Could my two year old have ADHD?

For some time I have been struggling to keep my two (almost three) year olds behavior at bay. As far as hitting and stuff he has completely quit that now he has turned to screaming all the time. I have tried time outs, listening to him, sending him to his room, asking him to stop screaming, even sadly hot saucing (which of course I quit, too painful for us both). Anyway, I contacted his pediatrician and they want to see him to rule out physical problems (ear infections, etc.) Then if there are none they want to do a behavioral assessment. Someone yesterday in one of my questions mentioned it sounds like he has ADHD. Which clicks and makes sense to me because both my husband and I were on ritalin for ADHD when we were young up until middle school. Does this increase my sons risks for ADHD? Some of his symptoms include:
restless
can't sit still
screaming and often very loud
pays attention little
runs around constantly but when not running around will lay in the floor and move around and around and around
He does sleep, but even when he is winding down he will kick and kick his mattress or crib rail over and over until he conks out. I hope he don't have it but it sounds like he does.

There is a very, very good chance he does have ADHD. Not because of his behaviour but because of the family history. ADHD is an hereditary disorder. It is ressesive but if both parents have it then there is around a 70% chance that the child will have it.

However, the ods are you wont be able to tell if it is ADHD for a few years. Yes it is true that most 2 year olds appear to have ADHD. This is because what ADHD is, is an underfunctioning on the part of the brain that is responsible for focus and self control. But in all toddlers this part of the brain is immature and not properly developed so they all appear to have ADHD. But those who dont have ADHD will slowly outgrow the problem as their brain matures. While kids with ADHD wont outgrow the problem. At 2 it is hard to tell the difference, each year it gets easier and easier. By the age of 5 you can tell which kids have the condition and which don't. By the age of 10 it is very obvious.

But you have another complication. That is your own ADHD. If you wre diagnosed and treated for ADHD as a child there is an 80% chance that you still have it. Especially if you are female, females almost never outgrow their ADHD because it is affected by female hormones. Do you find you are a bit crazy before you get your periods? It may seem like you no longer have it because you are comparing yourself to what you were like as a child. But compare yourself to others your own age? How is your behavior compared to those.

The complication is that ADHD adults tend to parent in a very impulsive way if they are not treated for their ADHD. Most likely you will not even realise that you are doing it. But this kind of parenting can cause behavior problems in children.

I will probably get a negative rating and that is okay, but where did we go wrong in society to think small children have ADHD? Everything you describe above is a 2 year old who is testing your limits! That is typical behavior. Just be as patient and consistent as possible. It is hard, but have you tried ignoring the behavior?

Sounds like your 2 year old boy has a case of the 2 year old boy syndrome.

You said you try sending him to his room, does he have toys in his room?- sounds like a fair trade off to a 2 year old. Ground me and send me to my room alone and see how happy that makes me.
Try other forms of discipline. Try spanking him.
His loudness could be because of an ear problem and you should get that checked out. Otherwise a 2 year old will not sit still, are restless, run around, and don't pay attention.
Monitor what he eats, a lot of foods with artificial flavors and coloring can cause this normal behavior to be worse.
Also maybe you should consider a toddler bed instead of a crib

Yes he could have ADHD. Since both parents have a hx of ADHD this does increase his chances of having it, how much it increases it I don't know. I know ADHD does run in families.

laying on the floor is sensory, getting that feedback. My 2 yr old dx with ADHD does lay on the floor too.

The thing with ADHD in a 2 year old is that other parents will tell you one of two things, its normal all kids do that, or you aren't disciplining him enough/correctly. I have been a psych nurse for many years and have 3 sons, and I can tell you that its not discipline. And where being active is normal for a two year old, its the intensity, constancy and severity that set it apart.

I do think the other answerer is on to something with diet changes. My 2 yr old does have allergies, each time we go we are finding out more and more things he is allergic too.

My two year old constantly engages in high risk impulsive behaviors, anyone who has been around him for 30 consecutive minutes acknowledges that yes this must be ADHD because it certainly isn't normal.

Today we were at speech therapy with a new therapist at the center. I refrained from telling her initially he has ADHD as I have learned that this is off-putting to people and they dismiss it. I was in the room. He quickly climbed on the table, turned the lights on and off, threw toys at the mirror, unplugged the monitor and wrapped it around his neck, stood on the back of the chair, jumped off it, and tried to climb the bookshelf all within the first 10 minutes. It got to be after 5 minutes that we were each (the speech therapist and I) hockey goalies and my son was the puck, she was guarding the mirror and the table, I was guarding the bookshelf, lightswitch and chair in a very small observation room. That is when I told her about the ADHD dx from the neurologist. She said, I see that, we will have to have his therapy in the jump and play room for obvious safety reasons.