Hyperactivity is not agitation: a neurological need to move

Introduction: "But stay still!"

He rocks on his chair. He taps his foot under the table. He fidgets with everything within reach. He gets up for the tenth time in ten minutes. He runs through the hallways. He can't sit still for more than a few moments without fidgeting.

"But stay still!" This command, spoken hundreds of times by parents, teachers, and grandparents, reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what hyperactivity is in ADHD. Because your child is not agitated by choice, by defiance, or by lack of discipline. His brain needs movement to function optimally.

This distinction between "behavioral agitation" and "neurological need to move" completely changes the way we understand and support the hyperactive child. In this article, we will explore the brain mechanisms underlying hyperactivity, understand why movement is beneficial (and not harmful) for the ADHD child, and discover how to integrate this need constructively into daily life.

What is hyperactivity in ADHD?

Definition and characteristics

Hyperactivity is one of the three cardinal symptoms of ADHD, along with inattention and impulsivity. It manifests as an excessive level of motor activity compared to what is expected for the child's age.

Unlike the occasional agitation that all children can display, ADHD hyperactivity has several distinctive characteristics:

The different forms of hyperactivity

Hyperactivity doesn't manifest the same way in all ADHD children:

The evolution of hyperactivity with age

Motor hyperactivity tends to decrease with age. While a 6-year-old child may run and jump constantly, a teenager or adult with ADHD will generally have learned to channel this need for movement in a more socially acceptable way.

However, the underlying need doesn't disappear it transforms. The teenager taps his foot instead of running in the classroom. The adult chooses active jobs or exercises intensively. Mental hyperactivity, on the other hand, tends to persist or even intensify with age.

The neurobiological basis: why the ADHD brain needs to move

The self-stimulation hypothesis

One of the most solid theories to explain hyperactivity in ADHD is the self-stimulation hypothesis. According to this theory, the ADHD brain, in chronic understimulation, uses movement as a means of increasing its level of arousal and stimulation.

Remember that the ADHD brain presents particularities in the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems the neurotransmitters involved in attention, motivation, and arousal. When these systems operate at low capacity, the brain is in a state of "under-arousal": it struggles to maintain attention, to motivate itself, to stay engaged in a task.

Movement generates sensory and proprioceptive stimulation that "wakes up" the brain. Rocking, tapping one's foot, manipulating an object all these behaviors send signals to the brain that increase its level of arousal and, paradoxically, improve its ability to concentrate.

The beneficial effect of movement on attention

Several scientific studies have demonstrated that movement improves the cognitive performance of ADHD children:

A study from the University of Central Florida showed that ADHD children who moved the most during a working memory task achieved better performance. In other words, moving helped them concentrate better.

Other research has shown that allowing ADHD children to rock, manipulate objects, or take active breaks improves their attention and academic results.

These counterintuitive results are explained by the self-stimulation hypothesis: movement provides the brain with the stimulation it needs to function optimally.

The vestibular system and attentional regulation

The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, detects head movements and plays a crucial role in balance. But it also has close connections with the brain's attentional systems.

Stimulating the vestibular system (through rocking, rotation, or position change movements) activates brain regions involved in attention and arousal. This is why many ADHD children instinctively rock in their chairs this movement stimulates their vestibular system and improves their arousal level.

The consequences of prohibiting movement

The vicious cycle of repression

When we forbid an ADHD child to move, we trigger a vicious cycle:

1. The child mobilizes considerable cognitive resources to remain still

2. These resources are no longer available to concentrate on the task

3. Attention deteriorates even further

4. The need to move increases (compensation)

5. The child finally breaks down and moves explosively

6. He is reprimanded, which generates stress and shame

7. Stress aggravates ADHD symptoms

By forcing the child to remain still, we therefore obtain the opposite effect of what we seek: less concentration, more disruptive behaviors.

The fatigue of inhibition

Keeping one's body still when one has a neurological need to move requires constant and exhausting inhibition effort. Every minute spent "holding back" from moving consumes limited cognitive resources.

This is why the end of the day is often catastrophic: the child has exhausted all his inhibition resources at school, and he has nothing left to control himself at home. Evening crises are not whims they are the result of neurological exhaustion.

The impact on self-esteem

Being constantly reprimanded for something one doesn't control is devastating for self-esteem. The ADHD child internalizes that he is "disruptive," "not well-behaved," "incapable of behaving properly." These labels become beliefs that affect his identity construction.

By repeatedly failing to stay still despite all his efforts, the child can develop learned helplessness: "Why bother trying, I'll never succeed."

Accepting and channeling the need for movement

Changing paradigms

The first step to effectively support a hyperactive child is to change paradigms: move from "how to prevent him from moving?" to "how to allow him to move acceptably?"

This change in perspective transforms movement from enemy to ally. Instead of fighting against the child's nature, we work with it.

Active breaks

Integrating regular active breaks into the child's day is one of the most effective strategies. These breaks allow "emptying" the accumulated need for movement and "recharging" attentional capacities.

The COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES application by DYNSEO perfectly integrates this principle with its mandatory sports breaks every 15 minutes of cognitive play. This alternation between intellectual stimulation and physical movement corresponds exactly to the needs of the ADHD brain.

Movement during the task

In some contexts, it is possible to allow the child to move while working:

Structured physical activities

Regular sports are particularly beneficial for ADHD children. Physical activity:

• Releases endorphins (well-being)

• Increases cerebral dopamine (attention, motivation)

• Allows "emptying" the excess energy

• Improves sleep

• Develops body control and self-regulation

Some sports are particularly suitable:

Adapting the home environment

The workspace

Create a workspace that takes into account the need for movement:

• Height-adjustable desk allowing standing work at times

• Chair with dynamic seating (ball, air cushion)

• Objects to manipulate available

• Clear space to allow active breaks

• Distance from visual and auditory distraction sources

Quiet times

Moments that traditionally require stillness (meals, homework, quiet time) can be adjusted:

Morning before school

The morning is a critical time. A child who hasn't been able to move before going to school will arrive in class with a maximum need for movement, which he won't be able to satisfy.

Possible strategies:

• Wake the child 15-20 minutes earlier to allow physical activity

• Walk or bike to school instead of driving

• Schedule 10 minutes of active play in the yard or living room

• Do some physical exercises together (jumping jacks, stretches)

Communicating with the school

Explaining the need for movement

Teachers don't always know the neurological particularities of ADHD. Taking the time to explain that movement helps your child concentrate (and not the opposite) can change their perspective and practice.

You can offer to share resources (articles, videos) on the subject, or suggest an exchange with a health professional who follows your child.

Proposing concrete accommodations

Rather than vaguely asking for "more flexibility," propose specific and realistic accommodations:

• Placing the child in a location where he can move without disturbing

• Authorization to have a discreetly manipulable object

• Responsibility that allows getting up (distributing sheets, erasing the board)

• Active breaks for the whole class (beneficial for everyone)

• Possibility of working standing at times

• Use of dynamic seating

PAP and PPS

If your child's difficulties are significant, official arrangements can be implemented:

Hyperactivity as a strength

Reconsidering hyperactivity

Hyperactivity, often perceived negatively, can become a strength in the right contexts:

Directing toward rewarding activities

Help your child find areas where his energy is valued rather than repressed:

• Intensive sports

• Theater and performing arts

• Dance

• Manual and creative activities

• Active volunteering

• Scouting and outdoor activities

In these contexts, the child can excel and build positive self-esteem, compensating for difficulties encountered in traditional school contexts.

DYNSEO training and tools

Training to better understand

Understanding the mechanisms of hyperactivity allows adapting one's educational approach and reacting constructively to the child's behaviors.

DYNSEO training offers this in-depth understanding:

The training "Helping a child with ADHD: keys and solutions for everyday life" covers the fundamentals of ADHD, including the mechanisms of hyperactivity.

The training "ADHD child at home: advanced strategies for managing impulsivity and opposition" deepens strategies for channeling the child's energy in daily life.

For professionals, the training "ADHD: advanced strategies for managing impulsivity and opposition" offers a level of expertise adapted to professional practice.

Cognitive training applications

The COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES application is particularly suitable for hyperactive children aged 5 to 10. Its mandatory alternation between cognitive games and sports breaks (every 15 minutes) perfectly responds to the need for movement while allowing effective cognitive training.

For teenagers and adults, CLINT, the brain coach offers short 10 to 15-minute sessions, adapted to the attentional capacity of people with ADHD.

Conclusion: moving to think better

Hyperactivity is not a character flaw, a lack of discipline, or a will to disturb. It is a deep neurological need, rooted in the particular functioning of the ADHD brain.

Understanding this reality transforms our perspective: the child is no longer "the one who can't sit still" but "the one whose brain needs movement to function." This new perspective opens the way to truly effective strategies, based on accepting and channeling movement rather than repressing it.

By integrating active breaks, adapting the environment, valuing physical activities, and using tools like the COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES applications that integrate movement into cognitive training, you give your child the means to succeed with his particular nature, not despite it.

And remember: when your child moves, his brain gets going. Movement is not the enemy of concentration it is sometimes its fuel.