He cannot sit quietly on the sofa or play for a long time. He quickly gets bored with everything, he can be quick-tempered and aggressive. He cannot be left alone for a minute. How to cope with an overactive child?
We have already touched on this topic several times. But more and more mothers are turning to me with questions: What should I do? Help. So, you need to communicate with an overactive child as calmly as possible, repeating many things several times. Yelling will only make the problem worse.
1. Praise and emphasize the child’s successes, encourage achievements, focusing not on the end result, but on how much effort the child had to put in.
2. Set simple rules: do not eat sweets before meals, go to bed no later than nine in the evening and strictly follow them, without wasting time on arguments.
3. Break any large tasks into parts, since a hyperactive child often retreats from serious tasks, fearing: “I will never be able to finish this!”
4. Hyperactive children find it very difficult to switch from one task to another. And if some exciting things need to be completed by a certain deadline, warn your child about this in advance and, perhaps, more than once.
5. Overwork increases all the negative manifestations of the syndrome. Therefore, any load must be adequate to the child’s capabilities. From fatigue, such children become even more excitable.
6. Do not limit the child’s physical activity. Such a child should have a sports corner at home. You need to walk a lot and play sports with him. A hyperactive child needs to be constantly occupied with something: there should be a lot of games and books at home.
It primarily depends on the parents how successfully their son or daughter can overcome their problems. It is unacceptable for a child to get used to considering himself “bad”, disorganized, “unbearable” and develop an inferiority complex.
Despite the fact that after 12 years, in approximately half of children, the main symptoms of hyperactivity smooth out, incorrect behavior of parents and teachers can lead to low self-esteem and loss of self-confidence.
You need to understand the most important thing: hyperactive children especially need love and protection! In their lives they experience a huge number of failures and disappointments and therefore require special treatment.
They cannot be punished for inattention (after all, they hear only half of what is said to them), “branded” with impartial epithets, shouted at, or compared with other children.
A clear daily routine, which should be followed from the first months of life, sports development, a calm atmosphere in the house and the attention of mom and dad are especially important for them.
When sending a hyperactive child to kindergarten or school, be sure to warn the educator (teacher) that your child is too active and restless: he needs help organizing his work, drawing up an effective plan, and allowing him to move more often.
At home, the child needs to be constantly occupied with something: drawing, designing, modeling, reading, remembering that he quickly gets bored with any activity. Parental patience, respectful dialogue with the child and sincere love will help your child believe in himself and overcome the difficulties caused by hyperactivity over the years.
Often the most common cause of child hyperactivity is lack of attention. With his excessive mobility and busyness, he tries to attract parents, peers, and teachers to him. Sometimes such a reason may be a person’s character trait. However, many other factors have the greatest influence: at risk are children who were born through a cesarean section, artificial babies, etc. Therefore, it is quite important to understand the root cause.
Judging by statistical data, hyperactivity occurs in almost every twentieth child; by the way, it should be noted that boys are two to three times more likely. It turns out that in the classroom you can meet at least one child with excessive activity. A hyperactive child is being told by everyone who is not too lazy, but in reality you only need to listen to specialists.
Scientists have proven that hyperactivity is a diagnosis
For a long time, this diagnosis was considered only a feature of the child’s behavior, but more recently it was proven that this is a mental disorder that cannot be corrected by simple pedagogical methods. And if there are parents in the family? Advice from a psychologist will help you figure this out.
Interestingly, in 1970, studies were conducted that showed that this disease is based on physiological and genetic causes, and the syndrome itself relates not only to pedagogy and psychology, but is also associated with medicine.
Main causes
- Lack of necessary hormones in the child’s body.
- Past illnesses and injuries.
- Mother's illnesses during pregnancy.
- Any illness that the child suffered as an infant. They could affect brain function.
And regardless of the fact that medicine has made great strides in this matter, and there are pharmacological treatment methods and psychological and pedagogical ones, childhood hyperactivity is still considered an incurable syndrome that can be corrected in adolescence. Based on this, we will try to draw conclusions and give recommendations: hyperactive children, what should parents do?
Advice from a psychologist can help a child adapt to society and subsequently become a comprehensively developed personality.
Illness in adulthood
In fact, many adults suffer from this disease, but most often they are simply considered too impulsive, active and eccentric. This syndrome occurs in childhood, it has not yet been fully studied, so it has not been proven that it remains in adulthood.
How to recognize a hyperactive child
Parents can immediately encounter the first signs: children sleep poorly, cry a lot, are very irritable during the day, and can react to any noise or change of environment.
A hyperactive child at one year old already begins to manifest himself, for example, in speech delays, awkward movements due to impaired motor skills. Nevertheless, he is constantly active, tries to walk, move, he is fussy and mobile. His mood is also constantly changing: at one moment the child is cheerful and joyful, and the next minute he can suddenly become capricious. So, here is a hyperactive child (1 year old). What should parents do? Such children will have to pay much more attention, and efforts must be made to achieve results.
Critical age
When it comes to preparatory classes, the child also finds it difficult to concentrate on one task: he cannot sit still, finish at least one task, or do an exercise carefully and focused. The kid does everything carelessly to finish the job and start something new.
Only a specialist can give reasonable advice to parents of a hyperactive child, as well as recognize hyperactivity. But before turning to a professional, mother and father should observe their child and determine how excessive activity and impulsiveness interferes with his learning and building relationships with his peers. What situations are alarming?
Main symptoms
- It's always difficult to concentrate on a task or game. Parents constantly have to be reminded about everyday matters, because the child simply forgets about them, and also constantly breaks or loses his things. In addition, attention is impaired: the baby never listens to anyone, even when speech is addressed directly to him. If he does a task on his own, he often cannot organize his work correctly, constantly being distracted and not completing the task.
- Impulsiveness. During lessons, a child, without waiting for his turn, shouts from his seat. It is difficult for him to follow established rules, he constantly interferes in the conversation, etc.
- Hyperactivity. It is difficult for a child to sit still, he constantly fidgets in his chair, talks a lot, and constantly runs around even where he should not. The baby cannot play or rest calmly; he asks many questions all the time, but cannot remember even one answer. Many of the child’s actions are completely thoughtless; he often breaks objects or breaks dishes. Even during sleep he is not calm - he constantly wakes up, tosses and turns, and sometimes screams in his sleep.
Hyperactive and active: differences
Often when parents say about their child that he is hyperactive, they put a positive meaning into this word. But most people simply confuse two different concepts - active and hyperactive. It’s really good when a child is inquisitive, shows interest in the world around him, and strives for new knowledge. But hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, which are often interrelated, are neurological-behavioral disorders. They make themselves felt most painfully after the age of five, which undoubtedly has a negative impact on the child, preventing him from developing along with other children.
Active children can be active at home, on the playground with friends, in kindergarten, but when they come to any new place for them, for example, on a visit or to a doctor’s appointment, they immediately calm down and begin to behave like real quiet people. With hyperactive children, everything is different, regardless of the circumstances, place and people who surround them: they always behave the same and simply cannot sit still.
An active child can be captivated by a regular game, for example, checkers or putting together a puzzle, but a hyperactive child lacks perseverance.
In any case, everything is very individual, so recommendations can only be given to parents based on observations. Hyperactive children are more difficult to scare, they have a low pain threshold, they are not afraid of anything, and do not think at all about their safety.
From all of the above, it follows that if a child loves outdoor games, he likes to learn something new, and this curiosity does not interfere with his studies and social relationships, then he should not be called hyperactive. The child is simply developing normally for his age. If the child cannot sit still, listen to a fairy tale to the end or finish a task, constantly demands attention to himself or throws tantrums, then this is a hyperactive child. What should parents do? Advice from a psychologist can help in this difficult issue.
Schooling
If before starting school, parents are not particularly concerned about this character trait, then when they begin school, seeing the many problems that their child faces, they begin to become very worried. It is difficult for these children to understand how to behave and how not to behave. The child does not know where the acceptable line is; it is difficult for them to establish relationships with other children and the teacher, and simply to calmly learn the lesson. Therefore, during the adaptation period, recommendations are needed for parents of hyperactive children, since this age is the most critical. You can take your child to a psychologist. If you have a hyperactive child, the recommendations of specialists must be followed literally in everything.
It is important to remember that hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder often occur in combination with other serious problems.
Hyperactive child: what should parents do? Read below for advice from a psychologist that you need to follow.
It is important to carefully approach safety precautions, remove all unsafe and sharp objects when leaving the room, turn off household appliances, since ordinary children often break something, or fall and hit themselves, but with hyperactive children this happens twice or three times more often.
If a hyperactive child needs to learn something important, a psychologist’s advice to parents will be useful. You need to make sure he's listening. It is not enough to simply call out to him - you need to establish contact, remove toys from sight, turn off the TV or computer. And only after making sure that your child is really listening to you can you start a conversation with him.
It is necessary to establish rules in the family that the child would strictly follow. And it is very important that they are always performed every day, without exception, regardless of the circumstances. It is important to constantly remind the child about them, repeating that some tasks must always be completed, but doing something is strictly prohibited.
A very important nuance is the mode. The child must be taught to do everything on time, and exceptions cannot be made even on a day off. For example, always get up at the same time, have breakfast, do homework, and go for a walk. This may be too strict, but it is the most effective. It is this rule that will help you learn new material in the future.
These children are very susceptible to mood, so it is very important that the emotions they receive are positive. It is necessary to praise them even for the slightest achievements. Let him feel that his parents are proud of him. You should support your child in difficult moments, speak more often of love for him, and hug him.
You can organize a reward system, for example, if he behaved well all week, then on the weekend he receives a small present or an outing, a movie, or a museum. Let the parents come up with joint games that will captivate the baby. Of course, it will take a lot of time, patience and ingenuity, but the result will not be long in coming.
It is important to generally monitor the atmosphere in the family so that all conflicts pass by the baby, and especially not for him to participate in them.
If the child behaved badly, then you can punish, but not too much, and it is better to refuse assault altogether.
A hyperactive child never runs out of energy, so it is constantly necessary to create conditions for him to spend it somewhere. The baby should take more walks outdoors, go to the sports section, and play. But there is also an important nuance here: the child should be tired, but not too overtired.
When forbidding a child to do something, it is extremely important to provide him with an alternative, while explaining in a calm tone why his actions are wrong.
You cannot take your child to places where there are large crowds of people: his psyche is already too sensitive and weak, and the crowd can lead to overstimulation of the nervous system, so you should avoid mass events and supermarkets during rush hours. But walks in the fresh air and forays into nature have a beneficial effect on the baby. It is better for such a child to play with only one friend.
It would be nice if parents keep an observation diary in which they can note all the changes and reactions to the world around them that occur with a hyperactive child. Afterwards, this diary can be shown to the teacher (it will be much easier for him to get the overall picture).
Hyperactive child: what should parents do? The psychologist's advice listed above will help solve many problems.
School work
First of all, the child should sit as close to the teacher as possible - this will make it much easier for the latter to control discipline. It is also important that the baby has the opportunity to ask all the necessary questions at any time.
The teacher must write all tasks on the board and give only one task for a certain period of time. If the task is too large, then it must be divided into several parts, limit completion to time and constantly monitor their implementation.
It is difficult for a hyperactive child to sit in one place for a long time and still remember the material presented. Therefore, it is necessary to teach him consistently, to involve him in the lesson, even if the baby is spinning, shouting, fidgeting in his chair. Next time, let the baby just focus on being calm.
He just needs to move, so it’s better not to monitor his behavior too much in class, and let him run around on the school playground or gym.
Also, children often find themselves in a vicious circle: praise is simply necessary for them, but it costs them incredible effort to study well. Because they are inattentive and cannot concentrate properly, they make many mistakes and their work is sloppy. Therefore, initially you should treat them less strictly.
During a lesson, the activity may change several times, and while ordinary children benefit from this, it is much more difficult for hyperactive children to switch. Therefore, they need to be warned in advance and given the opportunity to prepare.
It is very difficult for a teacher to work with such children, but if you find the right approach, the result will be excellent. Hyperactive children are well developed intellectually, as evidenced by many tests, but they have difficulty managing their temperament.
Many parents are interested in the question: how does hyperactivity syndrome differ from the normal development of a child. All children at an early age are characterized by inconstancy, restlessness and increased activity. So, when should you sound the alarm?
What is hyperactivity syndrome?
Often, noisy, restless, inattentive, disobedient children, characteristic of a certain personality type, are unjustifiably classified as hyperactive. But such Only a specialist can make a diagnosis followed by mandatory drug treatment and psychological correction.
As a rule, the first symptoms of hyperactivity, which in most cases are combined with attention deficit, appear at the age of two or three years. But the greatest number of requests for help from specialists occurs at 6-8 years of age. This is due to the active preparation of children for school, where the entire symptom complex of hyperactivity and attention deficit manifests itself.
So what is it? Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD, abbreviated as ADHD, is a dysfunction of the central nervous system, manifested in difficulty concentrating and increased motor activity.
Today there are:
Hyperactivity without attention impairment;
Attention disturbance without hyperactivity;
Hyperactivity with impaired attention.
The most common is the last option, when the child has a combination of the two previous ones.
How to understand that a child is hyperactive?
In order to figure out whether a child is hyperactive, you need to know main symptoms of this syndrome, which manifest themselves for at least 6 months in a row.
The first manifestations of ADHD can be observed in a newborn. Such children are very sensitive to external stimuli. They are frightened by bright lights, loud sounds, sleep poorly, and are capricious for no apparent reason.
In the first year of life, the baby’s movements for a long time have a chaotic, thoughtless character. The child seems clumsy. Speech development is delayed compared to peers.
A protracted crisis of three years, the child’s adaptation in kindergarten, which increases physical and psychological stress on the child’s body, leads to increased manifestations of the hyperactivity symptom complex. Such children cannot fulfill the exact requests of the teacher, maintain attention on one subject, or sit still for a long time. The main task of parents and educators during this period is to notice, recognize and help the child cope with this disorder.
A significant deterioration in behavior and inattention manifests itself in a child when attending preparatory classes before school. During this period, the greatest number of requests to psychologists for help and correction occurs. Children during this period quickly become overtired. Their emotional development is delayed and manifests itself in negativism, stubbornness, and temper. They build relationships with other children in a difficult and long way. They often conflict. Self-esteem is low. Academic achievement is low even with high intelligence scores. They often make ridiculous mistakes due to inattention. Constantly distracted by extraneous stimuli. They cannot sit still and walk around the classroom. They do not respond to adult comments.
After 7-8 years, the syndrome acquires pronounced symptoms. Academic performance is low. Inattention, restlessness, inability to listen or read a task to the end, failure to complete started tasks, forgetfulness, detachment, followed by impulsiveness.
Why does this problem occur?
Hyperactivity in a child manifests itself as a result of immaturity of the cerebral cortex, which leads to the child’s inability to adequately recognize external signals. This causes the child to become restless, inattentive, irritable, and fussy. There are many causes of ADHD, the main ones being:
Hereditary factor;
Complications during pregnancy and childbirth, birth injuries;
Bruises, head injuries, severe illnesses in early childhood;
Social factor.
Scientists have proven that this disorder can be inherited. The chances of attention disorder and hyperactivity increase several times if a close relative in the family had this disease in childhood.
Poor lifestyle, poor diet, alcohol abuse, smoking, taking strong medications, women, especially in the early stages, during pregnancy, when the basic formation of the child’s brain is taking place. Complicated childbirth, asphyxia in the newborn, perinatal encephalopathy, cesarean section and birth injuries in 60% of all cases cause the further development of attention deficit and hyperactivity in the child. Head injuries and bruises, severe infectious diseases suffered in early childhood play an equally important role. And a dysfunctional family environment negatively affects the development of the child as a whole and aggravates the situation even further.
Methods and methods for correcting hyperactivity
An effective method of correcting hyperactivity, depending on the severity of the symptoms, is self-study with the child or professional help from a psychologist. She aimed at developing perseverance, gradually complicating and prolonging the time for performing various tasks, developing voluntary attention through various techniques and tests. Correction and development of the baby's emotions.
If the diagnosis of ADHD is made by a neurologist or psychiatrist, then the child is prescribed medication based on a long and thorough examination. If the origins of this disorder are problems in the functioning of the brain and its cortex, then properly selected treatment by specialists and compliance with all recommendations can completely rid the child of this disease.
The development of a child directly depends on the parents. And if, for independent reasons, a child is diagnosed with a disorder of attention and behavior, then correct and timely actions can significantly help the child.
An organized daily routine, discipline, distribution of daily workload, proper rest, increased self-esteem, and healthy nutrition will significantly improve a child’s performance. Children with ADHD need reducing stress on the nervous system by eliminating prolonged viewing of TV and computer games, protection from nervous shock.
If you cannot cope with this disorder on your own, you should not be afraid to seek help from specialists; clear and correct implementation of their instructions will ensure a quick recovery.
Relatives, educators and teachers call a hyperactive child a real “perpetual motion machine.” Even at a very young age, he would occasionally fall out of his crib. And already at the age of 5 years, it is almost impossible to captivate this child with an interesting fairy tale or watching a cartoon. When a child starts going to school, problems only increase. How does this phenomenon appear and is it possible to overcome it?
What is hyperactivity
Experts characterize this concept as a manifestation of an excess of activity in young children. Such children cannot sit still and make a large number of unnecessary movements. Preschool children do not yet have a fully stable nervous system, so this behavior is often observed in them.
In boys, hyperactivity is observed many times more often than in girls. Experts believe that this is due to the large size of boys at birth, which often leads to various types of damage. In boys, compared to girls, those parts of the brain that regulate self-control are formed later.
Today, the number of children with this disorder is increasing. If you believe the statistics, then among preschoolers there are about 40% of such children. And among junior schoolchildren there are about half of them. These numbers are thought-provoking and cause concern among doctors.
This disorder manifests itself with many symptoms. Here are the main ones.
Lack of attention
A child cannot be focused for a long time on any one task that requires attention and effort. This includes reading a book, doing math, and even watching a cartoon. Due to their inability to pay attention, children often receive poor grades in school.
Impulsiveness
Children with this syndrome often make rash actions, rush, and answer a question before the interlocutor finishes it. They have difficulty scheduling things and cannot wait in line. As a result, their relationships with other children deteriorate, and parents are increasingly called to kindergarten or school.
Mobility
Such a child is constantly on the move. Watching him, you can see that he is constantly running and jumping around the room. If you ask him to sit down, he will dangle his legs or wave his arms. The child cannot walk calmly. He either runs or skips. He has a very animated face and darting eyes.
Mood changes
Parents cannot understand why their baby’s mood changes so often. It is difficult to predict a child's behavior. Sometimes there can be an outburst of emotions for no good reason. One moment a child can become angry and cruel, and a short time after that, turn into a sweet child.
Bad memory
When a child cannot concentrate his attention, constantly makes rash actions, is distracted from his work, it is very difficult for him to remember information.
Causes of hyperactivity
The syndrome is based on brain dysfunction, which leads to disruption of the normal course of processes associated with the psyche. As a result, the child suffers from all the above problems. What provokes the development of hyperactivity?
Pregnancy period
If a woman suffered from toxicosis during pregnancy, her blood pressure increased, and fetal hypoxia was observed, this increases the chances of giving birth to a child with hyperactivity. Also, the likelihood of this disorder increases if the expectant mother smokes, drinks alcohol, or drugs.
Disturbances during childbirth
Various factors can lead to this disorder. The chances increase if the baby was born premature or the labor was rapid or long. The cause may also be stimulation or the use of forceps.
Predisposition
If parents suffered from this problem in childhood, then the child may also be hyperactive.
Parents of hyperactive children often lash out at them because of this behavior. Some already lose hope of changing anything in the child and simply give up. There are some parents who try to raise their child with great severity, instilling in him discipline in this way.
But such children require a special approach. Moreover, each of them has something in common. Therefore, you can try to correct the situation by following the general recommendations of specialists.
State the task clearly
Since such children have great difficulty concentrating, parents must learn to set the task for the child as clearly as possible. These should be short phrases that contain everything you need to understand the meaning. Proposals should not be overloaded or contain unnecessary information.
Be consistent
Do not give your child several tasks at the same time. For example, you ask your child to put away his toys, wash his hands, and then go to the table. But this will lead to the fact that the child either does not complete any of your tasks, or gets distracted somewhere along the way of completing them. Therefore, a hyperactive child needs to be told one by one what he needs to do.
Formulate your ban carefully
The word “no” for a hyperactive child is a reason for an explosion of emotions. Therefore, it is better not to pronounce it at all. Don't say the phrase "Don't step in puddles." It’s better to say: “Let’s walk on the dry sidewalk.” This way you can avoid many tantrums.
Mark time boundaries
Since kids are still very poorly oriented in time, then, having given a task, you will have to monitor how it is completed yourself. If your child is enthusiastically playing or running around, and you need to feed him, put him to bed, or distract him for another activity, warn him that in 10 minutes you will need to complete this or that task.
Channel your child's energy in a positive way
If you have a hyperactive child, you need to ensure that as much of his energy as possible is expended throughout the day. It is desirable that these are useful things. Go for a walk with your child, let him play sports, go to attractions with him, buy a bicycle. You need to find what your baby will like the most. He will become calmer.
Visit a doctor
Make an appointment with a neurologist. He will accurately determine the diagnosis and prescribe the drug that can help cope with hyperactivity. In most cases, medications help improve attention, behavior, and self-control.
If you have a hyperactive child, you must be patient. It is important to understand that this behavior is not due to the fact that he is evil or bad, but to a violation at the level of brain function. Don't be afraid to see a doctor. After all, this can help the baby learn better and communicate with other children. You must love your child regardless of his behavior. After all, he deserves it no less than others. And sometimes you need it more. After all, it’s also not easy for him when he has difficulties with studying or communicating.
How to deal with a nervous, hyperactive child? — Doctor Komarovsky (video)
There is no malicious intent in the behavior of a hyperactive child - he simply cannot restrain himself. He is overcome by conflicting desires, fears, aggression, anxiety, and unconscious drives.
The behavior of such children in public is much worse than at home, because communication with strangers has a disinhibiting effect on them. He does not pursue a specific goal, he simply does not understand what his actions can lead to.
So how should an adult behave with such a child?
The best option is for the parents to accept their baby as he is, while showing great love and so-called gentle severity.
Here are some tips from psychologists for parents of hyperactive children. So:
Parents need to come to terms with the fact that their baby will likely always be so energetic and active;
Such a child needs to be given daily physical education classes, preferably in the fresh air, walks and other activities that allow excess energy to find a way out;
A clear daily routine for the child is necessary, which he must adhere to constantly. This will at least somehow discipline him;
Overwork has a bad effect on an energetic child, because in this case the ability to control oneself decreases and hyperactivity increases;
Do not leave your child alone in a public place. Only after he can control his behavior can he be gradually taken to places where hyperactivity is inappropriate (store, church, etc.);
Active kids are able to perceive significantly fewer rules than their peers. Therefore, you should not set a huge number of limits for such a child; it is better to limit yourself to a few rules that the child understands, mainly aimed at preventing the possibility of harm to himself and others;
Often energetic children are very aggressive. Therefore, you need to explain to the child that if he wants to throw out accumulated negative emotions, then under no circumstances should he do this in relation to animals and people. It would be good if he had a punching bag for such a case;
The child should not constantly hear the phrases “Stop it”, “This is impossible!”;
Avoid physical punishment, because this way you set an example of aggressive behavior. Instead, send your child to a room or designated area where he can think about his behavior and calm down;
Work with your child as often as possible: put together puzzles, make crafts from salt dough and clay, paint pictures, cut them out. Such activities will not only help the child develop perseverance and become calmer, but will also help. With age, you can complicate games (assemble construction sets, build structures from cubes, etc.);
Describe your child as very energetic and good, thus creating a positive reputation in the eyes of other people. Otherwise, bad behavior is inevitable;
A hyperactive child can break even the strongest self-control, so you need to periodically arrange a vacation outside the home without the child. This will help restore your strength.
