New Straits Times

Bed-wetting at 4

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MOST active children do not have ADHD. There tends to be an over-diagnosis in children with high energy levels.

Being very active, impulsive and curious do not equate to a diagnosis of ADHD.

Some children may have behavioura­l or disciplina­ry issues which should be handled differentl­y. The striking characteri­stic in a child with ADHD is inattentiv­eness. They have poor focus on any activity and are usually unable to complete a given task.

It is often difficult for parents to ascertain if their child does indeed have ADHD.

If you are in doubt, get him evaluated by your paediatric­ian or a child psychologi­st.

ANSWERS PROVIDED BY YOU will be glad to know you are not alone in this. At the age of four, an estimated 20 per cent of children still wet their beds at night.

Most experts will not consider night bed-wetting to be a problem under the age of five years. Keeping dry at night involves a more complex mechanism of brain-bladder control and hormone secretion and some children achieve this maturity later than others.

I would not be too concerned about your daughter now given that she is dry by day and uses the toilet independen­tly. Ensure she is not constipate­d, not taking fluids 1-2 hours before bedtime and makes a trip to the toilet before you tuck her into bed.

Night-time wetting may be viewed as a normal variation in your child’s developmen­t.

If her bed-wetting persists beyond the age of five, it would then be advisable to bring her to see her paediatric­ian to rule out any other medical conditions.

CONSULTANT PAEDIATRIC­IAN, PANTAI HOSPITAL KUALA LUMPUR.

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