ADHD & Hyperactivity

	Massage can be beneficial for ADHD and Hyperactivity conditions
	Course for Parents/Carers Learn techniques to relax your child and improve attention

Massage can bring relief to the child, adolescent or adult with ADHD. Whilst it will not treat the condition, the benefits of a relaxing massage can improve the self-esteem of the ADHD sufferer. It provides the opportunity for the sufferer to completely unwind. Parents can learn massage skills to help their children by going on an introductory or basic massage course.

These are some of the presenting symptoms:

	Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat (adolescents may be limited to restlessness)
	Has difficulty remaining seated when required to do so.
	Is easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
	Has difficulty waiting his or her turn in games or group situations.
	Often blurts out answers to questions before they have been completed.
	Has difficulty following through on instructions from others (not due to oppositional behaviour or failure of comprehension), for example, fails to finish chores.
	Has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.
	Often shifts from one uncompleted activity to another.
	Has difficulty playing quietly.
	Often talks excessively.
	Often interrupts or intrudes on others, for example, butts into other children's games.
	Often does not seem to listen to what is being said to him or her.
	Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities at school or home such as toys, pencils books etc.
	Often engages in physical dangerous activities without considering possible consequences (not for the purpose of thrill-seeking), for example, runs into street without looking.

While ADHD children are often easy to spot, it is important to identify which of their symptoms are primary, that is as a direct result of ADHD, and which are secondary, such as low self-esteem. The child's behaviour could be the result of a different factor. A dyslexic child, for example, can be very restless and fidgety at school, without exhibiting these symptoms in other situations. It is also important to know that ADHD can overlap with other conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and specific language disorders.

Adults need to understand that the child is not trying to be awkward and that parents should not be held responsible for all aspects of their child's behaviour.