Don't jump to conclusions!

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Some parenting specialists are wary of the hyperactivity approach: "Children are too quickly labelled. True hyperactivity doesn't concern restless children who move a lot and move from one activity to another fast. A hyperactive child never stops, both at school and at home, no matter what time of the day."

This is an important distinction, backed up by child psychiatrist Dr Daniel Bailly: "A child who acts restless at certain times of the day (at school, for example, but who's calm at home), is not hyperactive. Hyperactivity affects a child all the time, everywhere." 

In addition, children who are simply restless or very active often tend to calm down around the age of five or slightly later. This obviously makes it difficult to diagnose a hyperactivity problem, if there is one.