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The Hyperactive Child
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The word hyperactivity means ‘over activity’. Hyperactive children are wound up tighter than a twenty four hour clock starting its first minutes. Hyperactivity is very different from having a high energy level. People with a focused energy level can accomplish enormous amount of work, hyperactive people are very busy but they do not accomplish much.
There has been much written on Hyperactive Children who are labeled ADHD. It is important for parents to distinguish between other kinds of attention problems and true ADHD. Correct diagnoses are crucial for decisions affecting long-term management and treatment.
If you suspect your child is ADHD because of hyperactive behaviour it is advisable to consult your doctor to discuss what assessments can be done to correctly identify the condition.
This article has been written with the parents of hyperactive children in mind. We offer suggestions that may help you to cope and get through those days when you feel that you can’t take it anymore.
Your hyperactive child has the natural ability to hit your hot button several times a day.
When you are feeling angry and upset with your child, as hard as it may be, it will help if you can stop and make a mental list of all of his/her good qualities. Doing this will break your emotion as you recall that your child is rally very caring and generous when he/she doesn’t lose control,.
Practice Affirmation
Affirmations really are the power of positive thinking. Affirmation can be helpful to both parents and children saying to yourself “I am patient”, “I control my emotions”, “This too will pass” can help you to think and react more positively towards your child. You can also teach your child affirmations by saying to your child each day, “You will catch the bus on time” or “You will remember to hand in your home work” “You are a loving boy/girl who really can control your behaviour”. Saying these affirmations often to your child helps build self-confidence which can be even more helpful to children. Reminding your child that he/she is smart and that he/she has control of their behaviour will help him/.her believe in his/her ability to succeed.
Raising a hyperactive child is a taxing and stressful experience. Parents who have raised a hyperactive child have admitted to disliking the child intensely – usually this intense dislike comes immediately after the child has done something thoughtless and impulsive. The reality is that it’s not the child the parent dislikes it's the behaviour and this is quite natural. Parents should not be too hard on themselves when they realize that they are feeling this way. However it is very important to understand that it is the behaviour that is thing disliked. As hard as it may be for a parent, it is important that they try to fast forward past the event taking place telling themselves ‘This too will pass”.
As parents of hyperactive children spend a great deal of time in tense situations it is helpful if they can balance their experiences by reading books on humour, or by watching comedy movies rather than opting for movies or books depicting depressing tragedies. Laughter is a good way of relieving the bottled up tension you may experience in dealing with your child.
Support Group Meetings can certainly play a major role in helping parents cope with stress of raising a hyperactive child. You will meet other parents who share the same concerns, trials and experience. Knowing that you are not alone going through this is enormously hopeful. In support groups parents usually get together in an informal setting and this provides the opportunity for parents to talk about their experience and frustrations in dealing with their ADHD child.
Many groups will pool resources and bring in speakers with expertise on ADHD like doctors, psychologists etc. Parents are usually more than willing to freely exchange information on resources they have found, which can take months for a parent to learn on his/her own.
Probably the most valuable service a support group offers is emotional support. In a support group other will willing listen to you. They will encourage you when you are discouraged and most of all they will understand. They have walked in your shoes. Also remember as you listen to other parents discuss their experience you may find that your child’s behaviour is not as bad as some of the other hyperactive children and believe it or not you may even find some of the stories that parents share whilst tragic at the time of the event can seem somewhat funny when being recalled.
Always focus on how far your child has come and not how far he/she has to go. Its true that hyperactive children make progress very slowly perhaps one step forward and two steps back. At times you may feel overwhelmed and.
Looking at it from an adult perspective you may think of all the things he/she has not mastered that he/she will need to function as an adult. You may be concerned that he/she is already 8 and is still having trouble making and keeping friends or difficulty paying attention. First you need to know that not all children his/her age have mastered the task that escapes your child.
Then you need to look at all the things that he/she has mastered. Recall when he/she was 5 and it was first day at school and you wondered if he/she would ever survive the school system. When you look back, you can focus on just how far your child has come. The future is full of uncertainty and it is frightening if you think of your child with his/her present level of skills coping in today’s world. Remember that he/she has time to learn more skills, one day at a time. You and your support team has time to teach him/her and staying positive you can accomplish more than you realize. Gaining a new perspective on your situation can prove difficult. Working with a good child psychologist can help your child to gain a new perspective on family life and his/her place in it.
Last but least – Do look after yourself, develop outside interest as it can go a long way toward providing some relief from stress. Join a gym or take up a hobby. These activities can help you release stress and they do take your mind off your problem as well as offering you a more controlled situation with a high likelihood of success.