My 4yr. old has way to much energy?

Question

I have a four yr old son who his teacher says is the most hyper kid she has ever seen. He has had a psychologial evaluation and I was told he is advanced for his age. But I am wondering if he has ADHD what are the symptoms of that? There are times when he can sit still and he has no problem concentrating on a task or game etc... any ideas will help

Answer 1

I want to defend all the parents out there who are judged as lazy and love to put their kids on drugs. Believe me, nobody has a baby and dreams one day of putting them on drugs. I have a child with epilepsy, I didn't dream about the day I could put her on drugs. And yet, there is that chemical imbalance that sends her into seizures. Not all disabilities are visible to the naked eye. A little less judgement and a little more compassion and knowledge will go a long way in this world.

To answer your question...nobody on the internet can tell you the answer. If you truly have questions about your son, you need to see a developmental pediatrician. Four years old is a little young to tell in most cases. If you want to hold off on the meds route for awhile, try limiting foods in his diet that overload his MAO system. Tyramines are an example. Also, phenols are notorious for aggravating the behavior in those with ASD or ADHD. Some people are very sensitive to endocrine disrupting chemicals in their environment which can impact behavior and learning.

Many people with Aspergers and ADHD are often quite intelligent or advanced academically.

Again, 4 years old is young. I would hold off at least a few more years before pursuing diagnosis. Keep maintaining any records and journals that catalog worrisome behavior consistently over time.

Answer 2

Right there with you! Both of my sons are full of energy.

My 9yr old's teachers have had to call me each year - saying, "He's not a bad kid, he's a sweet kid, he just can't sit still and be quiet sometimes. It's like he forgets that he has just been told to sit down and be quiet 5 minutes earlier. He does mind immediately, but goes right back to it." I've asked them if they thought ADHD and none of them do (even though I personally probably wouldn't put them on medicine for it anyway - my thoughts are this....too many parents, and I didn't say ALL, use this as a cop out and out of pure laziness and selfishness because they don't want to deal with their boys and let them BE boys).

The thing is this, he can concentrate and sit down if it interests him. My son has a VERY high IQ (he had to be tested for the advanced classes) and he is in the advanced classes. I think he just has no desire to learn things that don't interest him, and he's bored because he doesn't understand why the teacher has to keep going over things that he already has figured out.

My hope is that it eases up a little with time. It's very hard to deal with. It's tiring, but I'm going to hang in there and try to let my boys be boys and at the same time try to teach them to respect others.

Hope this helps! If nothing else I hope it is encouraging to know you are not the only one.

Answer 3

First of all ADHD is overdiagnosed. It is a convenient label to put on a child who has energy and the schools and parents can't be bothered to put up with it. Four years old is w.a.a.a.a.y too young to be in a classroom. They need to be climbing, playing, running, jumping, creating, but not being made to be still. If the kids are doing all of these things, then the "too much energy" wouldn't be an issue. As for what some of the others said, food allergies are more prevalent than people think (even in adults). Wheat, refined sugar, food dyes (in soft drinks and popsicles), dairy, are often the cause of abnormal behaviour in some children. If the psychological evaluation indicates he is advanced for his age, then he is probably bored to death in this teacher's class. Don't have your child labelled "ADHD" for the convenience of a teacher, or you.

Answer 4

A=attention D=dephasite H=hyperactive D=disorder. If you think about those words, it's self explanatory. Attention Dephasite= cannot focus attention on anything for more than a few seconds
Hyperactive= is so full of energy that they seem like they're going to explode
Disorder=It's not normal.

ADD is the same thing, minus the hyper part. They just have a very short attention span.

Answer 5

Hi- you might want to try the self help video- BEING IN CONTROL: Natural solutions for ADHD , dyslexia, and test anxiety. The video is at Amazon.com by Jason Alster MSc. There are self relaxation exercises, exercises for improved concentration, relaxation games, and accelerated learning tips.

Or the book version- Being In Control- which has many one page photos of relaxation, concentration skills easy for a young child to do.

Answer 6

I would talk to his Dr. and see if you can get him tested for food allergies. If he is getting any sugar you may want to drop that first - but I'm guessing you'd have already done that.

My kids are not at that age yet but I read that there is too many diagnoses of ADHD. Try to find a Dr that will look at other possibilities first. IMO.

Answer 7

Maybe the teacher is just boring for the boy? In my opinion ADHD is way over diagnosed.

Answer 8

As for food....I took my hyper son off wheat and had a big change. He sits for meals and watches enitre movies!!

Answer 9

Get him tested for food allergies. Probably additives or colourings like aspartamine.