Knowing What to look For

Children will do what children do best, play and have fun. To know if your child has ADHD or not, you must be able to recognize the signs. Not every child who is showing a little hyperactivity, should be classified as having ADHD. For one thing as a mother, try to understand what is ADHD. Once you have a better understanding of the disorder, it easier to see the signs. So what is ADHD and what are the signs? I have underlined a few easy and simple point to help guide other parents in knowing whether a child is showing signs of ADHD or not.
What is ADHD?
* ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
* It is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder.
* It is a commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children.
* It effects 3 to 5% of children globally.
* More common in boys than girls.

When are the signs?

(0-12month) Infancy

* More fidgety or squirmy
* Less able or less interested in cuddling
* Impatient, easily frustrated
* Require more attention than average baby
* May sleep less or take short catnaps

Toddler (1 to 3 years)

* Inability to sustain attention for even a few minutes
* Constantly distracted by sights and sounds around them
* Difficulty sustaining eye contact
* Able to pay attention to certain high interest things such as a favorite video game or playing outside when high energy levels are required
* Excessively hyperactive
* Always in motion
* Lack of interest in cuddling or quiet activities
* Difficulty calming down after becoming excited
* Highly impulsive: will jump off of decks, slides or out of windows, will run into the street more often
* Accident-prone
* Difficulty sleeping, may have a hard time falling asleep and may be up at 5:00 AM each morning

Preschool

* Inability to sit still
* Lack of interest in quiet activities or in listening to stories
* Changes activities every few minutes
* Inconsistency in attention skills, may be able to hold attention when an activity is interesting, but not able to keep attention for other activities
* Always in motion, sometimes running without looking, may run into street or fall often
* Poor social skills
* Behavioral problems, not listening, disobeying or consistent unsafe behaviors
* Can be clumsy or have underdeveloped coordination
* May grab toys from classmates, siblings or friends
* Difficulty waiting for their turn
* May be aggressive, causing fights or hitting other children
* Can be talkative with signs of speech impairment

Diagnosis

ADHD. After many hours with a doctor that specializes in child Neurology, we got a diagnosis that our son, Hamza has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder). At first we had no idea what that meant. Was this a common disorder? Is he just an over hyperactive child, and now we are taking his symptoms over board? We compared him a lot with his older sister and that was our major problem.

First of all, as a girl, she was quiet, content to sit with a toy for hours. Her speech was well advanced, while her brother Hamze, could hardly speak a full sentence. We really had no idea what to do or how to proceed.

The doctor suggested that we turn to medication as a treatment option. He gave us a list of several medications that were widely popular at the time. He informed us that he would start with a very mild dose, monitor his reactions and go from there.
We couldn't make a decision. We told the doctor that we needed time to understand what is the best course of action.

As soon as I got home I started my research on ADHD. It was a battle to sift through all the info. This was back in 2005 and we are still trying to determine what to do about Hamza. We have tried several different types of treatments. Now we are at a standstill. How does a parent ever know what is best for their child? Does it make us bad parents that we still don't know the answer to that?

The Unexpected

Hamza being himself



Becoming a mother, you pray that your child will be born healthy, and live a full and happy life. Upon delivery, you count fingers and toes, look into your child's eyes, and feel an over whelming joy for new beginnings. Then they get older, and they're no longer cute and cuddly, and your worries begin.



At the Age of two, my son Hamza, became the center of attention. My husband and I thought, like any parent, that his over whelming, hyperactive behavior was nothing more than the "terrible two" stage. Unfortunately, that stage continued into the next year, and the next, and the next, with no sign of ever being sedated.



As Hamza turned five, we felt it was time to better understand our son's behavior. We thought we were the worst parents alive. We had no control over our son's behavior. Going out, even to a friends house was a disaster. We were constantly apologizing for Hamza's behavior. But the hyperactivity wasn't the worst of it. What concerned us the most was his thought process.



There was no thinking behind his actions. If he saw a cat he liked, he would go after it, even if it was in the middle of the street. His persistence was over whelming. You could tell him somethings over and over and he would never listen.



Now, this may sound like the behavior of any normal child, but when you combine the hyperactivity, the impulsive behaviors, and the persistence all in one, you realize something is wrong.