Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Supercharged Two-Year-Old | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
I was wondering, how do I deal with a VERY active child? She's two but overly active. Here's an example of some of the things she pulls: dumping the fish on the floor, "making" mom coffee at two am, then dumping it on the floor, dumping out the litter box, pulling and hitting the cat, climbing the countertops to get into the shelves, running constantly, the kid never sits down. That is just a sample. I plan on her seeing her doctor at the end of the month but, I was wondering, could she be ADHD?? She has a very short attention span too. Any advice?? I'm going nuts here!!! BTW, I have stopped spanking her, it just seemed to make her act worse. She's out of control and I have no clue as to what to do!!— Steph in Colorado Springs, CO | | | ANSWER |
May 23, 2001 | | | Dear Steph,
You certainly are describing a very active child! It's very difficult, perhaps impossible, to make the diagnosis of ADHD in a two-year-old, because it's normal to be extremely active and to have a short attention span at that age.
There really isn't any benefit to making the diagnosis that early, either. Very few, if any, doctors would contemplate using medication for ADHD in a child that young. Instead, a better approach is to work with the parents to figure out ways to adapt to the child's high energy. Here are some ways to start:
The top priority has to be safety. You have to figure out ways to make it impossible for your adventuresome two-year-old to get into the kitchen alone. Ditto for bathrooms. Things that can be pulled down need to be moved or removed altogether. See Making Your House Safe for Exploration for more tips.
Beyond that, you need to get help from someone very energetic, to give you a bit of a break. I've talked some about this in answering a question about a hyperactive infant, which you might want to take a look at.
With summer coming, my guess is that you will be spending many long hours at the park with your supercharged two-year-old. While her energy level is never likely to be quite as high again as it is now, she may well continue to have a high activity level as she grows up. It may help to remember that very active toddlers often grow up into energetic, effective, productive leaders. It's up to you to learn to accept and value your daughter for who she is--high energy and all.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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