The first step in helping our children is awareness. Once we understand the possible signs and symptoms of ADHD/ADD we can take appropriate measures to protect our families.
Behavioral Issues
- Marked hyperactivity (Constant motion, inability to sit still, inappropriate wiggling)
- Impulsivity (unpredictable or disruptive behavior, unresponsive to discipline, abusive or destructive, throws or breaks things, little or no recognition of danger to self, inappropriate noises, excessive or loud talking, interrupts often).
- Compulsivity (Aggressive, repeats actions, touches things or people excessively, chews on clothes or other objects, scratching, biting or picking at skin, workaholic habits).
- Emotional Concerns (low frustration tolerance, demands immediate attention, irritability, overreaction to touch, pain, sound and light, nervous, panics easily, mood swings, low self-esteem, depression, frequent crying, suicidal thoughts).
Learning Issues
- Short attention span (impatience, distraction, failure to complete projects, inability to listen to whole story, inability to follow directions).
- Neuro-muscular involvement (accident prone, poor muscle coordination, difficulty writing/drawing, dyslexia/reading problems, speech difficulties/delays, difficulty with playground activities/sports, eye muscle disorder such as nystagmus or strabismus, tics, seizures).
- Cognitive and perceptual disturbances (difficulty remembering what is heard or seen, difficulty in comprehension and short term memory, disturbance in spatial orientation, difficulties in reasoning with simple math problems or the meaning in words).
Health Issues
- Frequent physical complaints (ear infections, asthma, bedwetting, daytime wetting, stomachaches, headaches, migraines, hives, rashes, eczema, leg aches, constipation, diarrhea, congestion, seizures).
- Sleep problems (resistance to going to bed, difficulty falling asleep, restless/erratic sleep, nightmares, bad dreams).
*symptoms excerpted from the Feingold Association of the United States
