Question
My child loves to cry and fidget. They are constantly on the move. They can’t sit still for more than 5 minutes alone. They are particularly active. Other children of the same age are not as restless. What are the symptoms of ADHD?
Answer
Children are naturally competitive, curious, active, imitative, and imaginative, with their restlessness being the most pronounced characteristic. Some parents view their child’s restlessness as dishonesty, mischief, or a lack of discipline and impose various restrictions on them. This approach goes against the child’s psychological characteristics. Restlessness in children is a sign of vitality and good health. Only children with malnutrition, severe anemia, or other congenital diseases may not be active. Restlessness is also a way for children to explore nature and society. They touch, move, and look at everything they see, and they ask all sorts of questions. They are fresh, curious, and puzzled about everything around them. However, some parents mistakenly identify the normal restlessness of a child as “ADHD.” The main differences between normal restlessness and ADHD are as follows. (1) While normally active children may also show signs of inattention, they can concentrate on things they are interested in and rarely get distracted; ADHD children cannot. (2) Normally active children may appear scattered, such as fidgeting during class or even fighting noisily, but when they realize they need to control themselves, they can; ADHD children cannot. (3) Normally active children perform rapid, repetitive, and alternating movements with agility; ADHD children appear clumsy. (4) Central nervous system stimulants can excite normally active children;