Hyperactivity: ADHD or Typical Boy Behavior?

When the challenges of hyperactivity suddenly strike the perfect family, living in the perfect little home, in the perfect quiet neighborhood, in the perfect small town, life suddenly becomes not so perfect anymore.

And the chaos of it all suddenly sends families into a total frenzy trying to figure it all out until one day someone says, "I've got it. Junior has ADHD. He needs to be put on medication!" Hold your horses Mable... Does he really have ADHD, or is Junior just being, well, Junior?

Let's be clear right off the top, ADHD is a real condition with various symptoms that needs specified treatment and continuous monitoring. But it is also overly diagnosed in boys who may not actually have the disorder.

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurobehavioral condition that affects about 1 in 20 children under the age of 12. It usually causes them to be inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive. Children often don't grow out of the condition and continue to struggle with it well into adulthood. But the hyperactive aspect of ADHD is generally less overt in adults and is therefore called ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder.

Hyperactivity, which is associated with ADHD, is not easily defined because it often depends on the tolerance of the observer. But it does refer to a physical state in which a person is easily excitable and exhibits an abnormally high level of activity. Perfectly normal boys are more likely to be more hyperactive than girls simply because that's just how they were made.

But being hyperactive is not something to completely dismiss. Severe cases can be very harmful if left untreated. Hyperactive people seldom think about the consequences of their actions and children especially are prone to avoidable accidents. Methods of treatment usually involve some combination of medications, behavior modification, life style changes and counseling. But before any treatment is administered it is important to get a proper evaluation from a medical professional because the hyperactivity could be caused by something that's going on in the child's environment.

Among the many possible causes of hyperactivity are: a sudden change in the child's life such as the death of a parent or grandparent, a parents' divorce or even a parent's job loss. There may even be an undetected health issue like a middle ear infection that may be causing intermittent hearing problems. The child could also be experiencing anxiety or even depression.

Because plain old fashioned "boy behavior", exhibited by both males and females, is becoming less and less tolerated in today's society people are now automatically saying active boys have ADHD. But is that really a fair assessment?

Just because your son doesn't act like a perfect little girl, especially in the classroom, you shouldn't assume he has a defect. Maybe some parents and teachers need to be properly educated about boy behavior. Recent studies show that the reason many boys are not sitting still and are doing poorly academically is because most schools are not very "boy friendly".

Parents... find out for sure from a certified medical professional if your son "really" has ADHD, then follow through with the various treatment options. You may be surprised to learn that your son's behavior is actually within the normal range of behaviors for boys, especially if his problem is occurring mostly at school.