A cheerful, runaway, busy child does not arouse suspicion in anyone. These are the rights of childhood – reach where eyesight does not reach, carefree, but safe, go crazy, run, jump out. Everyone, however, knows that it is the perfect time for both fun and other activities, including intellectual, activities – as well as a time to regenerate and rest. However, not every child can adapt their behavior to a given situation. When should it worry a parent that a child is hyperactive? Is excessive mobility a reason to visit a child psychologist?
Children, everywhere
Activity of children has an extraordinary charm – children never seem to tire, have inexhaustible energy and a lot of ideas per minute. For many parents, it’s beautiful, for others it can be exhausting, but it has to be said simply – attempts to keep up with children are an integral part of parenthood. It is completely natural, what’s more, it should be nurtured – especially in times when there is a significant decrease in physical and intellectual activity in children.
However, there is a difference between the need for movement, the constant desire to test your strength, and the inability to, colloquially speaking, “sit on the spot”. The problem arises when the child is unable to divert his attention to the activity performed at a given moment and adapt to the prevailing conditions. When is it worth going with a child to a child specialist?
How to recognize hyperactivity in a child?
There are many behaviors typical of children, but there are those that can arouse anxiety of parents and lead to consultation with a child psychologist. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder most often manifests as:
- communication problems;
- disturbed concentration;
- the need to be constantly on the move;
- sleep problems;
- lowering the intellectual level;
- inability to focus on one activity;
- increased emotional sensitivity, tearfulness, irritability, aggression.
At the same time, hyperactive children may have reduced needs for intimacy, dislike hugging, and not feel physical contact with the parent. However, there is no rule – just as there is no specific age at which hyperactivity can manifest itself. Many parents already notice signs of hyperactivity in infants, others only appear at school age. Much is also said about ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, although the term raises a lot of controversy, even among specialists.
What can be the reason for hyperactivity in children?
Sometimes it is difficult to find the cause, but there are factors that can promote over-stimulation.
- The need to attract attention. Children, for proper development, need interaction not only with other children, but above all with their parents. If they don’t give them enough attention, they are looking for ways to attract her. This can sometimes result in ridiculous behavior, excessive mobility or loudness.
- Exposure to many stimuli, caused by excessive distractions. Too much electronics, cartoons or computer games, and even situations such as frequent trips, meetings with others etc. – all this can cause distraction. This leads to an overload of the mind, which is still working at its best, being constantly stimulated.
- Excessive expectations of parents can also be a cause of hyperactivity in children. If the parent has high requirements for the child, the child feels the need to meet them and with time he is not able to distinguish whether it is only about grades at school or just ordinary, relaxing fun. As a result, the child wants to do a lot of things in the best time, in the best way. The effects of this are, unfortunately, the opposite.
- Problems among peers, a sense of alienation, a desire to impress others. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for a child to feel insecure and look for a way to adapt to the company, which can lead to a disturbance of his psychomotor stability.
A hyperactive child – is a visit to a child psychologist necessary?
First of all, before a parent decides to ask a child specialist for advice, he should try to reach the child himself and help him with his problems. Hyperactivity in children is difficult for both parties, and requires a lot of patience, empathy and commitment from parents. However, with the right approach, we can significantly improve the situation. What to do?
- Restrict your child’s access to electronics. If until now the TV, computer or telephone has been used at will, it’s time to change it.
- Take care of a proper diet – diet has a huge impact on behavior. The cause of hyperactivity may be, among others too much sugar in the diet.
- Examine the child for parasites – very often they cause changes in behavior. It’s worth doing basic blood and urine tests.
- Take care of learning comfort, fun and relaxation. The child should have time for all activities and appropriate conditions to be able to fulfill themselves. A place of rest should be calming, and a place of fun should encourage creativity.
- Enable implementation on many levels, remembering to maintain the proper rhythm of the day and “healthy” routine. This applies to (among others): time to study, sleeping hours or meals.
- Help in calming down – it is good to persuade the child not to do anything sometimes – to sit down and rest. You can familiarize your child with breathing techniques or encourage physical exercise. You should also be supportive – don’t blame your child for absent-mindedly making another mistake, just appreciate the effort and talk about how to solve certain situations.
Hyperactivity in children does not always require consultation of a child psychologist. However, often such a visit is needed, precisely in order to raise awareness of the scale of the problem and support parents who have the right to feel anxiety and helplessness.
