• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group

The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group

A registered charity which has been successfully helping Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and hyperactive children and their families for over 40 years.

  • Home
  • About the HACSG
    • Our Work with Schools
    • HACSG History
    • Success Stories
    • Our Advisors
    • Workshops
  • About Hyperactivity
    • What are Essential Fatty Acids?
    • What is the Feingold Programme?
    • The Colquhoun/Bunday Hypothese
    • Hospital Study
    • Listening to Children
  • How we can help
    • Our Publications
    • Useful Links
    • Nutritional Testing
  • How you can help
  • News and Events
  • Contact Us

Active or Hyperactive?

It would be easy to label every healthy, lively child as hyperactive. So how do you tell the difference?

The following signs have been reported for many Hyperactive/ADHD children. However, as all children are different, the signs and symptoms may vary:

In infancy

  • May be unsettled, restless, crying and difficult to settle.
  • Colic and sickness linked to feeds may be an issue and feeding may be problematic.
  • May be excessively thirsty (a sign of Essential Fatty Acid Omega Oils deficiency).
  • Dribbling is not uncommon.
  • Night terrors, cot rocking, head banging are reported.
  • Some young children are reported to sleep well and are generally content but problems often begin once the child becomes more mobile and when the diet is varied.

In older children

  • Clumsy and accident prone.
  • Erratic and disruptive behaviour (fits and tantrums).
  • Compulsive touching of everything and everyone. Constant motion (i.e. wriggles legs). May walk on toes, and often runs everywhere.
  • Disturbs other children and may be aggressive and argumentative.
  • Unable to concentrate, never finishes anything he/she begins. Demands must be met immediately. Frustration leads to temper tantrums. Easily distracted and often unable to follow instructions. Lack of social skills. Hard to discipline.
  • Normal or high IQ but may do badly at school. “Jekyll and Hyde” moodiness. There may also be some specific learning difficulties. Can get easily upset.
  • Poor hand and eye coordination. Uncooperative, defiant and disobedient. Restless.
  • Talkative. Fearless. Risk Taker.

Parents report some physical health problems such as asthma, eczema, aches and pains, hayfever, headaches, bedwetting, poor appetite, flushed or pale complexion, excessive perspiration, red ears. “Silliness” in general.

Not every child will have all of the symptoms above, and of course there are degrees of the problem. As they reach puberty hyperactive children may experience a spontaneous change in their behaviour patterns, with a lessening of hyperactivity and aggression.

However, it is common for underlying problems to remain and it is essential that attention to diet is maintained and other forms of help sought.

Primary Sidebar

Donations

We welcome donations. You can donate directly to HACSG using Paypal.

Contact Us

Sally Bunday MBE Founder & Director

Sally Bunday MBE
Founder & Director

Email hacsg@hacsg.org.uk

Telephone 01243 539966
(2.30pm – 4.30pm Mon-Fri)

Address
71 Whyke Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 7PD

Like Us on Facebook

Footer

Diet Diary

The HACSG Food & Behaviour Diary is now available online.  Click here for your free PDF version.

 

Workshops

The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group offers talks for parents, carers and professionals, and school INSET training for teachers.  Click here to learn more.

Donations

We welcome donations. You can donate directly to HACSG using Paypal.

                 

© Copyright The Hyperactive Children's Support Group

  • HACSG Privacy Policy and Data Protection