusts his glasses, bites his nails, and twirls everything he comes across in his hands - from plasticine to a bookmark in a textbook.

Signs of hyperactivity in a child

A child can be diagnosed with “hyperactivity” only if at least 6 of the following signs are constantly observed for a period of at least 6 months:

1. If a child, sitting on a chair, fidgets and turns around endlessly, and restless unconscious movements of the hands and feet are observed.

2. Frequently stands up in class during lessons or at other times when he should remain seated.

3. Shows aimless motor activity at those moments when this is unacceptable - tries to climb somewhere, get something, spins around, is in a hurry to get somewhere.

4. Cannot play quiet games or study alone and in silence

5. Acts as if he has a motor, like Carlson, and cannot be stopped.

6. The child is very talkative.

7. Answers questions without thinking, and therefore often inappropriately.

8. Has difficulty waiting his turn in any situation.

9. Often annoying, interferes in the conversations and games of others.

The optimal age for diagnosis is considered to be 4-5 years, when we can already talk about attention disorder. The diagnosis itself can only be made by specialists - a neurologist and a psychiatrist.

Help for children with ADHD

Next, it is important to understand that ADHD is not a disease and cannot be cured with medications alone. We must try to help hyperactive child learn to live in peace with society and yourself. The choice of further actions will be individual, depending on the severity of ADHD manifestations. The approach should be comprehensive and include appropriate work with parents, teachers, psychotherapy, and possibly the prescription of medication.

A lot can be done with treatment of hyperactivity in children, sometimes fairytale therapy even helps: you can not only introduce your child to fairy-tale characters with the help of a book, but also invite the hero of fairy tales to your child’s birthday (this is wonderfully written on this website).

1. Always try to maintain a positive attitude with your child - emphasize his successes, especially in those matters that require perseverance and patience. Help him gain confidence in his own abilities.

2. If possible, eliminate the expressions “no” and “cannot” from everyday use. Try to simply switch the baby’s attention to something else.

3. Try to maintain a soft, calm tone when talking with your child, no matter how difficult it may be for you.

4. If the child needs to complete several tasks, then give each of them in turn and set the exact time during which he must complete it.

5. Maintain a strict daily routine.

6. Avoid large crowds of people. For a baby with a diagnosis ADHD this has an exciting effect, and it is difficult to calm him down later.

7. Do not suppress the child’s motor activity, just try to direct it in the right direction. Jogging and walks in the fresh air, sports games, swimming and dancing are suitable.

And the most important advice to parents of children diagnosed ADHD: Don’t isolate yourself in your problem. It has been known for quite a long time, and there are ways to combat its manifestations. Look for as much information as possible on this topic and choose what is most suitable for you and your hyperactive child.

“Perpetual motion machine,” is how tired parents, exhausted caregivers and teachers say about their hyperactive child. It is he who periodically falls out of the crib in infancy, and at five years old it is impossible to captivate him with an interesting fairy tale or his favorite cartoon for at least 20 minutes. In elementary school, all problems only get worse. Where does excessive activity in children come from and how to deal with it?

What is hyperactivity?

According to experts, this condition manifests itself in children in the form of excessive activity, restlessness and a lot of unnecessary movements. This behavior is most typical of preschoolers, since their nervous system is still too unstable.

Boys suffer from hyperactivity several times more often than girls. Doctors explain this by the fact that they are usually larger than female children at birth, which is fraught with various damages. Also, the parts of the brain responsible for regulation and control mature much later in boys.

Currently, the number of children with this disorder of the central nervous system has increased significantly. Doctors' statistics are disappointing - signs of the disease are observed in approximately 40% of preschool children and half of primary school students. Which, you see, is a lot!

Manifestations of hyperactivity

Overactivity syndrome has many symptoms. Let's list the main ones:

• Lack of attention

The baby is not able to concentrate for a long time on one activity that requires some effort from him: coloring, reading, watching TV, solving examples. It is because of inattention that such children often experience difficulties with their studies.

• Impulsiveness

Hyperactive children often behave thoughtlessly, are constantly in a hurry, and answer before the question has been asked. They find it difficult to wait their turn and plan things in advance. Therefore, relationships with classmates and classmates often deteriorate, and parents attend school with the same frequency as they go to work.

• Excessive mobility

It is almost impossible to catch such a child in complete peace - he either runs, or jumps, or kicks his legs if he is asked to sit on a chair. A hyperactive child can also be recognized by its rich facial expressions, shifty eyes and restless fingers. He usually moves by skipping, forcing his mother to run after him.

• Mood swings

It is difficult for parents to understand the emotional state of their children. They have unpredictable behavior, with emotional outbursts occurring for no apparent reason. The baby can become aggressive and even cruel at one moment, and after a quarter of an hour he can have a nice conversation with his mother or his peers.

• Bad memory

Due to low concentration, impulsive behavior and excessive distractibility, children, as a rule, have difficulty remembering and assimilating information.

Causes of hyperactivity

This disease is based on minimal brain dysfunction, which disrupts the course of mental processes and causes all of the above features in the child. But the provoking factors of this disorder are:

• Progress of pregnancy

Severe toxicosis, high blood pressure, fetal hypoxia, maternal use of alcohol, nicotine or drugs, and exposure to toxic substances increase the likelihood of having a hyperactive baby.

Note to moms!

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• Unfavorable birth

Hyperactivity can be caused by prematurity, prolonged or, conversely, rapid labor, its artificial stimulation, as well as the use of various means of obstetrics (in particular, forceps).

• Genetic predisposition

You should not be surprised if your offspring has a similar disease if you yourself suffered from impulsive and disinhibited behavior at a young age.

How to help a child?

Some adults raising hyperactive children often lose their self-control and lash out at them, despite all the love and care. Other mothers and fathers give up, believing that nothing good will come of their baby. Still others try to put a tight rein on the child, introducing the strictest disciplinary measures.

Of course, every overly active child is a bright individual, and therefore needs a special approach. However, knowledge of the general psychological characteristics of such children allows specialists to give several recommendations that will help you find the key to your offspring.

• State tasks clearly

Due to difficulties with concentration and high distractibility, set specific tasks for your child. Your phrases should be short, clear, without unnecessary details. Try to avoid overloaded structures.

• Maintain consistency

Never give your hyperactive child several tasks at once. How often do you tell your children: “Come on, put away the cars, wash your hands and sit down at the table”? The child will not be able to immediately perceive such a volume of information and, perhaps, will not complete a single task, but will be carried away by something else. Give the following instructions as you go.

• Formulate prohibitions correctly

Such children have an extremely negative attitude towards the word “no”, so try not to use it. For example, instead of the categorical taboo “Don’t walk in a puddle,” say: “Let’s better walk on a dry path.” And, of course, in any conflict situation, try to remain calm.

• Set time boundaries

Young children generally have a weak sense of time, so you will need to keep track of your assignment yourself. If you plan to put your baby to bed, distract him from playing, or call him for dinner, you need to warn him in advance: “In five minutes we will have dinner.”

• Channel your energy into a “peaceful direction”

To make your child calmer, try to walk with him in the fresh air, enroll him in a sports club, go to attractions more often, ride a bike, skate or play ball. In general, find the type of activity that will give him sincere pleasure.

• Provide medication treatment

Be sure to seek help from a neurologist, who will not only make the correct diagnosis, but will also be able to select the correct pharmacological drug. Medical statistics say that the effects of medications are effective in 80% of cases of hyperactivity: behavior improves and self-control increases.

If there is a restless hurricane child growing up in your family and you don’t understand what to do, first of all, try to be patient and know that he in no way wants to annoy you. Don’t be afraid to seek qualified support from a neurologist or psychologist, follow their recommendations and our advice. And don’t forget that your child is no worse than other children, and also needs your love and understanding. If these conditions are met, you will be able to raise a collected and calm teenager from a little spoiled child.

In this article:

A hyperactive child is the name given to children who do not sit still for a minute. What should parents do in such cases, what advice can they give on raising restless children? Perhaps you need to get advice from a psychologist on this issue?

If we consider the concept of hyperactivity from a medical point of view, then this condition does not require medical intervention. If you have a hyperactive baby, then only the advice of an experienced psychologist will help in raising him. He will tell you how to properly direct, and not destroy or extinguish this lump of energy. Because this condition, manifested in early preschool age, in the absence of the right directional vector, will cause great trouble in elementary school, and subsequently in high school. It can negatively affect relationships with children and teachers and create an inferiority complex. Therefore, it is better for parents not to hesitate and follow the recommendations of a specialist.

How to recognize a hyperactive child

The main signs of hyperactivity are spontaneous reactions that the child cannot suppress on his own. They negatively affect speech, attention, and mobility of the baby. Everyone around calls this lively guy overly emotional.

Also negative manifestations of hyperactivity include:

In practice, this manifests itself in the following actions. For a hyperactive child, it is sheer torture to stand in line or listen, sitting in one place, to a teacher or teacher. An overactive toddler moves a lot, when answering questions collectively, he always interrupts others and tries to be the first to speak, does not remember instructions well and, as a result, does not carry them out or does them poorly.

Due to the surging energy, such children cannot concentrate their attention on something for a long time, and therefore are often not diligent students, leaving work unfinished. They cannot listen to a question to the end, often answer inappropriately, and do not think about the answer. These children also throw tantrums for no reason or show anger at inopportune times. They cannot understand other people's needs and delve into the desires of other people, coordinating them with their own.

Signs of a hyperactive child can be noticed before the age of seven. In preschool age it is easier to begin to cope with this problem. You need to understand that overactive children cannot cope with their conditions on their own, and therefore parents need to help them.

Hyperactive kids require more attention and participation in their lives than more balanced and calm ones. But parents need
remember that their efforts spent on raising a toddler will later pay off handsomely. And they will become an example for their child when he himself becomes an adult.

If a child is hyperactive, then it is very important to know what parents should do to make this activity as safe and beneficial as possible for the child, without causing disturbance to others. Advice from an experienced psychologist or mothers or grandmothers who have experienced these difficult periods of upbringing and personality development will help young parents cope with this problem.

Causes of hyperactivity

There are several reasons that can cause a state of hyperactivity in children. These include:

In order to determine whether a child is hyperactive, you need not only advice from a psychologist, but also from a family doctor to rule out or confirm the cause of this condition.

If the reason is a health condition, then it is necessary to strengthen the child and prevent hyperactivity from developing into a psychological problem and becoming a negative character trait. If your child is hyperactive everywhere: at home, in children's groups, on walks, in child care institutions, then it's time to find out what to do and get practical advice from a psychologist.

Hyperactivity or lack of attention?

Sometimes hyperactivity disorder is confused with attention deficit disorder. How to distinguish them? Very simple. If the above signs appear in a child both at home and outside the home, then we can say that overactivity is taking place. If they appear only within the walls of the house, then pay attention to your attitude towards the child, start communicating more with the baby, going for walks with him, reading books, watching cartoons, etc.

There is also room for a combination of these two syndromes. Doctors call it ADHD for short - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This syndrome can only be determined by a doctor. Based on the research, he will conclude what treatment the child needs, whether the help of a psychologist, psychotherapist or other children's doctor is needed.

Today there are many medical drugs that can help the child and completely stop such conditions. They are aimed at calming the nervous system, balancing the child’s behavior, helping to focus attention and improve memory.

The medication is prescribed in the morning, before the child attends kindergarten or school. The drugs are available in the form of candies, capsules, chewing strips, and sweet syrups. Only a doctor can prescribe treatment after a conversation with the parents, since treatment must be comprehensive and include not only taking medications, but also changing the child’s lifestyle.

In order to bring the baby out of this state, the help of not only a general practitioner, psychotherapist, but also a psychologist is needed. What should a psychologist do with a hyperactive child?

For such children, an individual lifestyle change plan is developed, which contains clear recommendations on what the little one can and cannot do. The plan may include classes with a psychologist on relaxation and behavioral therapy, in which the child is taught to relax, calm down, breathe correctly, and do deep breathing exercises. They conduct psychological classes during which children are taught to set goals and achieve them.

If a diagnosis of “hyperactivity” is made, then not only parents and doctors, but also teachers at school should know about it in order to develop an individual plan to help the child: allow him to complete tasks for a longer time, sit in the quietest place in the class.

Positive aspects of hyperactivity

Scientists were able to find out that ADHD syndrome also has positive aspects. A hyperactive child is:

Many hyperactive children are very talented and artistically gifted individuals!

Advice from psychologists on raising hyperactive children

First of all, children with detected symptoms of hyperactivity and ADHD syndrome should receive qualified help from a psychotherapist and psychologist. To eliminate adverse manifestations, parents do not need to neglect the course of medication. It is also necessary to establish the child’s daily routine, vitamin intake and proper
diet It is necessary to carry out physical education with your child, walk together in the fresh air, and keep him busy by visiting interesting clubs and non-aggressive sports sections.

These classes should contribute to the development of systematicity, structure, correct and clear interaction with the outside world. They need encouragement, rewards for completing tasks and a lot of parental love, affection and attention to their lives.

A few rules that will help raise a hyperactive child.

By performing all these simple steps and listening to advice, you can transform a restless person, seething with energy, unable to sit still for a minute, constantly asking an incredible number of questions, into a genius or a true master in some important area of ​​life. The main thing with such children is patience and love. Everything else is a series of regularly performed actions that a specialist will determine for you. Your job is simply to do them.

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More than 200 years ago, the German physician Heinrich Hoffmann was the first to describe hyperactive child and called him “fidgety Phil.” But only in the 60s of the 20th century did doctors begin to evaluate excessive mobility not as a character trait, but as an incorrigible mental defect.

One teaspoon per hour

You came home from work in the evening, and your son didn’t do the simplest thing: the bed is not made, the sock that was thrown in the center of the room two days ago is still there, and everything is strewn with chips. You ask: “Was it really difficult to lift? Why aren't you ashamed? Why are you torturing me like this?”

These questions are incomprehensible to an ordinary child, but the hyperactive mind lets them through like a colander through water. It’s only the specifics that grab him – it’s better to start straight from the bottom without unnecessary emotions.

Do not offer large-scale plans like cleaning the apartment to a hyperactive child. Fears the task is too big. His ability to concentrate on one task is limited. So what, let him wash a teaspoon per hour, says Dr. Martin. The main thing is that you have the patience to give these “spoons” regularly, load them and not get annoyed that your fast child does everything so slowly.

I don’t live by orders!

- Get ready, please! We have to leave in five minutes! - the mother addresses her eleven-year-old daughter. She continues to do her own thing, because, firstly, for her there is no “we”, there is only “I”, and secondly, the word “should” is too vague. She begins to torment her mother with questions: “Why exactly in five minutes and not in six?”, “Who should it be?” And this is just the beginning of a long, aimless discussion. Do you want your child to start getting ready? Get him interested: “Can you pack your things in three and a half minutes?”

It is very important that the task is in the form of a question, not an order. And then the result will not be long in coming.

Soundless

If you want to be heard, whisper. The louder we scream and swear, the more likely they are to “turn us off.” Hyperactive children are more capable of this “blackout” than anyone else. During periods of big showdowns, we look to them like fish, silently opening their mouths. This is their defense against parental emotions. But as soon as you begin to whisper, they will begin to listen. And then your word will be worth its weight in gold. Sometimes it is useful to communicate without words at all; for young children, a “traffic light” system has even been developed, where red is a prohibition sign, yellow is an alarm, and green is permission. Hyperactive children are much more sensitive to pictures than to verbal information.

No interrogation needed

The worst thing you can demand while talking to your daughter or son is: “Look me straight in the eyes!” Dr. Martin teaches parents not to seek eye contact and allow the child to twirl something in his hands during a conversation - a pencil, a toy, a handkerchief... “Manual activity” increases his ability to concentrate. But if he stands straight and looks into your eyes, all his strength will go into maintaining this stance. And the meaning of the words will fly by.

On our own

A teenage son came home from school irritated, it was a bad day. To the question: “What happened?” replies: “None of your business!” Parents can explode and punish, they can sympathize. But experts advise: it’s better to stay in your mood. Read a magazine, watched TV, cooked dinner - keep doing it.

If the child feels that the adult is not irritated, he calms down. Ideal parents for hyperactive children are those who are able to maintain stone calm in any situation. There are few of them; usually, in hyperactive children, parents themselves quickly become irritable. And then the question arises: who is raising whom here?

Confused word

A twelve-year-old girl has been torturing her mother for three hours in different variations:

- Well, why can’t you bring a couple of white rats into the house, why?

The mother asks in despair:

– Don’t you understand the word “no”?

The girl frankly admits:

- I don't understand.

And it is true. An ordinary child will be upset by the ban, but he will quickly get over it. For a hyperactive person, “no” is a small catastrophe, a reason to put adults under siege, by any means necessary to force them to change “no” to “yes.”

Psychologists, working with hyperactive children, use the following reward system: the best prize goes to those who were able, if not the first time, but at least the second time, to accept “no” without arguing. In addition to rewards, there is also punishment, for example, the child must write on paper five or ten times: “I will try to accept refusal calmly.” They say this measure is very effective.

Inequality

Hyperactive children need to know that there is a Boss in their house. As soon as they notice that the boss is not there, they immediately take his place.

It is very difficult for single mothers to cope with a son who is a boss or a daughter who is a boss. Children begin to correct: “You’re not cooking right,” or even evaluate: “You’re raising me wrong!” – this brings parents to tears.

One father, coming home from work and listening to his 15-year-old son, who did not fulfill any of his requests (because “it was all stupid”), said: “If you argued like that with your boss at work, you would just be fired right away.” . From his son’s eyes, he realized that the young man was surprised, afraid for the future, and therefore, without unnecessary reminders, he went to take out the trash.

War and Peace

When a parent just opens his mouth to talk to the child, he must know what he wants - war or peace. Hyperactive people always have something to scold for, so there is a reason for war. But if you want peace, you must first bring yourself to your senses. Before an educational conversation, you should sit in a chair and put your legs on the table - from this position it is more difficult to push and shout. Our calmness is exactly what a hyperactive child needs. Only it helps him, protects him, gives him confidence.

“I’ll surprise you yet,” says the thirteen-year-old son, who has hundreds of undertakings in his plans and not a single one has yet been completed even to the halfway point. But you have to believe and not tell him too much.