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Hyperactivity is a common symptom of ADHD, but not all people with ADHD are hyperactive. In children, hyperactivity is manifested by constant fidgeting, standing up or running around. In adults, hyperactivity decreases, but restlessness of movement and certain behaviors such as finger drumming, foot tapping or nail biting may still occur. Motor hyperactivity may decrease over time, while inner restlessness remains or becomes more visible. It is debated whether inner restlessness is a separate symptom and whether it is related to drive problems.
Hyperactivity and inner restlessness are also symptoms of stress. Stress hormones such as CRH can cause restlessness of movement. Gross motor problems such as clumsiness and coordination problems are common in ADHD-HI and ADHD-C. Fine motor problems such as poor handwriting and difficulties with fine motor tasks can also occur. It is unclear whether fine motor problems can be improved by ADHD medication.
The data from the ADxS.org symptom test showed that motor hyperactivity decreased with age, while restlessness and attention problems persisted.
While it has been recognized that attention problems in ADHD are primarily a motivational problem (lack of self-motivability), as intrinsically interesting topics can arouse attention while intrinsically non-interesting topics cause attention problems, it is largely unknown that this also applies to motor restlessness. A Time-lapse video showing a person with ADHD watching an intrinsically interesting and an intrinsically uninteresting videoillustrates that hyperactivity problems are also caused by motivational factors.
Motor hyperactivity is a very common symptom of ADHD. However, hyperactivity is not a mandatory symptom of ADHD. There are people with ADHD who suffer greatly from their symptoms, who were/are neither hypermotoric as children nor full of inner restlessness as adults.
Motor hyperactivity is a characteristic of ADHD-HI and ADHD-C. Hyperactivity is less pronounced in the ADHD-I subtype (predominant attention problems).1
Hyperactivity often subsides in adolescence. The specialist literature describes that hyperactivity in adults usually turns into a form of inner restlessness. This will need to be discussed.
The fidgeting and constant movement could be understood as an internal correction of vigilance (internal basic tension) and low dopamine levels. Movement increases the dopamine level.23 People with ADHD who are forced to sit still are (even) more likely to give incorrect answers than when they are allowed to move.2 Similarly, sports before school (to act out motor restlessness) increases learning success.2
Constant fidgeting with hands and feet or sliding around on the chair (DSM IV/5)
Is often present in class and other situations where sitting is expected (DSM IV/5)
Frequently runs around or climbs excessively in situations where this is inappropriate (in adolescents or adults this may be limited to a subjective feeling of restlessness) (DSM IV/5)
Often has difficulty playing quietly or engaging quietly in leisure activities (DSM IV/5)
Is often “on the move” or often acts as if he/she is “driven” (DSM IV/5)
Often talks excessively (DSM IV/5; categorized as impulsivity in ICD-10). Speech diarrhea can also be observed in some adults
for adults:
Hyperactivity (external/physical) decreases by up to 60 % in adults4
Physical restlessness in adults, possibly only to a lesser extent
Foot tapping with high frequency (or impulse to do so, which is deliberately suppressed)5
Finger drumming (or impulse to do so, which is consciously suppressed)5
Knot legs / wrap around chair leg to limit movement6
1.1.3. Age-related decline in motor hyperactivity¶
The data from the ADxS.org symptom test show the following changes in the age groups:
Age group
Motor hyperactivity
Inner restlessness
Attention problems
5- 9 years (n = 9)
0.70
0.80
0.75
10 - 14 years (n = 15)
0.72
0.68
0.83
15 - 19 years (n = 48)
0.45
0.62
0.81
20 - 29 years (n = 373)
0.49
0.70
0.81
30 - 39 years (n = 492)
0.49
0.74
0.83
40 - 49 years (n = 301)
0.46
0.74
0.78
50 - 59 years (n = 158)
0.46
0.72
0.80
60 - 75 years (n = 32)
0.42
0.74
0.72
Men (n = 630)
0.52
0.73
0.81
Women (n = 823)
0.45
0.72
0.80
As at June 2020. The values given reflect the severity of the symptoms relative to each other. Limitations of informative value:
There are few data sets with test persons under 20 years of age and far too few data sets with test persons under 10 years of age for a reliable statement.
There was no separation of ADHD-I and ADHD-HI, so the (random) ratio of ADHD-I to ADHD-HI may skew the data for small group sizes.
Only the data sets in which the symptom test found indications of existing ADHD were evaluated.
This is a non-validated online self-test (screening).
The data can be discussed in relation to the thesis that attention problems in children up to the age of 15 are not yet fully developed and that motor hyperactivity diminishes in adulthood. However, they indicate that hyperactivity does not transform into inner restlessness, but that inner restlessness also exists in children and merely recedes to a lesser extent than hyperactivity. After the regression of motor hyperactivity, inner restlessness merely appears to become more visible.
Inner restlessness could be described as the “little brother” of hyperactivity.
Inner restlessness as an independent symptom alongside hyperactivity?
An interesting consideration is whether the fact that, according to the data, inner restlessness may already exist in children due to the fact that, unlike hyperactivity, it does not appear to recede or recede only slightly, could indicate that inner restlessness could be a symptom to be distinguished from Inner restlessness / Inner drivenness
In terms of the original (possible) benefit of stress symptoms (originally = before humans became sedentary), it could have been helpful if children developed an increased willingness to move in a dangerous situation so that they could escape better together with the group in dangerous situations. Adults benefit less from hyperactivity because they are the ones who have to fight the stressors. In the fight against stressors, an increased urge to move is no longer as important as in children (who can contribute little to the fight against stressors); instead, the focus is on doing everything possible to fight the stressor and not resting until the danger has been overcome.
A parallel to this is that attention problems in adults can also decrease significantly or even remit completely (albeit less frequently or to a lesser extent than hyperactivity and impulsivity),7 without a change to a different symptom pattern being described for the latter. However, our data show at best only a very slight decrease in attention problems in adults.
It is doubtful whether Inner restlessness / Inner drivenness could possibly fit under the heading “drive problems” and represent the counterpart to lack of drive, just as distractibility (switching the focus of attention too easily) and task switching problems / hyperfocus (making it difficult to switch the focus of attention) form counterparts within the umbrella term “attention problems”. This is contradicted by the fact that lack of drive correlates strongly with ADHD-I and less with ADHD-HI, while distractibility and task switching problems correlate equally with ADHD-HI and ADHD-I.
Hyperactivity and fidgeting are known to be typical symptoms of severe stress, as is the fact that thoughts concentrate on the stressor (circling thoughts, rumination).
Stress symptoms from the hyperactivity spectrum are:
Restlessness89
Inner restlessness is a typical symptom of the approaching final state of burnout.10
The stress hormone CRH, which is released by the hypothalamus in the first increment of the HPA axis, directly mediates an urge to move. Increased locomotor activity is a direct effect of the stress hormone CRH.141516139
Symptoms that are directly mediated by stress hormones themselves can nevertheless also be ADHD-specific symptoms. Chronic stress such as ADHD mediate their symptoms through a lack of dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain.
Gross motor skill problems are a symptom of ADHD.17181920 They are already present in young children and correlate with sleep problems in children. More than half of people with ADHD are said to have gross and fine motor problems.212223
Gross motor and fine motor disorders should be considered separately from motor hyperactivity.
Forms of appearance:
Clumsiness
Frequent bumping/sticking
Many accidents (clumsiness meets hectic pace)
Frequent injuries (esp. ADHD-HI)
Bruises
Coordination problems (dyscoordination)
E.g. learning to ride a bike at the age of 6
E.g. difficulty maintaining balance or standing on one leg24
Difficulties with force dosage
Initial data from the ADxS.org online symptom test (as of October 2018) suggests that gross motor problems are far more common in ADHD-HI with hyperactivity than in the ADHD-I subtype. Studies prove the connection between gross motor problems and hyperactivity/impulsivity.25
It is possible that motor problems in the form of deficits in interpersonal (automatic) (motor) synchronization contribute to the development of social problems. Interpersonal synchronization requires good motor control and is also important in the development of mother-child relationships26
Interpersonal synchronization plays an important role in the acquisition of social cognitive skills in development.2728 In ADHD, the extent of interpersonal synchronization between mother and child correlates with the level of functioning of preschool children with ADHD.29
Another hypothesis assumes a connection between impaired eye control (gaze control and gaze saccades (eye movements)) and ADHD symptoms such as attention problems and impulsivity.30
Fine motor problems are a symptom of ADHD.193132 More than half of people with ADHD are said to have gross and fine motor problems.23
Fine motor and gross motor disorders should be considered separately from motor hyperactivity.
According to a review, between 28% and 67% of people with ADHD also show improvements in their fine motor skills as a result of ADHD medication.23 Our impression is that this is rather rarer.
