ADD..maybe?

Has this hyperactivity always been there or did it start recently? This is important because if it wasn’t there before you went to Jordan, you need to consider how the environment might have affected him. Research is showing that sudden hyperactivity can be triggered by infections, in particular strep infections. There are ways to deal with this if that is the case. Has his diet changed? The food in Jordan is very healthful—except the tendency for some relatives to ply kids with sweets and Pepsi. If he is suddenly taking in a lot of sweets, he could just be one of those kids who are very sensitive. You also should not discount effects of the move—my experience is that Jordanian schools are less accommodating to active kids so he could be virtually exploding with pent up energy when he gets out. Also, if his school is in Arabic or if he is often surrounded by people speaking only in Arabic he may just be tuning out and running around to avoid hearing words he doesn’t understand. If he’s always been this way, you may have another set of problems—not looking at you when you speak and in general not hearing you could indicate an auditory processing problem. (This often results from frequent ear infections.) This will make processing the new Arabic sounds all the more difficult and increase tuning out, running around tendencies. Auditory processing problems often make a child seem like he has ADD. There are ways of addressing this problem, but more information is needed. It is also possible to have ADD (with or without hyperactivity) and auditory processing together. Drugs can help a child a lot here, but getting a diagnosis, let alone a prescription could be very difficult in Jordan. What school is he in—I understand that Sharif Abdul Hamid Sharif School is perhaps the best for out of the box children. He might fare better there. Finally-I am guessing from your letter that your husband is Jordanian. In case he hasn’t told you, if anyone (particularly a relative) asks how a child of yours is doing the answer (unless he is physically ill) should always be “mumtaz”—great. Even a passing reference to a problem could get blown way out of proportion and result in the implication you mention that the child is not smart.