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Children who can never sit still cause great disruption both at home and outside. I see them in the surgery. All is relatively quiet until a small package of human energy rushes in. Mother looks exhausted but the child is full of life and only manages to sit down for about three seconds before rushing around again. Next thing, you know, the consulting room looks as if a bomb has hit it. The paper clips on the desk are scattered, plants are knocked over and the child has climbed onto the window frame and jumped up and down on my weighing scales before I can say "good morning".
My first thought is that this wilfully disobedient child is suffering from lack of parental discipline. But when it is obvious that the parents are trying their best to control the child - and the child doesn't take a blind bit of notice - there could be another underlying problem. Some parents, teachers and doctors label children like this as 'over-active' but it is best not to bundle them all under one label.
Teacher: Michael Many articles taken from 'A word with the doctor', by Dr. John Windsor.
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