A Hypothesis on the Etiology of Hyperactivity, With a Pilot Study Report of Related Nondrug Therapy

Abstract

The growing number of hyperactive children in our practices has caused many of us to look about for alternatives to medication therapy. Our recent experience in one such technique prompts this letter. We hypothesize that hyperactivity may make its first appearance in the toddler or preschool child, but is detectable from early infancy. The tense, colicky, hypertonic infant seems to be the infantile precursor to the hyperactive older child. We consider that both are the result of a chronic state of arousal manifested in these children as increased activity level and muscular tension and later by frantic limit testing at home and behavior and learning problems at school.