I agree with The Villain about autism - sorry Lynne - but there are different types.

My son was like that at the age of 2 - 3. Nothing could stop him running up and down corridors, waiting for him to have his next check-up at the hospital. No amount of distraction, playing games etc would work - he bacame fixed and then acted like a twister in human form. Admittedly at that age, if he was really bad I would pick him up and hold him tight - something he really hated, but he learnt slowly that I would let him go when he had calmed down.

Unfortunately as he got bigger and bigger - now 10, still undiagnosed (another long story) - He STILL gets his moments. As far as the therapists are aware, until he gets further diagnosis, he seems to be a cross between ADHD and aspergers, but displays the symptoms at the innappropriate times i.e. an ADHD response, when most aspergers would respond differently, then act like aspergers when most ADHD kids would display something else.

I often am at my wits end, and my son has no sweets, never any fizzy drinks, no fruit squash, and only occasionaly allowed pure fruit juice. Tiredness gets him hyper, as well as any change. His modes are similar to a drunk person, he always slurrs his words and pronounces them thickly (usually he has good diction) then he will giggle and be slightly merry, cries alot and is extremely emotional, and the other one is the worst - the loud mouthed agressive one. He can get violent with the latter mode.

Sometimes parents are at their wits end, and although never show it to the outside world - are at breaking point inside. Many times have I been alone in that situation, a child running around and no amount of anything will stop him. You feel as a parent that you should say something - anything to the kid, because pre-diagnosis - you don't know what causes this behaviour, and the guilt that you're a bad parent weighs incredibly heavily.

The magic you should do x y z book never seems to work for everyone. Sometimes the parents need help - but can't get it until it is very, very bad.

Everyone loses in these situations, and the guilt I have racked up about how I may have failed my children,certainly give me sleepless nights. I will not know how they fair until they are adults. Thats a few years away yet!