Hyper Toddler - Virginia Beach,VA

I would consider his diet... there is much to be found on the net about hyperactivity in children and how a modified diet can help.. Things like processed foods, sugar , gluten , dairy can all make a huge different and sometimes getting them out of one's diet can help. again, there is so much on the net about this.. sites I like to read are drmercola.com ... dr oz..
However, if you just type in hyperactivity in kids and their diet, a bunch of stuff will come up..

wishing you all the best

What does he eat? I bet his diet play a large roll in this. Cut out the sugar and processed foods and see what happens. Sorry but a 4 year old is no longer a toddler, you have a preschooler on your hands.

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At that age my son was like that - and at age 7 he still is to some extent. At age 3 and 4 and even 5 we would have to go sit down in front of him and touch him and look into his eyes while we asked him to do something. Otherwise he could not hear us. He was so concentrated on what he was doing. And at age 7 he is still like this although I do not need to physically touch him to get him to hear me. I remember age 3 and 4 we had to get him to repeat back to us what we asked. "What did I say? Go get your shoes on. That's right." We also could not give him more than one direction at a time - he would get distracted and forget what he was doing. He did this a lot in Kindergarten too and I remember it being a real problem with getting ready to go in the mornings. We had to make a chart of what he had to do in the morning and do a system of rewarding him for a while (he was 5.5 then) and he get much better about it. It is still in his personality to HATE stopping what he is doing. This is almost always a little battle with him. We read 123 Magic and now a days he knows he will get a consequence if he does not get moving by the time we get to 3. He can hear us just fine now but he definitely will choose not to at times and yes, he will get in trouble for that. His best friend is exactly the same way he is...they are both very smart and VERY active boys.

There are many different types of hearing loss. One in particular is hard to diagnose because your hearing is fine and other times it is gone. Its called Auditory Neuropathy. I wouldn't necessarily blame it on hyper activity (ADHD) medication at 3, no I don't think it's necessary (JMO).

My suggestion, make an appointment with his pediatrician. Make sure before you go you write all of your concerns down. Clear your mind of anything you may already "think" he has and listen. If the doctor says he is normal, let him/her know that you wish to have him evaluated further and if he could recommend either early intervention services through the county you live in, or a specialist. Let him know you would like to stay on top of things if there is an issue.
Good Luck, I think it is wonderful to be proactive.
Take care.

Mothers know when things are not going right. Trust your instincts and don't let others tell you he is "fine" or "just a boy". The things you describe are definitely some warning signs to pay attention to. Please check out www.parentswithpurpose.com . There is good information to give you some insight. You can email ____@____.com for a free phone consultation to have your personal questions answered.

Hello R.,
You've had a lot of good advice and a lot to chew on. An active child is a challenge, but not always a subject of concern. As his mother, you want to be aware of his environment and help him when he seems unable to cope. Does he show distress when he "can't calm down"? Or is it only distress on your side? If he seems to want to calm down, but can't, then it may be something you need to look into. Definitely review his diet. Highly processed food and colorings can be a factor. Also review his consumption of electronic media. Yes, tv, video, computer, etc. These things can easily overstimulate someone prone to high energy. Also, your son is very small and is still "in his body" completely. Having to touch him or turn his head to get his attention is expected at his age. He has to be "in his head" to hear you, and that is something a child ready for academics is more capable of doing. Finally, you can try some aromatheraputic remedies like "Calms Forte" that can now be found in the organic section of you local grocery store. Good luck with you and your son!

You could be describing my son. His ped swears he doesn't have ADHD because he can pay attention one on one (to anyone but me). She told me that when he gets his worst to take him outside and let him run around. I have also found that he is worse when he gets over tired. It is like he is a spinning top and the more tired he gets the more wound up he gets. I would look at his sleep schedule and see if he is getting enough sleep. And get him to work out his energy as much as possible. Oh- and I forgot to mention, we had our son evaluated for sensory integration disorder and the OT mentioned that many children with SID are as active as our son is. He has issues with the auditory and fine motor and she said he is very active to try to compensate for some vestibular issues.

He may have ADHD. Take him to a child psychologist. My 6 year old was diagnosed at 5. Her not paying attention became more obvious when she started kindergarten. At home it was one thing, in school it was a disruption to class that another adult had to deal with. We are opting out of meds at this time, and working with other things. Not opposed to meds in the future though. I want her to know how to control herself without meds so that if she one day goes on them then goes off them she won't freak out and not know how to cope.

He may have some issue but he may also be "normal" variation of preschoolers. My sons are very active and from what I have observed from others there are some kids who are even more so. Also, I can tune people out when I'm concentrating and have done this since childhood. So, perhaps its normal. First, I would look at diet and eliminate processed foods...most chicken nuggets, hotdogs, sugar, all juices, etc and try to switch to whole foods diet. Next, I would consider physical activity. Decreased amounts of physical activity have been linked to hyperactivity. There's a lot of books on boys and how they need even more active and physical play. I try to make my boys go outside for 20-30min at least two times a day...some kids need probably more. Try to make almost anything more physical and active. Are your errands within walking distance...walk instead of drive? Also, I too have to get down to the kids level, sometimes touch them to get there attention and then give some command.
If you have already tried these then make an appt with his pediatrician.

I'm reading a book on 4 year olds. The Dr characterizes them was "wild," always in movement, always expanding boundaries.

The mmt is normal. My daughter who will be 4 in March literally bounces off the walls of the house. She loves to run and then crash into furniture (and she is teaching it to my 2 year old son!) She never sits still: NEVER. Even when we are reading a book her legs and arms are moving around like crazy.

Hi R.,

In looking at all your options of what, if anything, is "wrong", you are looking at a) normal development - see posts on where to look to see if that describes your child, or b) other development - see posts on ADHD info, or c) other development - Sensory Processing Disorder. Often gets misdiagnosed as ADHD. Hearing can be "normal", but processing can be off. Listening therapy can help with that. Check out www.integratedlistening.com and www.starcenter.us for characteristic checklists. My son has the overresponsivity piece of SPD we are seeking treatment for. In my research, I've been reading on all the aspects of SPD, and there are characteristics that look like ADHD, and if that's the case, occupational therapy, not medication, is the best treatment. The cool thing is you can learn what kind of sensory input your child needs and then quit the OT after you've identified what you need to do at home. Good luck! Email me for more info if you want.

~ H.