ADHD Hyperactive Children
Hyperactivity & ADHD in Children
Paediatrician in Andheri, Mumbai
Guide parents of ADHD kids
Doctor, does my child have ADHD?
Is every child with hyperactivity have ADHD?
Does my hyperactive child needs ADHD medicines?
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder) refers to hyperactivity or lack of concentration. This is found in 5 to 12% of children. With this illness, children are unable to focus on anything, and they face many problems at home, at school and in the community. Such children wrongly continue to receive punishment from parents and teachers.
These are the questions from parents we often get in our Paediatric practice. In our journey as a Developmental Paediatrician of more than three decades, we often see the difficulties parents and children go through when the child is hyperactive. And this is quite expected given the high prevalence of ADHD in children. Many parents and teachers don’t know that ADHD and hyperactivity in children is really very common, 10-13% school going children have this problem!
Here are the common parental concerns and responses from expert paediatrician for ADHD in Andheri, Mumbai.
Does my child who is hyperactive has ADHD?
Not every hyperactive child has ADHD. ADHD is a disorder in which hyperactivity is just one aspect. Children can be hyperactive for many reasons. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSAS) having snoring, drooling, or mouth breathing during sleep or day time sleepiness can look like ADHD. Thyroid problems like over production of thyroid hormones in children, lead poisoning with high blood lead levels, Autism can all manifest as hyperactive kids. We, at Smile Children Clinic, perform a complete screening and diagnosis of ADHD before labelling a child with this tag.
What are other elements of ADHD apart from hyperactivity?
Attention deficit (Inattention), and impulsivity are two more characteristics seen in ADHD kids. Not all ADHD children will have all three of these. Children specialist often see two types of ADHD in kids: Hyperactive and impulsive type and inattentive type. Apart from these symptoms, such children can have scholastic backwardness, poor performance in studies, temper tantrums, anger proneness, not obeying to parents, or other problematic behaviours. You can read more about it on Read More...).
At what age do you diagnose ADHD in Children?
Over the years, children specialist doctors at Smile Children Clinic have noticed that hyperactive impulsive ADHDs gets the attention of parents early, say around 4-5 years of age, while inattentive type gets noticed bit late, when school and studies pose higher demands on their concentration span like around 7-8 years of age. Though there are more factors working around it like parental awareness, family structure, severity of symptoms and many more.
Is a child with hyperactivity definitely has ADHD?
Not necessarily. These symptoms should be present for significant time period, say more than 6 months and these should cause some adverse impact in either family’s life like at home or in community or in school, and the symptoms should have been present from childhood to diagnose it as ADHD. At our Child ADHD clinic in Andheri, Mumbai, paediatricians recently diagnosed Hyperthyroidism in a 8 year old girl brought by parents for ‘ADHD’!
Is every child with ADHD needs stimulant medicines?
Not really, decision to prescribe stimulants to a child with ADHD depends of many factors, like severity of symptoms, response to other interventions of ADHD, adverse impact of symptoms on child’s life, age of the child, associated comorbidities etc. And, there are other medicines for ADHD too! And with lesser side effects. Your Developmental Behavioural Paediatrician will decide the need for stimulants.
When should I suspect ADHD in my hyperactive kid?
While every child develops at their own speed and own way, some red flags can indicate potential ADHD:
Inattention:
child frequently loses or forgets things, have difficulty staying focused during tasks, or seem easily distracted, unable to complete the task
Hyperactivity:
child excessively restless, fidgety, or talkative, struggling to stay still even in calm situations, running up and down stairs tirelessly, “has wheels under his legs”
Impulsivity:
child often acts without thinking, interrupts others, or blurts out answers before questions are finished, cant wait to have something
Children ADHD clinic near you since more than 3 decades
We have a team, includingDevelopmental Paediatrician, Child & Adolescent psychiatrist, Child Psychologist led by Dr Narendra Rathi, MD, DNB with his 38 years of experience in managing children with special needs. We conduct comprehensive assessment with the latest evidence based trends, not just focusing on symptoms but understanding kid’s unique needs and strengths. If you suspect ADHD, don’t hesitate to seek help for your child. Early intervention makes a world of difference. We are incredibly grateful to the whole team at the ADHD clinic for their expertise, compassion, and guidance, and not the least, our patients for having faith in us to give us an opportunity to serve them. We guide & handhold for therapies, medications, communication strategies, classroom accommodations, and positive reinforcement techniques. We follow scientific approach for such kids Read More... .
For advanced diagnostic methods and appropriate treatment of ADHD.............
Visit: Smile Children Clinic For appointments 9226893706