authoritative review, fidgeting, squirming, getting up frequently to move about, always on the go, difficulty playing quietly, and talking incessantly. Or Art Hister as a kid, and to a large extent, also Art Hister as an adult.
.....Impulsivity, according to the same review, includes impatience, difficulty waiting for your turn, blurting out answers before the question is finished, and interrupting others before they’re finished. (Again, see Art Hister, above).
.....But here’s the thing: according to the experts at the (US) National Institutes of Mental Health, these are all signs that appear in everyone from time to time, so the diagnosis of ADHD should only be made, experts say, when the behaviour is “inappropriate” for the child’s age and when the behaviour leads to “a real handicap in at least 2 areas . . . such as in the schoolroom, on the playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings.”
.....In other words, the most vital variable in diagnosing ADHD has to be whether and how much this kind of behaviour is affecting a child’s life in a negative fashion.
.....Thus, if a child is suffering significant negative consequences as a result of his behaviour (he’s not learning, he has no friends, his self-image is plummeting, he’s constantly being reprimanded, and so on), then a diagnosis of ADHD might be warranted, and might even make a huge difference in that child’s life, since kids with untreated ADHD are said to be at higher risk of being diagnosed with other psychological problems, learning difficulties, and social problems, all of which in turn are related to worse health and social outcomes later in life.
.....If, however, the child’s behaviour does not lead to significant negative consequences – a kid who, for example, is brought up in a small class that can abide his disruptions and in which he maintains many close friendships (again, see Art Hister above) - the impulsivity to diagnose and treat ADHD should, I think, be contained.
.....As to how to treat ADHD, this article is far too short to allow a discussion of this controversial subject, so all I will say to parents is this: once you decide to have your child treated for ADHD, he or she is likely to be treated for a very long time (most for life), so learn everything you can about the various choices, and don’t ever rush into this just because you feel you have to do “something” for your kid. For some kids, the best “something” is sometimes to do less rather than more.
.....After all, you may want to remind yourself that Dr. Hister was never treated for ADHD, and hey, look how I turned out. On second thought, you may not want to remind yourself of that.

Dr. Art Hister can be heard on CKNW and other Corus Radio Network stations on House Calls on Saturdays at 10 AM, as well as seen on Global TV news on Saturday mornings at 9:20.