Early onset attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is diagnosed when symptoms of inattention, impulsivity and/or hyperactivity are present before the age of 7. Parents and teachers may have a difficult time discerning typical child behavior problems with those that are severe enough to be classified as ADHD. A qualified mental healthcare professional can help to determine whether a diagnosis is appropriate. To reach diagnostic level, a combination of the symptoms listed below should be present for a minimum of six months and should demonstrate a negative effect on the child's home, school or social life.
Inattention
A child with early onset ADHD will have a difficult time keeping his attention on the task at hand, particularly if that task is repetitive or boring. Even a child with ADHD is capable of paying attention to activities he finds fun and interesting. Common signs of inattention include daydreaming, being easily distracted by things going on around him, difficulty following all steps in a set of instructions (he may often skip some), bouncing from activity to activity without completing them, making careless mistakes, tuning people out and appearing to not pay attention, failing to complete homework or forgetting to turn it in, and frequently losing and misplacing things.
Children suffering from severe inattention may start to underperform in school and incur punishments from parents and teachers as a result. Because these children have difficulty following directions, they may also clash with peers when trying to work together on group activities and games.
Impulsivity
Children with ADHD may be impulsive and lack self-control. They may abruptly interrupt conversations, have difficulty censoring what they say, ask irrelevant questions, blurt out answers without waiting to hear the entire question, have difficulty waiting in line (or just waiting, in general) and have angry outbursts or temper tantrums because they cannot keep control of their emotions.
Certain behaviors, such as invading other children's space or asking inappropriate or personal questions, can cause the friends and classmates to dislike children with ADHD or think of them as weird.
Impulsivity may also cause the child to become a danger to himself because he does things without thinking. A child may, for example, run out into the street without looking, or jump off of a high surface without considering the consequences.
Hyperactivity
Symptoms of hyperactivity among children with ADHD may be the most overt. The child with ADHD may appear motorized or battery-driven, always on the go and buzzing around tirelessly. Common signs of hyperactivity include fidgeting, squirming, running around and climbing in inappropriate settings, having a difficult time staying seated in a classroom or other formal situation, talking excessively and having trouble playing quietly.
Hyperactive children may get into trouble frequently at school for talking or not staying seated, may have trouble keeping their grades up because they cannot sit still long enough to complete assignments, and may have trouble getting along with peers in a play situations because of their excessive talking and energy.
