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ADHD or Terrible Twos?
Q: My two-year-old grandson exhibits a lot of the signs of ADHD, such as hyperactivity, short attention span, negativity, determination in getting what he wants. Is this ADHD or the "terrible twos"? Is it too early to have him evaluated for ADHD? I don't remember my daughter being as active as my grandson when she was two.
A: There's a huge range of what is normal and appropriate for young children and much of what you are describing is not unusual for a two-year-old boy. However, you can certainly suggest to your daughter that she talk to your grandson's pediatrician about your concerns. A diagnosis of ADHD typically requires that the symptoms are apparent before school age.
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For more than 20 years, Eileen Marzola has worked with children and adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, and with their parents and teachers. She has been a regular education classroom teacher, a consultant teacher/resource teacher, an educational evaluator/diagnostician, and has also taught graduate students at the university level. Marzola is an adjunct assistant professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Hunter College of the City University of New York. She also maintains a private practice in the evaluation and teaching of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders.
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