Hyperactive children: How to look out for the red flag

They say parenting is as crazy as circumnavigating the world without a map but the journey is always worth it. Raising a child who is more than active, more than energetic and persistent is more than tiring. Joanna Isimbi is a mother of two; a 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son. So far, raising her little boy is one of the most trying times in her journey of motherhood. “I have one overly active little boy on my hands and he is wearing me out. He is easily distracted, so disorganised and I can only say that he has extra batteries that keep him on the move. He is always involved in anything that catches his eye and it was even worse when he was younger. Getting him to sit or even tuck him to bed was a tug of war,” she says. Most children outgrow the hyperactiveness with age. Isimbi is one of the many mothers who struggle with dealing with an overly active child, a situation which experts say can be managed. Seconde Nsabimana; a child counselor and Country Director at Kunda Umwana, a local non-governmental organisation that promotes early childhood development programme explains that hyperactivity means being more active than usual or desirable. Impulsive behavior or even strong emotional reactions and a short attention span are some of the typical signs for a hyperactive person. Children who are hyperactive are always in constant motion; they do not seem to listen, they interrupt others and often talk excessively. Nsabimana explains that such a situation comes as a result of varying factors like the mother’s behavior during pregnancy among others. “When a woman is pregnant, how she behaves is how the child will behave,” Nsabimana says. If a woman uses alcohol and other drugs during pregnancy it may also increase the chances of giving birth to hyperactive child. Some children are hard to control. Look out for behaviour that may connect to ADD. According to a 2014 research published by Mail online, “Binge drinking during pregnancy can damage your child’s mental health and school results.” The research finding followed an analysis of results from a study including thousands of women and their children. In analyses of up to 7,000 children, researchers found that children of women who engaged in binge drinking at least once in pregnancy, but did not drink daily, had slightly higher levels of hyperactivity and inattention problems. These children also scored on average about one point lower in exams. The results appear to suggest potential for some links, particularly in the area of hyperactivity/inattention. She adds that some environmental factors such as the location of the family or particular behavior within the family can also lead to a child’s hyper activeness. Parenting a child who is hyperactive is no doubt exhausting; however Nsabimana cautions that for parents to deal with it they should have a clear understanding of hyperactivity. “A parent can burn off some of that hyperactivity by allowing the child to be more active before they need to sit still. In that case you can buy toys which can’t cause physical harm, things the baby can’t swallow, then let the child play in the yard until he feels exhausted,” she says Some parents sometimes resort to yelling which can just worsen the case. She says that there are ways one can use to redirect the child. Understand the child’s talents and focus in developing them. Look out for the childs hobbies and use them to develop their talents. When Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) sets in Dr Elie Niyibizi a pediatrician at Muhima hospital explains that it’s important to know if your hyperactive child is normal or something related to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). “The signs and symptoms of ADD mostly appear before the age of seven, though it can be difficult to distinguish between the disorder and a kid’s normal behavior. If the symptoms appear only in some situations then it’s probably not ADD. On the other hand, if the hyper activeness is present all the time whether it’s at school, home or at a friend’s place then it could be time to take a closer look,” Niyibizi says. It’s normal for a child to be active but if it’s extreme then it becomes abnormal and it’s in most cases termed as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. “The parent should find a way to deal with it because it not only affects the child but also the family at large if left untreated. Children who can’t focus get into frequent trouble at school, and find it hard to get along with others or to make friends. Also they find it hard coping in school,” he adds. One shouldn’t rush into medication but rather consider other options to start with, for instance implementing an exercise plan, modifying the home environment to minimize distractions, improvising new parenting skills through parental education and training, showing the kid love and being consistent in monitoring the kid’s moves. Jackline Ndayishima says she has a son who always pokes others and can never ever listen to what he is being told. “When my other kids cry, I just know that it’s him causing the chaos, he can never rest unless he is fully exhausted. Even the teachers at school said he has a problem concentrating because he always wants to be on the move.” Find the child something to do outdoors. (Net photos) Keza Umubyeyi a first time mother says that with her five year old daughter everything is always an argument. “My daughter is beyond persistent, she can argue on and on for a particular thing until she gets what she wants. On one hand it can be a good thing but then its tiring, even taking her for a bath calls for rounds of wrestling, she can never concentrate on doing one thing,” she says. Failing to treat ADHD in children can lead to long term effects like drug abuse, anxiety and depression at a later stage in life. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Hyperactive children: How to look out for the red flag