ADHD Symptoms in Children?

***Most Common Symptoms and Signs!***

As parents, it is so hard to know if our children are really suffering or if well let’s just say it “being lazy”.

As a parent myself, I wish I would have known some of these early warning signs so maybe it would not have progressed into the bigger issue we are having now! Also, we may have not spent the last two months talking to counselors to just find out there is a deeper issue on our hands now.

We are now going back to square one and seeing a completely different Dr. Could this be an ADHD issue or is it a learning disadvantage causing all of these outbursts. Have we been sent all the signs but chose to avoided them?

Have we paid more attention to the lashing out and mood changes could this of helped matters and repaired the situation quicker? Did we hinder our own son in not knowing what to watch for or letting him play too many video games.

****Common Signs/Symptoms to Watch for****

Here was a few items we were informed to watch for in our own son!

• being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings
• constantly fidgeting
• being unable to concentrate on tasks
• excessive physical movement
• excessive talking
• being unable to wait their turn
• acting without thinking
• interrupting conversations
• little or no sense of danger

These symptoms can cause significant problems in a child’s life: such as underachievement in school, poor social interaction with children and adults, and even problems with discipline. This will be the third time going to see his pediatrician because the mood and focus is slipping again and his sleep pattern is getting worse again. Poor sleep effects every single one of the items listed above and more. This was just a narrative list of items given to us to look for and I hope this helps as an adult because it is NOT a fun nor enjoyable feeling seeing a loved one suffer and you are lost on where to begin!

****Start With Simple Activities****

We have tried numerous ideas handed to us by counselors and Dr’s which just happened to be similar in ideas and processes. Just be warned that all the parents/guardians alike will find this a more difficult step for themselves than the child.

Also be prepared to sit for hours starting a project and having a good time, to the child not wanting anything to do with it ever again and it will get so frustrating but remember we are there to help them! So just take a deep breath and find a different idea or project. Be prepared for this to go on several times and a lot of unfinished activities.

It is important to sit down and let them pick their own ideas and projects and us adults are only their at this point to help when they stumble and can’t choose anything. We should offer small logical activities with a completion goal so they feel accomplished when it gets complete. Adults should also take a long look at your childs past activities because we don’t want them to start something they will not stick with or get so upset that they quit. Keep the first few activities simple and more at the remedial level for your childs age until they build that confidence back up!

As a parent our suggestion would be start small with an easy puzzle or a coloring page. Our child is 11 so we even started letting him prepare a family dinner night with our supervision. We also started doing STEM activities which he seems to enjoy a lot, and they are incredible about giving the children the tools needed in problem solving for their future endeavors.

****In Conclusion**

We may not always know the correct questions to ask as parents because sometimes it seems to just frustrate the young ones even more. All you can do is really watch for the early warning signs and try to talk to them and start any remedy sooner than later because trust us it is so much harder the longer it goes without being addressed. We would definitely continue our journey into these STEM activities because they offer such wonderful hands-on projects that make you use your problem solving skills. Please feel free to drop an email or comment and we respond as soon as possible.