They fidget incessantly with their hands and feet, never able to concentrate on games or on their schoolwork for any length of time. At the same time, they are often cheeky and blurt out answers before a question has even been finished. Such children are a real ordeal. For parents, siblings, kindergarten or school. The condition, which affects around five percent of children in Germany, is not the result of parenting mistakes, an intelligence deficit or malicious behavior.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Popularly called “fidget syndrome,” it is a disability triggered by congenital and acquired changes in brain neurotransmitter metabolism. Officially, the disease is called “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD). It is characterized by considerable impairments in the ability to concentrate and pay attention, by inner restlessness and uncontrolled impulsivity.
In one in five cases, the children also suffer from reading and spelling difficulties (dyslexia). One third of the children have to repeat a class at school, almost half are temporarily excluded from lessons and one in ten is eventually expelled from school and ends up in special education.
Well treatable, but not curable
According to current knowledge, fidget syndrome is well treatable, but not curable. In therapy, depending on the individual case, educational concepts, psychological care, exercise and behavioral therapy can be combined with the administration of medication (active ingredient methylphenidate). The drug activates the excitation system of the brain stem and leads to increased release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine.
Some therapists explicitly focus on treatment without medication – only through concentration training. At the Hauner Children’s Hospital at the University of Munich, a team has focused on treating the children with a special diet, mainly avoiding sweets and dairy products. Even if there is an underlying disease in fidget syndrome, it appears that factors such as diet, overly strict or lax parenting, and excessive television viewing can significantly exacerbate ADHD symptoms.
See a doctor or psychologist as early as possible
Through treatment, the affected person learns to deal with his weaknesses and to make better use of his existing abilities. This often results in improved school performance, the child no longer being socially ostracized by classmates and, as a result, developing a healthy self-esteem. It is important that the disorder, which usually appears at preschool age (between the ages of five and seven), be diagnosed accurately and as early as possible, and that under no circumstances should parents administer medications such as tranquilizers on their own.
