[Hyperactivity in preschoolers: a clinical description]

Hyperactivity is a behavioural development disorder characterised by disruptive motor activity that prevents the individual from establishing adequate social ties and normal communication, which are an essential part of a child's overall development. It is an unspecific symptom of several neurocognitive disorders, the most frequent of which is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

We present the results of two investigations. In the first, a case-control study, we conducted a comparative analysis of how the parents of 50 children diagnosed with ADHD remember the behaviour of their children during the first 12 months of their lives. The symptoms were separated into 3 clinical profiles (daytime irritability, eating disorders and sleep dysfunctions). Up to 33% of the families reported a history of at least one of these aspects. 41% of the children were described as being excessively restless, crying a lot or irritability, and being easily startled and very sensitive to noises, and 42.7% had difficulty in getting to sleep or displayed intermittent periods of sleep and woke up crying. For the second research project, which was to complement the previous one, we designed a survey which was answered by the parents of 78 patients diagnosed with ADHD. The questionnaire collected information about the first 5 years of life in 4 sections (28 items): behaviour up to the age of one year, psychomotor development, development of play, and the parents' general perception of their child (distracted-inattentive, impulsive, destructive, immature, negativist, oppositional, other). The Rasch mathematical model was used to obtain the clinical profile of the case mix.

The clinical symptoms appear on a continuum throughout the early years of the child's life. The results of our experience allow us to develop a method of clinical examination focused on the evaluation of the individual's development, play, and communication and socialisation skills which can be used to approach the differential diagnosis of the hyperactive preschooler.