Symptoms of ADHD

Synonyms in a broader sense

ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fidgety Philip syndrome, psychoorganic syndrome (POS), hyperactivity syndrome, hyperkinetic syndrome (HKS), behavioural disorder with attention and concentration disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. English: Attention – Deficit – Hyperactivity – Disorder (ADHD), minimal brain syndrome, Fidgety Phil.

Summary ADHS

Before the scientific investigation of the problem areas of ADHD, those children were often described as clumsy and restless. Today we know that in many – but by far not in all – cases an attention deficit syndrome with hyperactivity – ADHD – can be the cause. Children who suffer from ADHD find it difficult to concentrate, the distractibility is immense.

It is also striking that work that has been started is often not finished. This is exactly the point where the problems a child with ADHD may face at school become clear. Even if the intelligence is in the normal, sometimes even above-average range, the child cannot or only with great difficulty compensate for the deficits caused by a lack of concentration.

It is not uncommon for children with ADHD to also have a reading, spelling or arithmetic weakness. The combination of ADHD and partial performance deficits (dyslexia or dyscalculia) cannot be excluded. In order to be able to help the children, a targeted investigation of the causes must be carried out.

The diagnostic investigations are also varied and usually cover the entire educational area of the child. The more versatile and individual a diagnosis is made, the more individual a therapy can be. Repriming and insulting the children does not change anything.

On the part of parents and teachers, patience and above all (self) control is required. Consistent educational action, the setting up and observance of agreed rules is the top priority. For more detailed information on the individual sub-areas, please click on the corresponding topic on the link bar on the left side.

Symptoms of ADHD

As already mentioned, the image of the fidgety Philip or the wild Heinrich comes alive in us when we think of inattention, sometimes even naughtiness. This is one of the reasons why ADHD is also called “Fidgety Phil” in the English-speaking world. The following list of possible symptoms is intended to provide information about behaviour patterns.

The first questions and first suspicions should be clarified. The assignment of the symptoms only serves as information about the suspicious facts. Such a “ticking off” of possible behaviour patterns alone never replaces a visit to the doctor and the symptomatic clarification of the phenomenon.

The following catalogue of possible symptoms makes no claim to completeness. Nor does the occurrence of one or more symptoms in your child necessarily mean that he or she suffers from ADHD. The diagnosis is complex and should be made precisely.

Due to the lack of ability to filter information (important? / unimportant? ), those affected are permanently overwhelmed with stimuli and in permanent stress.

It is obvious that such situations are difficult to bear and imply corresponding behaviour of the affected persons. While some symptoms of the two areas, such as: are the same, there are also specific symptoms of ADD and ADHD. – short phases of attention, lack of concentration and, associated with this: rapid distractibility, forgetfulness and erratic behaviour.

Under certain circumstances: spatial positional stability (confusing the sides (right – left) and associated with this also the confusion of letters, similar sounding sounds etc.) – Cramped pen posture
Problems in the fine motor area
Developmental delays in the area of movement (late learning to crawl, to walk)
Contact difficulties or unstable friendships (lack of distance, isolation, frequent conflicts)
Problems to perform everyday actions in a controlled sequence,
Problems in other school areas and develop from other school weaknesses (e.g. reading, spelling, arithmetic)

Many of the symptoms mentioned above can also occur in children without attention deficit disorder. For this very reason, a diagnosis is very difficult and should not be made hastily.

Only the combination of a large number of the above-mentioned symptoms, which occur repeatedly within a certain period of time, and the fact that these behaviours affect all areas of a child’s life, should make a closer look and diagnostic delimitation necessary. In contrast to a child without ADHD, the symptoms of a child with ADHD thus run through the child’s development in the long term, i.e. they do not “grow out”. You should therefore ask yourself critically whether the typical symptoms of your child have also appeared before the age of six and whether they have also appeared repeatedly in several areas of life over a longer period of time.

It has already been pointed out above that the symptoms should not only have appeared in one area of life, for example in the domestic environment. For this reason, a diagnosis should not be one-sided. In order to obtain a comprehensive and detailed picture, all areas of a child’s life should be “examined” and their main contact persons interviewed.

These include: The child itself is also examined in detail on two different levels and thus also counts for an ADHD – typical diagnosis:

Long crying phases in infancy (also: often bad mood, defiant phases)
Sleeping problems, problems with eating
Very early or rather late acquisition of the language
Fidget, can’t wait. – Tasks are not completed. Many unpredictable action changes)
Inability to remain seated in a seat permanently (restless behaviour)
Refusal of physical contact
As a rule: playing loudly
Speaking out
Hasty speaking (“rumbling”)
Compliance with (game) rules is very difficult
Injustices are hard to bear (“sense of justice”)
Clumsiness
Often: low self-esteem. In some cases, fears and depressions can develop in adulthood
…
The interview with the parents
The assessment of the situation by the kindergarten / school
The preparation of a psychological report
A medical examination