Does your lively child simply have ants in his pants or a problem that will handicap him for the rest of his life? And how sure can you be that calming him down with Ritalin is the right thing to do?
By Yvonne Beyers and the YOU Pulse team

EVERY day it becomes more obvious that your child is not like his friends.

He gets the shakes from too much pent-up energy, becomes unruly when he should be concentrating, does impulsive and dangerous things and has been hurt so often his tiny body is black and blue.

You’re sick with worry. Is your child suff ering from something serious?

How do you distinguish between natural boisterousness and a condition that plays havoc with your child’s thoughts?

And if he has an attention deficit or hyperactivity problem, is Ritalin the answer?

What should you do if medicine does not off er the relief for which you and your child so desperately yearn?

YOU Pulse spoke to parents and children who went looking for answers to these questions and to doctors who provide the latest information.

SITTING in a Cape Town coffee shop Judith* remembers the first time she had to face the possibility her nine-year-old son, Peter*, suffered from attention deficit disorder.

Seven at the time and in Grade 2 he suddenly burst into his parents’ bedroom one night, crying and tugging at them to wake up.

Between sobs he revealed the truth. “Mom, Dad, I’ve been lying to you. I can’t hide it any more. I can’t read like the other children.”

Judith was astonished. She had no inkling that the clever little boy who recited his homework so confidently in the evenings was petrified of the letters and numbers that resembled ants crawling across the page in unintelligible patterns.

“We hadn’t noticed he was reciting his lessons by heart. He had always been a busy little bee who struggled to concentrate but we didn’t realise there was a serious problem.

“We thought his brother, Daniel*, was the quiet, shy type, and Peter the happy-go-lucky one who acted too impulsively.”

Read the complete article in Pulse magazine.

ATTENTION DEFICIT – THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
Much confusion surrounds attention defi cit disorder with hyperactivity (ADHD) and without (ADD). We take a detailed look at these conditions

How do you know your child suffers from ADD or ADHD?, Are Ritalin and its cousins fashionable drugs for parents and teachers who’re unable to control active children, or are they miracle cures?, Will hyperactivity disappear as a result of omega- 3 and -6 supplements and dietary adjustments?

If you’ve been worrying about an unruly child this guide might help you understand things better. It contains up-to-the-minute information based on the latest international research and studies.

Does your child suffer from ADD or ADHD?
STEP 1: Understand the important background information
STEP 2: Know the symptoms
STEP 3: Help the specialista
STEP 4: Be more observant

Also in PULSE
My child has ADD/ADHD. What now?, What treatment works?, Everything about medicine, Why do we fear Ritalin? And an Update on diet and supplements.

All this and more in Pulse magazine.