Does my 4 year old have ADHD?

Question

My 4 year old daughter is just a handful, and i'm not talking your typical handful child. Because i've babysat them before. She's different -

She fidgets with her feet all the time - and she gets out of her carseat in the car and starts running around and hitting her sibblings while the car is going.

She runs around the house constantly, never runs out of engery, she can do it for hours, like she is run by some kind of motor. If you tell her to stop she says "No!!"

She cannot sit still - at all. Her preschool teacher says she's always getting up when she's suposed to be seated.

She's like a motor mouth, always talks, sometimes about nothing, she just talks to talk.

She's ALWAYS moving, never just sits down.

She has trouble playing, she just can't sit still long enough to finish an activity. She does not play well with other children her age besides her 5 year old brother - she's too outgoing.

She hits, bites, and kicks me - she's very physically agressive. HELP!

Answer 1

She has trouble playing, she just can't sit still long enough to finish an activity.  She's ALWAYS moving, never just sits down. She hits, bites, and kicks me - she's very physically agressive.

Those three statements make me think ADHD: She can't focus even when she wants to, and she has poor impulse control.

My suggestion is a neurologist for an exam.

Answer 2

Ok calm down.If your child has ADHD im sure mine does as well.My daughter is 4 and she cant sit still for 2 seconds.the only thing she doesnt do,is hit others.She says NO to EVERYTHING.Im not medicating my kid.I think all 4 year olds are hyper and active.** correction* I KNOW***

edit: thumbs down lmao....why? because im telling the truth? haha ...all kids have adhd to an extent...get real

Answer 3

I have AD/HD myself.  You mention that your daughter's teacher also finds her more fidgety than the rest of her students, and you yourself have seen other 4 year olds in action, so you have a clue about the typical behavior - i.e. that all kids act hyper sometimes, but you see that your daughter's behavior is more extreme, and that it is interfering with daily life on a regular basis.  At the age of four, most kids are able to sit still through things that really catch their interest - like sitting down together to read a fun story like from Dr. Suess.  It sounds like your daughter cannot sit still for that, even.  

I'm in no way qualified to diagnose her, but I will say this:  I think you should go to your pediatrician and ask that your daughter be evaluated for AD/HD.  It might help if you write down a list of the symptoms you see in your daughter, like you have here together with notes on how frequently they occur throughout the day or week - because it will help show that these behaviors happen more often than what is truly typical for a 4 year old.  If you don't have a pediatrician, or insurance, try calling your local public school district, tell them you believe your child may have a learning disability and ask what resources are available for early intervention.  

Good luck to both you and your daughter.

Answer 4

Yes she could very well have ADHD.

I agree with you that yes 4 year olds have fits but not as you are describing especially if this happens all the time. I would call and set up an appt with a psychologist to have her evaluated. I know she is very young but atleast they can tell you what they think and you will have an expert oppinion. I have a son with ADHD and I feel for you, it can be very challenging to deal with. Good Luck!

Answer 5

She's a perfectly normal 4 year old. It wont last.

Answer 6

She might.

But just remember, it's ADHD, not cancer or anything.

:)

Answer 7

Yes. My son was diagnosed and wasn't nearly half as active as your daughter. Let's just say she's Spirited. There are websites for parental support of spirited children.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/gs/gsbehav...

Answer 8

Maybe, maybe not.

There is another question like this just been started too - very interesting answers - http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

My son had trouble like this at kindy, but at least he wasn't being physically aggressive with other kids. Some kids are just like this, they are busy exuberant excitable little people. And believe it or not, if she is not sleeping well, this can make her behaviour worse - it's a vicious circle.

Perhaps she may also be reacting to stuff in her diet? And I don't mean junk food either. This was suggested to me by a grandmother whose children began acting like demons when she first introduced them to coloured cordial in the 1950s!

She loaned me a great book "fed up" by Sue Dengate (check out the website - http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/ ).