Hyperactivity in school-age children: treatment, symptoms, causes

Recently, more often you can hear from doctors that your child has hyperactivity, with which you must do something. Such guys from their peers are very energetic, which almost never runs out. They are constantly on the move, which prevents, for example, in the lessons of learning new material, it is difficult for them to concentrate for a long time on the same thing. The question arises: is this behavior the result of inadequate upbringing or rejection? We will try to understand what is hyperactivity in children of school age. Treatment is required or not?

Scope of the problem

Scientists and specialists have been studying this problem for a long time, but the alarm began to be beaten only when the accumulated data showed its social significance and scale.

If you believe statistics, almost everywhere there is hyperactivity in school-age children. Treatment, education play an important role in this problem. Let's talk about this a little further.

It is believed, and it has already been practically proved that such babies are more difficult to adapt to the collectives, and in adult life, there can also be problems later. Scientists have calculated that almost 80% of criminals suffered from hyperactivity in childhood.

In our country, the study of this pathology was taken up later, and even now one can note some ignorance of teachers, doctors in matters that concern this disease. That is why most children diagnosed with ADHD are without treatment.

And this is fraught with some consequences, for example, these children often have troubles at school, parents of the house shout at them for their failures, they do not receive parental love, but in the end they are looking for solace in the company of friends. And they, as is known, happen different, therefore and consequences can be enough deplorable.

Causes of ADHD

Hyperactivity in school-age children, treatment and the causes of this pathology will be discussed in more detail. To begin with, we will find out what can provoke the development of hyperactivity. There may be several reasons:

1. Abnormal course of pregnancy:

• Insufficient supply of fetus with oxygen.
• Threat of miscarriage at different times.
• Frequent stressful situations in an interesting situation.
• Non-compliance with recommendations for proper nutrition.
• Smoking.

2. Unfavorable childbirth:

• Too prolonged labor activity.
• Rapid birth.
• If you had to resort to drug-induced stimulation of labor.
• Prematurity.

3. Other reasons:

• The presence of neurological problems.
• Frequent conflicts in the family between parents.
• Too much exactingness and severity in relation to the child.
• Poisoning by chemicals.
• Wrong diet of the child.

If there is a combination of several causes at once, then the likelihood of hyperactivity in children of school age will increase. Treatment doctor must necessarily appoint, but, unfortunately, this can not always be seen. Often even parents do not pay attention to this problem and do not go to see a doctor for help.

Types of hyperactivity

If there is hyperactivity in school-age children, treatment will depend on a variety of pathology. And they are as follows:

1. Attention deficit without hyperactivity. The child is most often absolutely calm, but lives in some sort of his own world, constantly hovers in the clouds, it's difficult to reach him.
2. Hyperactivity without attention deficit. This pathology is much less common. The cause is considered to be individual features or disorders in the development of the nervous system.
3. Hyperactivity with attention deficit is the most common case. The child not only suffers from impaired attention, but also shows excessive activity.

Each of the cases needs its approach to treatment, which is simply necessary.

What is the difference between activity and hyperactivity?

Many parents often ask when to alarm. How to distinguish that a child is not just a very active kid, but is there hyperactivity? To answer these questions, you can use the simple comparison given in the table.

Active kid	Hyperactive
A child loves moving games, but if he is interested, he can listen to a fairy tale for a long time or collect puzzles.	The child does not control himself, he is constantly in motion. When his strength is exhausted, hysteria begins, weeping.
Everyone is interested, asks many questions to parents.	Rapid speech, often interrupting during a conversation, asking a question, the answer to it may not listen.
Virtually no disturbances in the digestive system, normal sleep.	He falls asleep, can talk, cry. Often there are digestive disorders, allergic reactions.
The child understands where you can show your activity, and where you need to behave calmly, for example, at a party.	The kid is practically uncontrollable, there are no bans on him, everywhere he behaves the same way.
Do not provoke scandals, do not show aggression.	The child himself often becomes a provocateur of conflicts, does not control his aggression, can at the same time fight, bite, apply sticks, stones and other improvised means.

Here these signs of comparison will help parents to suspect the pathology of development in their child and make them consult a doctor. To put the correct diagnosis (hyperactivity in a child of school age), the treatment can only be appointed by a competent specialist. Do not postpone visit to it.

How is hyperactivity manifested?

If there is hyperactivity in school-age children, Dr. Komarovsky recommends that treatment be started only when it is established that this is a disease, and not a manifestation of the norm. And in order to find out, you need to know the symptoms of pathology, it can be divided into several groups:

1. Problems with active attention. Such children can not concentrate for a long time, during the training sessions are often distracted, make mistakes. A kid can lose or forget his things, it is more difficult for him to perform tasks that require perseverance and concentration.
2. Motor activity refers to the second group of symptoms. You can observe a constant movement, while the child does not have a specific goal, all movements are chaotic and meaningless. The kid can not sit for a long time without moving, constantly pulling something, pulling his legs. There are problems with sleep, the child says a lot, it's not a problem for him to talk with a completely stranger.
3. Impulsiveness. The child does not control his actions, there are no rules for him. He often initiates conflicts with other children and adults, can be aggressive.

If there is hyperactivity in school-age children, treatment (Komarovsky thinks so) may not be needed when the disease manifests itself in mild form. At the same time, much effort and patience is required primarily from the mother, to help the child learn to cope with their problems.

But it can often be required if there is hyperactivity in school-age children, treatment. And the symptoms, except those listed , are added as follows:

• Capriciousness.
• Tearfulness.
• Irritability.
• Chatteriness.
• The desire to be always and in all the leader.
• Communication is preferred with the youngest in age.
• Often a child is left-handed.
• Complaints about headaches.
• Low self-esteem.
• Nervous tics.
• Various fears.
• Enuresis.

If there is hyperactivity in children of school age, Dr. Komarovsky advises to go through the treatment without fail. It should be noted that all these signs do not affect the mental faculties, but the performance often suffers, even if the child is intelligent, so specialist help is needed.

Establishing diagnosis

If there is hyperactivity in school-age children, treatment, correction of this condition is required. But for this it is necessary to correctly diagnose. This is done by neuropathologists, who are required to visit the presence of the corresponding symptoms. It is important to identify the cause of the pathology in order to exclude the presence of more dangerous diseases, and this is only possible for a specialist.

The syndrome of hyperactivity with attention deficit is revealed during several stages:

1. At the first stage the doctor tries to collect as much information about the child. He studies the baby's map, specifies the course of pregnancy, the presence of concomitant diseases. The doctor asks the mother about the peculiarities of the child's behavior, and also uses the approved method of the American Psychiatric Association for the diagnosis of ADHD.
2. At the second stage, psychological examinations are conducted using special tests. They allow you to see the severity of the pathology.
3. Surveys on special equipment. To make the correct diagnosis, a small patient is referred to an electroencephalogram and an MRI. These examinations allow you to evaluate electrical potentials of brain activity and see deviations, if any.

The diagnosis can be delayed for several months, only after all observations, tests and examinations, hyperactivity is detected in school-age children, the treatment will depend on the symptomatology and severity of the pathology. Parents will have to put in a lot of effort and patience.

Hyperactivity Therapy

It will be required if the diagnosis of "hyperactivity" in children of school age, treatment is confirmed. And the signs should reduce their manifestation. But the therapy is long and with the use of many methods and directions.

1. Correct the motor activity of the child. It is undesirable for such kids to engage in sports with competitive elements, since this can provoke an increase in the manifestation of the disease. It is best to give the child for swimming, aerobic training, skiing.
2. Psychological help. In the arsenal of specialists there are various methods for working with such children.
3. Family psychotherapy. The disease of the child can not but leave its imprint on the parents, especially on the one who spends more time with the baby. They become more irritable, nervous, so the help of a family therapist will not hurt.
4. Relaxation. Special autotrenings favorably affect the condition of children with hyperactivity syndrome.
5. Correction of behavior. This applies not only to the child, but also to adults. Children with hyperactivity are very susceptible to negativity, there are no prohibitions for them, but they respond positively to positive emotions. Given this, these kids will be more effective in praising good deeds than scolding for bad ones. Relations should be built on full trust and understanding, and only that which really poses a danger to him should be banned. Parents should control their behavior, do not allow rudeness in relation to each other, especially with the child.
6. Medication is also required (if hyperactivity is diagnosed in school-age children) treatment. Drugs, for example in the US, are often prescribed from a group of psychostimulants, but it has been revealed that they give many side effects that negate the full benefit of their use. In our country, these drugs do not use.

Let's consider in more detail some directions of therapy.

Medication

Most likely, they will appoint, if the diagnosis of "hyperactivity" in children of school age, treatment is confirmed. Drugs should be selected only by a doctor. To get the result as soon as possible, stimulants are prescribed, such drugs help the child improve concentration of attention. This group includes the following drugs:

• "Dexedrine."
• "Focalin."
• Ritalin.
• "Methylin".
• "Vivans".

Specialists often also prescribe nootropic medicines, for example:

• "Cortexin."
• "Gliatilin".
• "Fenibut".
• Pantogam.

They help improve cerebral circulation, improve memory, ability to concentrate.

Treatment of ADHD in Israel

When diagnosing "hyperactivity" in school-age children, treatment for Israel and its clinics may offer an alternative to medication. In medical institutions in Israel, specializing in the therapy of ADHD, the following alternative treatment is used.

This is craniosacral therapy, or osteopathy. The system of this treatment is based on the fact that the skull is directly connected with the spine and sacrum. Even minor changes in the skull bones can eliminate or significantly reduce physical ailments and functional disorders. First, the physical cause of pathology is eliminated, especially with regard to birth trauma, and then it is time for other specialists to begin treatment.

Most children with the diagnosis of "hyperactivity" after osteopathy sessions are able to study at the regular school with other children on an equal basis.

One of these clinics is located in Tel Aviv, and is headed by its famous doctor Alexander Kantsepolsky. Thus, we see that if there is a diagnosis of "hyperactivity" in school-age children, Israel offers not only medication.

Traditional medicine against hyperactivity

Therapy of this disease requires the parents a lot of patience. It is necessary to strictly follow the doctor's recommendations if the diagnosis is "hyperactivity" in school-age children. Treatment with folk remedies can also be used, but after consultation with a specialist.

Here are some recipes that will help normalize sleep, the digestive system, and because of this a little, but the behavior of the baby will improve:

1. The Angelica root. Possesses calming properties. For cooking, take 1 tablespoon of ground roots and pour 250 ml of hot water, boil in a water bath for 20 minutes. Cool and drain a little. Take 2 tablespoons three times a day.
2. Hop. For the therapy, the cones of this plant are used. 1 tablespoon pour a glass of water and boil for 2 minutes, then you need to insist a little, strain and take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
3. St. John's Wort is also widely used in the treatment of hyperactivity. It normalizes sleep, promotes concentration of attention, memory improvement. It is necessary to take 1 tablespoon chopped grass, pour 0.5 liters of water and boil for 5 minutes. In a cooled form, give 1-2 tablespoons to the child three times before meals.
4. It helps very well if there is hyperactivity in children of school age, treatment with folk recipes. Herbal preparations are used quite often. One of them includes the following components: valerian root, lemon balm, mint, lavender flowers, St. John's Wort. 2 tablespoons of this collection are brewed 0.5 liters of hot water and insisted 4 hours. Give the medicine to the child 50 ml in the morning and evening before eating.
5. Lavender flowers help to remove too much baby activity, as well as nausea, vomiting, headaches. 1 spoonful of flowers pour a glass of boiling water and insist 10 minutes. Take a tablespoon twice a day.

It should be noted that with the diagnosis of "hyperactivity" in school-age children, treatment with folk healers can be helped, but only if medication is administered, the kid visits a psychologist, and his motor activity is adjusted.

Psychological help

In the presence of hyperactivity, it is desirable not to abandon the help of a psychologist. The specialist has in his arsenal various techniques that help to remove anxiety, increase the communicability of the child, reduce his aggressiveness.

Modeling different situations of success, the psychologist will tell the parents in which area their baby will feel more confident. He conducts various autogenic trainings, conducts correctional work, in which the parents of the baby must necessarily be involved. For each child, exercises for the development of thinking, attention, and memory are selected individually.

Do not neglect the help of such narrow specialists, occupations of a hyperactive baby will only benefit.

How to communicate with a hyperactive child

It is important in the diagnosis of "hyperactivity" in school-age children treatment. Prevention is also just necessary. And it must begin before the birth of a child. A future mother needs to provide all the conditions for a normal pregnancy.

To prevent exacerbations, if a baby already has a diagnosis of "hyperactivity", one should adhere to the following recommendations:

• To help the child master the techniques that help in mastering the school material.
• During classes, remove all distractions, create a working environment.
• Support the child, increase motivation to continue the studies.

In addition, parents must adhere to certain rules when communicating with a hyperactive child:

1. We should praise the baby even for the slightest success.
2. The child should have his own errands, although small, but he must perform them himself and regularly.
3. You can practice keeping a diary in which all the successes are recorded.
4. It is necessary to set tasks that are feasible for the child.
5. It is necessary to clearly identify all the limits of what is permitted and what is absolutely impossible.
6. Out of circulation, the order must be removed.
7. The house must observe the daily routine.
8. Do not let the kid overexert.
9. The time for watching TV should be kept to a minimum.
10. It is necessary to establish a regime of sleep and wakefulness.
11. Parents themselves must remain calm in any situation.
12. Parents should help the child choose a field of activity where he can show his abilities.

If your child is too hyperactive, then do not panic and put a cross on it. With the modern capabilities of medicine you can cope and not with such pathologies, you just need to pay attention to it in time and visit a doctor. Psychological help, drug therapy, psychotherapy sessions will do their job, and your child will be able to learn on an equal basis with other children and show all their talents and abilities.