What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common difficulty among children. It is usually seen during the early school years and describes people who exhibit an unsuitable for their developmental stage level of attention deficit, impulsivity and hyperactivity.

Although in our days the research on this phenomenon has progressed and there is better awareness, ADHD is still not sufficiently recognized, since the disorder goes undiagnosed in more than half cases. But even when there is a diagnosis for ADHD, only few receive the proper treatment. The timely diagnosis and management from preschool age is the key to an easy childhood and adulthood.

How can we really tell if a child is hyperactive or just restless and fidgety? Expert research has reached some conclusions enabling us to draw some lines between a fidgety and hyperactive child, the most important of them being mobility and some other differences in behaviour and development.

The most important difference in the behaviour of a hyperactive child and a fidgety child is the ability of the latter to control his mobility depending on the various circumstances.

The hyperactive child is in constant stimulation, constantly moves, climbs or jumps, while it can rarely occupy himself with the same game or toy for more than 3 minutes.

Apart from their hyperactivity, children with ADHD have difficulties in activities requiring fine movements such as drawing and writing and they are frequently clumsy. On the contrary, fidgety and restless children do not experience the same difficulties and even may have particular dexterities.