If in my childhood I knew the expression "Hyperactivity and attention deficit" I might not be hung with all the horrible labels: "inattentive, slovenly, sprawling." My first day in kindergarten ended in a corner. My school notebooks covered the teacher's caustic remarks: "A chicken is writing, not a schoolgirl!" And what about a diary: "I ran around on the desks and crowed," "I shouted at the singing lesson." What was she shouting? Why? I do not remember...
Nobody wanted to be friends with a strange, awkward girl, who would start laughing out of place, then interrupting others with ridiculous stories, then she would burst into tears for no reason ... I'm not alone. In every classroom or kindergarten group there is such a bitterness. It is necessary for a small Šustricka to cross the threshold of a school or a kindergarten, a flurry of reproaches falls upon his disheveled head. And at home exhausted parents can hardly cope with the violent temperament of the child. As a result, it consolidates the reputation of an unmanageable, spoiled, difficult-to-learn. But the "poor man" is only in that he suffers from hyperactivity, hardly the most widespread disorder of the nervous system. But hyperactivity is not the fault, but the child's misfortune. At a recent forum in Moscow, "Protecting the health of children in Russia," it was announced that only in our country the syndrome of hyperactivity and attention deficit (ADHD) is recorded in two million children!
Usually parents begin to understand that something is amiss with the child, about four years old. The kid seems to grow up smart, inquisitive, but can not concentrate on anything: listen to a minute fairy tale - requires paint, then, not finishing, enough designer. On the spot can not sit still for a second: constantly spinning, jumps up, something touches with his hands. And although he has been on the move all day, he also moves in a strange way: he jerks abruptly, jerks, falls on obstacles. Even worse is the situation with behavior: the bouts of unrestrained fun are replaced by aggression. The kid very quickly gets tired, but the more tired, the more he rages. He seems to want to communicate, but he does not know how to build long-term relationships, he joins in group games with passion, but quickly becomes cold. In conversation does not listen to the interlocutor, interrupts. But, as a rule, all this is simply written off to features of temperament, crises of difficult age, bad education. In full measure, parents understand the seriousness of the problem, when a child has to cross the threshold of the first class. Our secondary education is designed for an average child, without any syndromes. But the school is particularly intolerant of hyperactive children: noisy, sloppy, uncomfortable. Yes there is a school! Disturbers of calm will not tolerate either the sports section or the art studio.
That's why you need to start correcting the situation as early as possible. First of all, you need to recognize for yourself that your child is special, and nobody is to blame for it: neither you, nor he, nor anybody else. Do not be left alone with your problems. Try to show the child to a good specialist, and preferably two: a neurologist and a psychotherapist. If there are no qualified specialists near you - search for as much information as possible about this condition. We must understand immediately: hyperactivity is not a disease, but a special psychological status that can be corrected, but not corrected to the end, and you can not turn your shustrick into a complaisant gentleness by any means. What you can really help is to teach a little person to live in harmony with himself and others, to provide him with an opportunity to study normally.
The simplest way of correction is medication. But psychotropic and nootropic drugs prescribed for ADHD have very serious side effects and a whole complex of contraindications. And it is important to remember: after their withdrawal symptoms can return with a tripled force. In general, they can be taken only under the strictest control of the doctor and for really serious indications. There are also more gentle methods. Very good helps special corrective gymnastics, which allows to "rewire" the whole motor sphere of the child anew, to start its development along the normal path. And since the development of attention in the response of the same parts of the brain as the motor sphere, the child's concentration increases, anxiety decreases, the general tension decreases. But in order to achieve the effect, it will be necessary to conduct classes daily for two to three years. Usually, gymnastics is supplemented with lessons with a speech therapist and a defectologist, a course of vitamins and homeopathic medicines. But it is possible to really help a hyperactive child only by changing his and his way of life. Create a comfortable day for the child and follow it with him clearly. Spend more time in the open air, where you do not have to limit the freedom of the child. Watch for food. Such children are contraindicated in coffee, carbonated drinks, chocolate. There is a suggestion that excessive consumption of sugar, products containing chemical taste improvers (glutamate sodium), contributes to the development of hyperactivity. Try to avoid crowded places, frequent trips in public transport. Limit extra-school work. Do not let the child overwork. Always try to prevent an impending flash.
Your child needs strict limits to what is allowed. But be prepared for the fact that it will constantly test for strength. Do not let the child manipulate you with hysterics. Avoid long notations. All your comments and requirements should be extremely specific and clear. From the bottom of the heart, praise the child for any successes, even the tiniest. Be sure to find a sphere where your child will be successful. And remember: there are a lot of cases in which your hyperactive child will be able to succeed much more than his quiet classmates: on the stage and in the geological expedition, in journalism and sports, advertising and politics - wherever dynamism, love of risk, the ability to make non-standard decisions , imagination and intuition.