Is Your Child Hyperactive? Inattentive? Impulsive? Distractible?: Helping the ADD/Hyperactive Child

Evan, five years old, hardly stands, much less sits, still for more than a few moments. Jessie is eight — she's adorable...she never finishes anything on time...she's a dreamer. Cal is fifteen — he is so impulsive that his parents worry he'll try drugs on a whim.

What do these kids have in common? Do they remind you of your own children?

The most talked-about childhood syndrome of the eighties and nineties is ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). This developmental disorder disrupts a child's life and often results in low self-esteem, poor grades and even social and emotional problems. These problems usually are not outgrown — without help. But does your child have ADHD?

ADHD is characterized by the following groups of behaviors:

Inattention

— making careless mistakes

— difficulty sustaining attention

— problems with listening

— failure to finish schoolwork or chores

— difficulties organizing

— trouble sustaining mental efforts

— losing things

— being easily distracted

— forgetfulness

Hyperactivity/Impulsivity

— fidgeting/squirming

— trouble staying seated

— inappropriate running/climbing

— difficulty playing quietly

— being on the go/driven

— talking excessively

— blurting out answers

— difficulty awaiting turn

— often interrupting

All children display many of these behaviors at some point. But-according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, Fourth Edition, for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, six or more of these symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity must have persisted for at least six months.

Is Your Child Hyperactive? Inattentive? Impulsive? Distractible? offers an invaluable step-by-step program already used by thousands of parents to help you change these behaviors at home. Don't just watch it happen; help your child help himself.