Hyper Active Kids ..

My son was diagnosed at age 4 1/2 so young diagnoses are possible.'we saw the Psychologist many times before she made it. I knew something was going on when he went in the 4 year old preschool class and left out of activites because he couldn't sit still. And was ultamatly kicked out of school. He since has been diagnosed with early onset bipolar, which we are medicating for. He wears a patch to help control the hyper activity and it seems to work.

My friend who is a clinical psychologist says that if you hold a child by his face, a hand on each side where they can only see you, and their eyes are jumping all around then they are firing way too many neutrons and need to be evaluated. There are other signs too, too many nights of few hours of sleep, constantly bouncing even when watching a quiet show on TV, constant hand motion while sitting quietly, there are lots and lots of telling symptoms.

But truthfully, if you are concerned then google early signs of ADHD or ADD. There may be other diagnosis that need to be looked at too.

My dad said there are signs for things like the autism spectrum (my brother showed a lot of signs), but as far as hyper active as a toddler, toddlers have an enormous amount of energy, like crazy amounts. I don't think you can accurately diagnose a toddler as being hyper active as a toddler because they have so much energy naturally. Sometimes it is the parenting not meshing with the child's personality, like explaining things for a while when the child wants to just go go go. I've seen some "hyper" kids and watching the way they interact with their parents you can see the parenting doesn't mesh with the child's personality. I think if something stands out, that no other child seems to be doing, like not being capable of holding still or following simple instructions in a quiet room then it is probably some signs of it.

I could have diagnosed my oldest in the womb, lol!

Well I always knew there was something "different" about my daughter (my third and last.)
She was always on the go, hardly slept, hated the stroller and high chair, and even though my older two could sit through a movie by age 3, it took her until at least age 7 :(
She was also constantly changing her clothes and rearranging her room, it drove me crazy.
And yes, she still drives me crazy! She's 12 now, diagnosed ADHD and she has an anxiety disorder. She is in therapy, I am hoping that will be enough, but if not, we will consider medication.
Please see a mental health professional before you make any decisions, most general practitioners are not very educated re these conditions.

If you cannot get into your child's Doctor, by OCTOBER.... I would see another Doctor.
That is way too long, for anyone to wait and is ridiculous.

are you talking just hyperactive or ADHD. there is a difference.

@ Riley - so B isn't the only one that climbs door frames all day!

If your child cannot control their energy level, and discipline for situations has no effect on them, it's a sign. Like, if you have warned a child "no" every time they attempted to climb up and stand on a counter, and then firmly disciplined (not wimpy time outs, those perpetuate wild behavior) them the next time they did it, EVERY SINGLE TIME, and 35 times later, they are still springing up onto the counter jumping around completely unable to stop themselves....there may be a neurological thing going on. If your child is "always on" and never getting tired during different parts of the day-like an afternoon "down time" or almost nap thing, they have more energy than most. I know kids who are wriggly and squiggly and climby just because their parents don't discipline them to be still at times, and ones who are completely incapable of stopping their body from constant, wired energy. The second case is rare. Most kids can control their oodles of energy when they have to with enough work from parents. My kids are running around like banshees right now, after a full day of playing at parks, no naps, not nothing, WHY ARE THEY HYPER WHILE I CAN BARELY TYPE, but I know if I tell them to stop, they will. I'm just letting the burn out before bed. If it's impossible to control the behavior no matter how firm and clear you are, they may be hyperactive. Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps said he literally could never calm down, so his mom threw him in the pool. Perfect for a super strenuous sport!