Therefore, approximately 48% children with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) become noticeably agitated after eating sweets. Other children have a reaction nervous system indifferent. And this is easy for you to check.
Joke
New kid in kindergarten:
Boy, what's your name?
My name is "Vova-stop it!"
Step 1
I suggest that parents completely remove sweets from their diet (candy, sweet tea, cakes, chocolates, ice cream, etc.) for at least 60 hours (that’s 2.5 days). It is most convenient to do this away from your usual environment. For example, weekend trips to the country, short trips, in a word, a change in the usual environment is needed. This will make it easier for the child to bear the cancellation of this “ mini drug" In this case, it is advisable to agree in advance with the child about the upcoming event. Observe whether there will be changes in behavior by the end of the “quarantine”. Approximately 35-40% of children become somewhat more balanced in their behavior, emotional reactions, and have less whims. For most, there are no significant changes.
Step 2
Now give your sweet little fish as much sweets as he can fit (within reasonable limits, of course :)). Have a “belly celebration”!
Here's a different picture. Approximately 45-55% of children turn into a "rabid rabbit". This is according to the parents. Here there is hyperactivity, screaming, whims, scandals, increased pugnacity, etc. The other half of the children have behavioral reactions that are typical for a given child.
Step 3
Dear parents. Now draw the right conclusions. If you find that sweets are an unfavorable background for your child’s hyperactivity, strictly give up sweets! Moreover, limit sweets for the whole family. Since, if a genetic predisposition to hyperactivity is proven, then after changing the family’s nutritional structure, perhaps the mother will notice that the father (grandfather) has suddenly acquired a softer character;) . Can you imagine? Less often, mothers and grandmothers react positively to a “unsweetened” life and become calmer. (You understand, this is only in the opinion of the men in your family :)).
By the way. If either parent has a history of thrush (mouth, genitals), this is a sign of a yeast infection. Such people simply cannot live without sweets (Mushrooms beg to be eaten! Just kidding.).
This test will be useful in the process of your psychological diagnosis and correction,
Hyperactivity
1. Agree: calm, quiet and obedient children are scary! You immediately start to think: “Oh, what’s wrong with him?” But is it normal if a child jumps over the heads of his stunned parents 24 hours a day? And where is the border between normal and “overkill”?
An active child is good, it means that, firstly, he is healthy (a sick person would jump on the sofa!), and secondly, he has at his disposal quite adequate parents who do not put pressure on him with upbringing, etiquette and other harmful things. For a child's psyche it is nonsense. He runs and jumps, breaks and folds, scatters and collects, destroys and builds, and also fights, bites, dances, sings, screams - and all this almost simultaneously. Only when you become the mother of such a treasure do you understand the true meaning of the good old saying: “How good you are when you sleep!”
But if this is so natural, why do neurologists unanimously call hyperactivity a pathology and strive to prescribe sedatives to fidgets? It turns out that there is a big difference between simply being active and obsessively overexcited.
Hyperactivity test
Looks like a children's game from the series “Find the 5 differences”... So,Active child :
Most of the day he “does not sit still”, prefers active games to passive ones (puzzles, construction sets), but if he is interested, he can read a book with his mother and put together the same puzzle.
He talks quickly and a lot, asks an endless number of questions.
For him, sleep and digestive disorders (intestinal disorders) are rather an exception.
It is not active everywhere. For example, he is restless and restless at home, but calm in the kindergarten, visiting unfamiliar people.
He is non-aggressive. That is, by accident or in the heat of conflict, he may kick in against a “colleague in the sandbox,” but he himself rarely provokes a scandal.
Hyperactive child:
He is in constant movement and simply cannot control himself, that is, even if he is tired, he continues to move, and when completely exhausted, he cries and becomes hysterical.
He speaks quickly and a lot, swallows words, interrupts, does not listen to the end. Asks a million questions, but rarely listens to the answers.
It is impossible to put him to sleep, and if he sleeps, it is in fits and starts, restlessly. He often has intestinal disorders. For hyperactive children, all kinds of allergies are not uncommon.
The child is uncontrollable, and he does not react at all to prohibitions and restrictions. And in any conditions (home, store, kindergarten, playground) he behaves equally actively.
Often provokes conflicts. He does not control his aggression - he fights, bites, pushes, and uses improvised means: sticks, stones...
Where do legs come from? The main difference between hyperactivity and simply active temperament is that this is not a character trait of the child, but a consequence of a not too smooth birth and disturbances in infancy. The risk group includes children born as a result of cesarean section, severe pathological births, artificial babies born with low birth weight, and premature babies. Considering that the ecology and pace modern life Now they leave much to be desired, it is not surprising why hyperactive children are not uncommon, but rather the norm of our lives today. And it’s worth making a reservation: not all children at risk are necessarily hyperactive! And subsequently, if all the “misunderstandings” (restlessness, hysteria, colic, sleep disturbances) have not disappeared before the baby’s first birthday, then it is not too late to bring them back to normal after.
Calm, just calm!
What needs to be done so that the baby gets rid of “excess” activity? Create certain living conditions for him. This includes a calm psychological environment in the family, a clear daily routine (with mandatory walks in the fresh air, where there is the opportunity to have fun). Parents will also have to work hard. If you yourself are very emotional and unbalanced, are constantly late everywhere, are in a hurry, then it’s time to start working on yourself. We no longer rush headlong into the garden, constantly hurrying the child, we try to be less nervous and less likely to change plans “on the fly.” Tell yourself: “Have a clear daily routine” and try to become more organized yourself.
And also use these tips:
It is not the kid’s fault that he is such a “live”, so it is useless to scold him, punish him, or organize humiliating silent boycotts. By doing this you will achieve only one thing - a decrease in his self-esteem, a feeling of guilt that he is “wrong” and cannot please mom and dad.
Teaching your child to control himself is your first priority. “Aggressive” games will help him control his emotions. Negative emotions Everyone, including your child, has only a taboo, tell him: “If you want to hit, hit, but not at living beings (people, plants, animals).” You can hit the ground with a stick, throw stones where there are no people, or kick something. He just needs to splash out his energy, teach him to do this.
In education, it is necessary to avoid two extremes - the manifestation of excessive gentleness and the presentation of increased demands on him. Permissiveness should not be allowed: children must be clearly explained the rules of behavior in different situations. However, the number of prohibitions and restrictions should be kept to a reasonable minimum.
The child needs to be praised in every case when he managed to complete the task he started. Using the example of relatively simple cases, you need to teach how to correctly distribute forces.
It is necessary to protect children from overwork associated with an excessive amount of impressions (TV, computer), and avoid places with large crowds of people (shops, markets, etc.).
In some cases, excessive activity and excitability may be the result of parents placing too high demands on the child, which he simply cannot meet due to his natural abilities, as well as excessive fatigue. In this case, parents should be less demanding and try to reduce the load.
- “Movement is life,” lack of physical activity can cause increased excitability. You cannot restrain a child’s natural need to play noisy games, frolic, run, jump.
Sometimes behavioral disorders can be a child’s reaction to mental trauma, for example, to a crisis situation in the family, parental divorce, bad attitude to him, placing him in an inappropriate class at school, conflict with the teacher or parents.
When considering your child’s diet, give preference proper nutrition, which will not lack vitamins and microelements. A hyperactive child, more than other children, needs to adhere to the golden mean in nutrition: less fried, spicy, salty, smoked, more boiled, stewed and fresh vegetables and fruits. Another rule: if a child doesn’t want to eat, don’t force him!
Prepare a “field for maneuver” for your fidget: active sports are simply a panacea for him.
Teach your baby to passive games. We read, and also draw and sculpt. Even if your child has difficulty sitting still and is often distracted, follow him (“You’re interested in this, let’s see...”), but after satisfying his interest, try to return with your child to the previous activity and bring it to the end.
Teach your baby to relax. Perhaps your “recipe” for finding inner harmony- this is yoga. For some, other relaxation methods are more suitable. A good psychologist will tell you what it could be: art therapy, fairytale therapy, or maybe meditation.
And don't forget to tell your child how much you love him.
And that’s it, you ask, what about the pathologies and abnormalities that they intimidated you with in the neurologist’s office? There is a risk, but sedatives will not solve the problem. After all, what do drugs do? They suppress the child’s activity, seem to slow him down, but the reason remains. Hyperactivity is not a disease, it is a slight deviation from the norm, but at the same time, giving up on it, saying it will go away on its own, is also not an option. Alas, it may not work. And then the grown-up child will begin to experience problems at school, it will be difficult for him to build relationships with peers and elders, and it is unlikely that he will be able to keep him under his mother’s caring wing.
2. Motor disinhibition (hyperactivity)
Parents often turn to doctors about increased motor activity of the child, which is difficult to control and correct. In medicine, such conditions are referred to as hyperactivity or disinhibition. Numerous special studies by both domestic and foreign scientists have been devoted to this issue. What is it and why does it occur? Is hyperactivity a normal physiological phenomenon or is it one of the signs of illness? What kind of regime do such children need, how should parents, educators and teachers treat them?
We will try to answer these and other questions that often worry parents. The word hyperactivity comes from the Greek hyper - much and the Latin activus - active. Therefore, hyperactivity literally means increased activity. In the medical sense, hyperactivity in children is increased level physical activity at school and at home. It can be either a natural manifestation of the child’s physiological needs (especially younger age) to movement, occur under the influence of conflicting psycho-traumatic situations and defects in education, and are identified from the first years or even months of life. Let's consider all these possibilities in order.
Movement is one of the manifestations of the vital activity of the body, ensuring its connection with the external environment. As is known, with age, a person’s motor activity undergoes physiological changes. It is especially developed in children of the first 3-4 years of life and slows down significantly in old age. All this has a specific physiological explanation. In young children, inhibition processes are weakly expressed. As a result, they cannot focus their attention on one subject or one game for a long time. The desire to understand the environment, which is still largely unknown, encourages children to often change their occupation. They are constantly on the move, they want to see everything, touch it themselves, even break it to look inside. Due to the low mobility of the main nervous processes (excitation and inhibition), it is difficult for a 2-5 year old child to suddenly stop his activity. If adults suddenly interrupt his activities with their intervention, and even shout or punish him, then the child often has a protest reaction in the form of crying, screaming, and refusal to comply with the parents’ demands. This is a physical, normal phenomenon. Therefore, you should not try to limit the child’s natural mobility. If you are bothered by the child's screaming or the noise created during play, try to occupy him with something else, more interesting, but do not demand that he stop immediately.
However, parents, especially young ones, in some cases are concerned about the child’s motor activity. They see other children the same age who may be calmer and less active. It’s good if with these concerns the mother turns to a doctor, who should reassure her and give good advice. Unfortunately, sometimes the first adviser is neighbors, inexperienced teachers and other random people. Practically healthy child Often they give widely available sedative potions and tablets or infusions of various herbs that have become fashionable. You cannot self-medicate without a doctor’s recommendation! Only a doctor can dispel your doubts, give the correct conclusion about the child’s health and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.
Now let's look at the hyperactivity of children that arises as a result of various external influences. In such cases, parents note that a previously calm child suddenly becomes overly active, restless, and whiny. This happens especially often during the first physiological crisis between the ages of 2 and 4 years. The cause of hyperactivity can be various diseases, including the nervous system (mainly in older children), but most often - defects in education. The latter can be divided into three groups - three extremes of upbringing: a very strict (suppressive) style, excessive guardianship, and the absence of uniform requirements imposed by all family members.
Unfortunately, there are still so-called socially neglected families in relation to the child, when they receive little attention at all, are often punished for no reason, and make unreasonable demands. If at the same time children witness quarrels between parents, and besides, one of them or both suffers from alcoholism, then there are more than enough reasons for hyperactivity and other neurotic disorders. Such families rarely apply for medical care or they bring a child when he already has pronounced pathological character traits.
One of the common causes of hyperactivity in children is the opposite type of upbringing, when they are allowed to do everything and children do not know any prohibitions at first. Such a child is an idol in the family, his abilities are constantly hypertrophied. But at a certain stage, parents become convinced that the upbringing was wrong and therefore decide to change their attitude towards the child, present him with certain requirements and restrictions, and break old habits that have taken root over the years. The famous Soviet teacher A. S. Makarenko wrote that raising a child normally and correctly is much easier than re-educating. Re-education requires more patience, strength and knowledge, and not every parent has all this. Often in the process of re-educating a child, especially if it is not carried out entirely correctly, various neurotic reactions may occur in children, including hyperactivity, negativism, and aggressive behavior. In most of these cases, no special treatment is required; it is enough to build your relationship with the child correctly and be constant in your demands until the end.
Now let’s consider the type of hyperactivity that occurs from the first years or even months of a child’s life and is mainly not a pedagogical, but a medical problem. Let us first present one of the characteristic observations.
A 3-year-old boy, Sasha, was brought to me for consultation. Parents are concerned that the child is very active, fast, restless, constantly on the move, often changes his occupation, and does not respond to the comments of others. From the mother’s detailed story, it was established that this is the first child from young, healthy parents. Her father is an engineer, her mother is a gymnastics coach, at the beginning of her pregnancy she was intensely involved in sports, suffered from a cold and took antibiotics.
From the first days of his life the boy was very restless and whiny. Repeatedly consulted doctors, but the activity of the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and others internal organs no changes were detected. The boy slept very poorly until he was one year old, and his parents and grandparents took turns staying with him throughout the night. Rocking, a pacifier, and being picked up didn't help much. Started sitting and walking on time. After a year, sleep gradually regulated, however, according to the parents, new troubles began. The boy became very fast, fussy and absent-minded.
The parents told all this without the child, who was waiting in the hallway with the grandmother. When he was brought into the office and he saw the doctors in scrubs, he began to scream, cry, and break away from his parents. It was decided to watch the boy at home in his usual environment. He reacted to the arrival of a stranger with some fear, kept walking away and looking expectantly. He soon became convinced that no one was paying attention to him and began to play with toys, but he could not concentrate on any of them. All his movements are fast and swift. Slowly and gradually I became involved in the conversation with the doctor. It turned out that the boy reads syllables and has known letters since he was two years old, although his parents try to keep books out of his field of vision. Performs simple arithmetic operations up to five. Using various distracting methods, we were able to examine the child. Examination revealed no clear organic signs of damage to the nervous system.
In a conversation with parents, it was found out that upbringing is carried out correctly. Despite his hyperactivity and uncontrollability, he clearly knows what not to do. So, he doesn’t touch the dishes, TV, or radio in the room; it’s as if they don’t exist for him. But the toys in the room were scattered haphazardly. It should be noted that parents also do the right thing when it comes to toys: they don’t give a lot at once, they hide old ones for a while, and they don’t buy new ones often. It was clear that the child’s condition was not due to defects in upbringing. Parents do not consider the child a “prodigy,” although he is already beginning to read and shows aptitude for counting. They are more frightened by this somewhat premature mental development, and especially by his behavior.
Advice is given not to be afraid of the early development of the child’s abilities, to periodically offer him the simplest children’s books, and, if the boy wishes, to read with him in the form of a game. It is also recommended to go for long walks more often (until you get a little tired). In order to regulate behavior, it was decided to prescribe some medications. Unexpectedly in next room the music started playing. The boy suddenly changed, the fussiness that had taken place disappeared, he stood for a few seconds, listening, and quickly ran towards the sounds of music. Now the parents remembered another “oddity” of the child: he simply listens to calm, slow music, stands quietly for a long time near the receiver and is always dissatisfied when it is turned off. And indeed, the boy stood calmly near the radio, slightly waved his hands (as if conducting), his body swayed slightly to the sides. This went on for about ten minutes, then the parents turned off the receiver. There was a short-term negative reaction, but no protest. Parents note that the child often brings a number of his favorite records to play, which he remembers appearance: he is ready to listen to them endlessly, which he is naturally denied, since this also frightens the parents to some extent.
The child's reaction to music slightly changed our recommendations. Parents are advised to allow their child to listen to their favorite records 2-3 times a day, gradually increasing their number. It is also recommended to take the child to someone who plays the piano and allow him to “touch” the instrument himself. It was decided to abstain from drug treatment for now. The results of the re-examination showed that our recommendations were correct. Some ordering of the child's behavior was noted, although he continues to remain fast and somewhat fussy.
We have described a fairly typical case of early hyperactivity that arose in the first months of life. It is characterized by a special type of increased motor activity, combined with restlessness, increased distractibility, absent-mindedness, impaired concentration, and increased excitability. In this case, aggressiveness, negativism, some awkwardness and clumsiness may be observed. Hyperactive child like a whirlwind rushes around the apartment, causing real mayhem and chaos in it, constantly breaking something, beating it, crushing it. He is the instigator of quarrels and fights. His clothes are often torn and dirty, personal belongings are lost, scattered or piled up. It is very difficult, and sometimes almost impossible, to calm him down. Parents are perplexed - where does this inexhaustible energy come from, which does not give peace and rest to the whole family? Figurative characteristics hyperactive child given by the mother of a 5-year-old boy, who is given in the book by A.I. Barkan “His Majesty the Child, as he is. Secrets and riddles" (1996): "Has no one yet created a perpetual motion machine? If you want his secrets, study my child." Such children cause a lot of trouble to parents, educators and teachers. Parents have a number of questions: why did everything happen and is it their fault, what awaits the child in the future, will this affect his mental abilities?
These and other questions have long been closely studied by child neurologists and psychiatrists. Much remains unclear and controversial, but some issues have already been resolved. In particular, it was found that when the child’s hyperactivity occurred early, the mother’s pregnancy often proceeded with complications: severe gestosis of pregnancy, somatic diseases, non-compliance with the work and rest schedule, etc.
It is known that you should take care of your child’s health even before birth. After all, a person’s life begins not from birth, but from the first days of pregnancy. Therefore, even now in some Eastern countries, age is calculated from the moment of conception. Science has established that some diseases of children can occur even in the prenatal period, during development in the womb. An unhealthy lifestyle, poor nutrition of the mother, lack of vitamins and amino acids also disrupt the development of the unborn child. A pregnant woman should be more careful than ever in the use of various medications, especially psychotropic drugs, sleeping pills, and hormones.
At the same time, one should not conclude from the above that treatment cannot be taken during pregnancy. After all, a pregnant woman can get the flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. In such cases, the prescription of medications is mandatory, but all treatment is carried out as prescribed and under the supervision of a doctor.
There is reliable evidence that hereditary factors play a role in the occurrence of childhood hyperactivity. Upon detailed questioning of grandparents, it is often possible to find out that the parents of their grandchildren were also hyperactive in childhood or had similar neurological disorders. Similar disorders are often detected in relatives on the side of both fathers and mothers.
Consequently, early childhood hyperactivity is often a consequence of abnormal intrauterine development or is hereditary.
Relatively further development The following can be said about such children. Based on large statistical studies, it has been proven that hyperactive children, as a rule, do not experience mental retardation. At the same time, they quite often have certain difficulties in their studies, even unsatisfactory or only mediocre performance in 1-2 subjects (usually writing and reading), but this is mainly a consequence of defects in upbringing or improper pedagogical influence.
Another interesting feature of hyperactive children should be noted. Quite often, in the first year of life, their physical and mental development occurs at a faster pace. Such children begin to walk and pronounce individual words earlier than their peers. One may get the impression that this is a very gifted, brilliant child, from whom much can be expected in the future. However, in preschool age and especially in the first years of school, one has to make sure that the mental development of such children is at an average level. At the same time, they may have increased abilities for a certain type of activity (music, mathematics, technology, playing chess, etc.). These data should be used in educational and pedagogical work.
As is known, almost any child with conflict situations, especially frequently repeated ones, a number of neurotic disorders may occur. This especially applies to hyperactive children. If insufficient attention is paid to their upbringing or it is carried out incorrectly, then various functional disorders of the nervous system gradually arise and are recorded.
In relationships with such a child, it is necessary, first of all, to proceed from the unity of requirements on the part of all family members. Such children should not see in one of the family members their constant protector, who forgives them everything and allows them what others prohibit. The attitude towards such a child should be calm and even. No concessions (discounts) should be made on the characteristics of his nervous system. Already at an early age, a child should be taught what not to do and what to do. He perceives everything else as “possible.”
In educational work, it is necessary to take into account the increased physical activity of such children. Therefore, games should be primarily active. Given the increased distractibility of such children, their type of activity should be changed more often. It is necessary to provide the most practical outlet for the hyperactivity of such a child. If at the same time he sleeps poorly, especially at night, you can take long walks the day before, up to moderate fatigue. In our example with Sasha, his increased interest in music is noted. If similar tendencies can be found in hyperactive children, then this should be used as much as possible in education.
It has been noted that hyperactive children do not adapt well to a new unfamiliar environment or a new team. When enrolling such a child in kindergarten, very often a number of complications initially arise: after a few days, children refuse to attend kindergarten, cry, and are capricious. In this regard, it is very important to first instill a love for peers and being in a team; You should also talk with the teacher in advance about the child’s characteristics. If the visit kindergarten starts suddenly, it may get worse negative traits behavior of the child, in many cases he disrupts the general order in the group with his negativism and stubbornness.
About the same thing can happen during a visit to school, especially in cases where there is no proper contact with the teacher. Lack of concentration, restlessness, and frequent distractions give these children a reputation for disruptive behavior. Constant reproaches and comments from teachers contribute to the formation of an inferiority complex in the child. He seems to be protecting himself with unmotivated impulsive behavior. This can be expressed in damage to surrounding objects, foolishness, and some aggressiveness. A hyperactive child needs a special approach at school; it is better to put him in one of the first desks, call him to answer more often, and generally give him the opportunity to “discharge” his existing hyperactivity. For example, you can ask him to bring something or give it to the teacher, help him collect diaries, notebooks, wipe the board, etc. This will be invisible to classmates and will help the child sit through the lesson without breaking discipline. Naturally, every teacher will find many such distracting techniques.
If hyperactive children show a desire, in addition to attending school, to study music or attend a sports section, they should not be prevented from doing this. Moreover, there is no reason to exempt them from physical education, participation in competitions and other events. Of course, such a child needs to be periodically shown to a neurologist, who will decide on the appropriateness and nature of treatment measures.
We looked at various manifestations of hyperactivity in children and the causes of their occurrence. It is difficult to give advice to parents for each specific case. It should be remembered that one of the main measures for normalizing and managing the behavior of such a child is properly conducted upbringing and training.
In English-speaking countries ADHD.
What is it?
In this brochure we publish the most accurate tests for definition of ADHD, an explanation of what attention deficit is and how to distinguish activity from hyperactivity.
We describe an algorithm for medical examination of a child if you suspect he has ADHD (at the same time we explain why you should not run to the pharmacy without a medical examination and buy the medicine that your neighbor gives to her idiot, also with ADHD).
We also give the most general advice for parents of children with ADHD on creating the most favorable home environment for such a child (and at the same time we explain to dads why a belt is not an effective means of education).
Just a few of the most general tips for school teachers. We do not pretend in any way that our experience can be compared with the teaching experience of honored teachers, but sometimes it happens that even a very little thing still turns out to be useful.
Significantly larger number useful information You can find it on the sites
http:// adhd- kids. people. ru And http:// www. sdvg- impulses. ru
Clinical test for ADHD
Features of behavior:
Occurs before age 8.
Identified in at least two areas of activity (at school, at home, at work, in games).
Not caused by psychotic, anxiety, affective, dissociative disorders or psychopathy.
Cause significant psychological discomfort and maladjustment. There must be inattention or hyperactivity and impulsivity (or all of these manifestations at the same time) that do not correspond to the age norm.
Inability to concentrate on details, careless mistakes.
Inability to maintain attention and listen to spoken speech.
Inability to complete tasks.
Low organizational skills.
Negative attitude towards tasks requiring mental effort.
Loss of items needed to complete the task.
Distractibility, often to extraneous stimuli.
Forgetfulness.
To diagnose hyperactivity, at least 5 of the following symptoms must be present. A child is hyperactive if he:
Makes fussy movements with arms and legs.
Often jumps out of his seat.
Hypermobile in situations where hypermobility is unacceptable.
Cannot play quiet games.
Always on the move.
He talks a lot.
Sloppyly completes schoolwork despite efforts to do everything correctly.
Often shouts from his seat and makes other noisy antics during lessons.
“Intrudes” into the conversation or work of other children.
Unable to wait his turn in games, during classes, etc.
Frequent fights with other children (the reason is not bad intentions or cruelty, but the inability to lose).
The symptoms listed below, according to many authors, are also characteristic of ADHD.
Coordination problems are found in approximately half of ADHD cases. These may include problems with fine movements (tying shoelaces, using scissors, coloring, writing), balance (children have difficulty riding a skateboard and a two-wheeled bicycle), or visual-spatial coordination.
(inability to play sports, especially with a ball).
Emotional disturbances in ADHD are common. Emotional development, as a rule, is delayed, which is manifested by imbalance, hot temper, and intolerance to failure.
By using this test Parents and teachers will be able to make an initial conclusion about whether a particular child is showing signs of hyperactivity, and will also receive some recommendations on approaches to raising hyperactive children.
Criteria for hyperactivity (child observation scheme according to P. Baker and M. Alvord)
Active attention deficit:
1. Inconsistent, it is difficult for him to maintain attention for a long time.
2. Doesn't listen when spoken to.
3. He takes on a task with great enthusiasm, but never finishes it.
4. Experiences difficulties in organization.
5. Often loses things.
6. Avoids boring and mentally demanding tasks.
7. Often forgetful.
Motor disinhibition:
1. Constantly fidgets.
2. Shows signs of anxiety (drumming with fingers, moving in a chair, running, climbing somewhere).
3. Sleeps much less than other children, even in infancy.
4. Very talkative.
Impulsiveness:
1.
He begins to answer without finishing the question.
2. Unable to wait for his turn, often interferes and interrupts.
3. Poor concentration.
4. Cannot wait for reward (if there is a pause between action and reward).
5. Cannot control and regulate his actions. Behavior is poorly governed by rules.
6. When performing tasks, he behaves differently and shows very different results. (In some lessons the child is calm, in others he is not, in some lessons he is successful, in others he is not).
If at least six of the listed signs appear before the age of 7 years, the teacher can assume ( but do not make a diagnosis!) that the child he is observing is hyperactive. Responsibility for making a diagnosis can only be taken by a specialist: a psychologist or a neurologist. The teacher should only recommend in a tactful manner that parents contact these specialists for professional advice.
Often adults believe that a child is hyperactive only on the grounds that he moves a lot and is restless. This point of view is erroneous, since other manifestations of hyperactivity (deficit of active attention, impulsivity) are not taken into account in this case.
Especially often, teachers and parents do not pay due attention to the child’s manifestation of impulsiveness. What is impulsiveness? In the psychological dictionary this term is explained as follows:
« Impulsiveness- a feature of human behavior (in stable forms - a character trait), consisting in a tendency to act on the first impulse under the influence of external emotions. An impulsive person does not think about his actions, does not weigh the pros and cons, he reacts quickly and directly and often just as quickly repents of his actions.”
You can identify impulsivity using the “Signs of Impulsiveness” questionnaire. It was developed specifically for teachers and parents, does not contain special medical and psychological terms, and therefore will not cause difficulties in filling out and interpreting it.
Signs of impulsiveness
1. Always quickly finds an answer when asked about something (possibly the wrong one).
2. His mood often changes.
3. Many things irritate him and drive him crazy.
4. He likes work that can be done quickly.
5. Touchy, but not vindictive.
6. It often feels like he is tired of everything.
7. Makes decisions quickly and without hesitation.
8. May abruptly refuse food that he does not like.
9. Often distracted in class.
10. When one of the guys yells at him, he yells back.
11. Usually confident that he can cope with any task.
12. Can be rude to parents and teachers.
13. At times he seems to be brimming with energy.
14. This is a man of action, he does not know how to reason and does not like.
15. Requires attention and does not want to wait.
16. In games it does not obey general rules.
17. Gets excited during a conversation and often raises his voice.
18. Easily forgets instructions from elders and gets carried away with games.
19. Likes to organize and lead.
20. Praise and blame affect him more than others.
To obtain objective data, it is necessary for 2-3 adults who know the child well to assess his level of impulsiveness using this questionnaire. Then you need to sum up all the scores in all studies and find the average score.
A score of 15-20 points indicates high impulsiveness,
7-14 - about average,
A hyperactive child requires constant psychological support. Like other children, he wants to be successful in the things he undertakes, but more often than not he fails. Therefore, parents should think through all the instructions that they give to the child, and remember: the child will only do what is interesting to him, and will do it only until he gets bored. As soon as the child is tired, he should be switched to another activity.
It is also necessary to take care of the child’s workplace. It should be quiet and calm - not near the TV or constantly opening doors, but where the child could study without interference. In progress homework It is advisable for parents to be nearby and, if necessary, help their restless son or daughter.
If a child is wrong about something, parents should not lecture him, since a long speech will not be fully listened to and understood. It is better to establish rules of behavior and a system of rewards and punishments in advance. As noted above, the requirements for the child must be specific, clear and feasible.
You cannot force a child to ask for forgiveness and make promises like this: “I will behave well,” “I will always obey you.” You can, for example, agree with your child that he “will not kick the cat” or “from today he will start putting his shoes in their place.” Each of these specific requirements can take a long time (two to four weeks or more) to complete. However, without working on one point, do not move on to the next. Be patient and try to finish what you started. Then it will be possible to achieve the fulfillment of another specific requirement.
The manifestations of ADHD are very diverse, but observation and diagnosis are carried out in three main areas: attention deficit and hyperactivity and impulsivity.
The American Psychiatric Association has developed criteria for diagnosing ADHD. According to the principles of the DSM-IV classification, published in 1994, there are three main forms of the syndrome: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/HD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with predominant attention disorder (ADHD/AD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with predominant hyperactivity. and impulsivity (ADHD/H)-
When diagnosing, it should be remembered that all children are generally characterized by high physical activity. Children's attention becomes relatively stable by the age of 4-5 years. Preschool children are characterized by involuntary attention and poorly developed attention distribution. U junior schoolchildren attention span is 2-3 times less than that of adults. Children can maintain full attention during the lesson and during examination for no more than 12-15 minutes. In addition, it should be remembered that the process of maturation of the frontal structures in ontogenesis continues until 12-15 years. It should also be borne in mind that the syndrome is so common within the framework of the delay mental development, which is not diagnosed as an independent pathology. To make a diagnosis, symptoms of ADHD must be followed for at least
6 months. Symptoms must appear before age 8 and be accompanied by psychological maladjustment. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis and determine an individual medication form of treatment. Psychological and neuropsychological correction can be carried out by appropriate specialists.
Diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder according to the DSM classification - IV.
A. To make a diagnosis, the following symptoms listed in sections 1 and 2 must be present:
1) Six or more of the following symptoms of inattention that persist in the child for at least 6 months and are severe enough to indicate a lack of adaptation and non-compliance with normal age characteristics.
Attention deficit
1.Often unable to pay attention to details; due to negligence, frivolity makes mistakes in school assignments, in the tasks performed and other activities.
Usually has difficulty maintaining attention when completing tasks or playing games.
Often it seems that the child is not listening to the speech addressed to him.
4 It often turns out to be unable to adhere to the proposed instructions and complete the lessons, homework or duties in the workplace (which has nothing to do with negative or protest behavior, or inability to understand the task).
Often has difficulty organizing independent completion of tasks and other activities.
Usually avoids, expresses dissatisfaction, and resists completing tasks that require long-term maintenance of mental stress
Often loses things needed at school and at home (for example, toys, school supplies, pencils, books, work tools).
Easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
Often shows forgetfulness in everyday situations.
2) Six or more of the listed symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, which persist in the child for at least six months and are so severe that they indicate insufficient adaptation and inadequacy
vii normal age characteristics.
1 responsiveness
1. Restless movements of the hands and feet are often observed; sitting on a chair, spinning, spinning.
Frequently gets up from his seat in the classroom during lessons or in other situations where he must remain seated.
Often exhibits aimless motor activity: runs, spins, tries to climb somewhere, and in situations where this is unacceptable.
Usually cannot play quietly, calmly, or do anything in his spare time.
He is often in constant motion and behaves “as if he had a motor attached to him.”
Often talkative.
And impulsiveness
Often answers questions without thinking, without listening to them to the end.
Usually has difficulty waiting his turn in various situations.
Often interferes with others, pesters others (for example, interferes with conversations or games).
B. Some symptoms of impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention begin to cause concern to others. children under 7 years of age.
C. Problems caused by the above symptoms occur in two or more areas surrounding both
new things (for example, at school and at home).
A. There is convincing evidence of clinically significant impairments in social contacts or school learning.
The most common methods for diagnosing attention are the methods of Schult, Anfilov-Krepilin, Toulouse-Pieron.
Toulouse test- Pierona
One of the psychophysiological methods for studying the properties of attention (concentration, stability, switchability), psychomotor tempo, volitional regulation, and the dynamics of performance over time is the Toulouse-Pieron test, which allows you to quickly and initially examine children 6 years of age and older. It is one of the variants of the “proofing” test, the general principle of which was developed by Bourdon in 1895. The essence of the task is to differentiate stimuli that are similar in formula and content over a long, precisely defined time. In relation to the problem under consideration in children with ADHD, it is possible to use a test to study attention and determine minimal brain dysfunction.
For students in grades 1-3, a simplified version of the method is used - 10 lines on a test form. The lines consist of various squares. The subject needs to find and cross out squares similar to the samples. Children must work with two types of pattern squares (they are shown on the left top corner form). Working time with one line - I minute,
Form
The examination can be carried out either in a group or individually. During group testing, children first listen to instructions, accompanied by a demonstration of sample squares. During the demonstration, sample squares and a part of the training line (at least 10 squares), necessarily containing all possible types of squares, are drawn on the chalkboard.
Instructions:"Attention! At the top left of your answer sheets are two sample squares. All other squares drawn on the form must be compared with them. The line located immediately below the samples and does not have a number is a training line (draft). On it you will now try how to complete the task. It is necessary to sequentially compare each square of the training line With samples. In the event that the square of the training line matches With any of the samples, it should be crossed out with one vertical line. If there is no such square among the samples, then it should be emphasized (the speaking of the instructions must be accompanied by a demonstration of the corresponding actions). Now you will sequentially process all the squares of the training
lines, crossing out those that match the patterns and underlining those that do not match. You must work strictly according to the instructions. It is forbidden:
1. First cross out all the squares that match the samples, and then underline the remaining ones.
2. Limit yourself to only crossing out squares.
Underline with a solid line if there are squares in a row that do not match the patterns.
Follow the instructions in reverse: underline the squares that match and cross out the squares that do not match the patterns.”
Only after the children have understood everything can they begin to independently process the training lines on their forms. Those who do not understand must be shown individually on a form how to work. Such children usually include kinesthetic learners, for whom verbal-visual instructions are not enough, as well as children with mild parietal or frontal organicity. To understand, they need to practically try out the work under the supervision of an adult. Children with mild frontal organics are, in principle, unable to perform inverted actions, so they cross out the squares that do not match the patterns and underline the ones that match, i.e. They act according to the logic of “remove what is not similar”, but cannot work according to the instructions. Difficulties in working with parietal pathology are associated with impaired visual-motor coordination, for the diagnosis of which the Bender graphic test can be used.
When performing the test, it is necessary to ensure that all children, while underlining and crossing out, change the orientation of their movements from horizontal to vertical. To simplify the work, children may unconsciously bring horizontal and vertical lines closer to each other.
Continuation of the instructions: “Now we will all work together and exactly on time. Each line is given 1 minute. On the command "Stop!" you need to move on to processing the next line. No matter where the signal finds you, you must immediately move your hand to the next line and continue working without interruption. We need to work as quickly as possible and as carefully as possible.”
The examination results are processed by placing a key made of transparent material on the form. On the key, the markers highlight the places within which the crossed out squares should appear. Outside the markers, all squares must be underlined.
For each line the following is calculated:
The total number of squares processed (including errors).
Number of mistakes.
Incorrect processing, corrections and omissions are considered an error. Then the values are transferred to the Results Record Form.
The main calculated indicators for children with ADHD include test accuracy rate(an indicator of concentration) and indicator of attention stability.
1. Test execution speed:
Where P- number of working lines;
X, - the number of processed characters in the line.
Thus, the total amount of processed characters is divided by the number of working lines.
2. Test execution accuracy rate (or indicator of concentration):
And
Where V - speed;
A- average number of errors per line.
P- number of working lines.
y,- the number of errors in the line. This is the ratio of correctly processed characters to total number processed characters 3. Sustainability of attention:
Where P- number of working lines: y,- number of errors in the line. A - average number of errors per line
Age standards for the speed of performing the Toulouse-Pieron test
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Age groups |
Execution speed (VI |
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|
Pathology |
Age norm | ||||
|
6- 7 years |
40 and > |
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1st Class |
45 and > |
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2nd Class |
58 and > |
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3rd Class |
49 and > |
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Age standards for the accuracy of the Toulouse-Pieron test
|
Execution accuracy (TO) |
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|
Age groups |
Pathology |
Age | |||
|
6 -7 years |
0.98-1.0 |
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1st-2nd classes |
0,89 And< |
0,90 0,91 |
0.92 0,95 |
0,96 0,97 |
0.98-1.0 |
|
3rd Class |
0.97-1.0 |
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If the calculated value of the test accuracy indicator falls into the pathology zone, then the probability of MMD is extremely high. In this case, the child must be referred to a neurologist. If the calculated indicator is in the zone of weak development of attention accuracy, then it is necessary to additionally analyze the speed of performing the Toulouse-Pieron test. If the speed value falls into the zone of pathology or low level, then MMD is also quite likely. However, the final diagnosis is made by a neurologist. We can talk about the complete disappearance of MMD only when the accuracy and speed indicators reach the level of the age norm.
The accuracy of test performance (K) is associated with concentration, but may also depend on the following characteristics: switching of attention, attention span, working memory, visual thinking, personal characteristics.
The predominance of errors at the beginning and end of a line indicates a violation of attention switching. If errors increase in proportion to the distance from the samples, i.e. As you move to the right and down on the response form, the volumetric characteristics of attention are disrupted and the field of attention is narrowed. Dropouts or substitution of samples are typical for weakened working memory. Errors associated with the simultaneous crossing out of squares, both corresponding to the samples and those. which are mirrored or symmetrical about the vertical axis. indicate deficiencies in visual thinking and analysis, as well as an unformed separation of right-left orientation. Such errors are also typical for retrained left-handers.
The ability to voluntarily concentrate attention can only be formed as the functioning of the brain normalizes. Sustainability of attention is associated with the development of volition and the ability for volitional regulation.
Children with elements of autism in their behavior understand instructions well and remember them for several days, and also correctly process the training line. However, further execution of the program is disrupted. They can rhythmically alternate between crossing out and underlining, drawing a 1 or a checkmark in each square, etc. This is only possible for them in a group; such things do not happen one on one with an experimenter.