I share your views on the too-quick-to-grab-drugs solution, and have a lot of concerns about the effect of these chemicals on growing brains and the future adult. It can be an option while basics are throughly explored first.

Is this child free to run and yell, to play until exhausted? I'm thinking of free play outside involving moving at all speeds over uneven ground, not organized sports. Can they ride a bike? Is it possible for them to be in places where they can look at the horizon in the distance, or from the tops of local hillsides? These are brain-trainers.

Do they participate in the (age-appropriate) household government or menu planning?

I grew up with these elements and even as an adult I see differences between the autonomy I enjoy today and other adults who seem to have spent their childhoods in living rooms.

Do they know how to sleep soundly at night? This is something I do not do well, having grown up falling asleep over books with the light on in bed. I'm a night owl and so was my mother. Sleep hygiene is a vital skill. "No screens in the bedroom" could be effective for this child.

Any hidden dental or medical issues? Maybe some night tooth grinding over metal fillings? Vision problems?

Will the child reach for plain water freely, or do they have to be coaxed? There's a profound difference between a hydrated brain and one chronically dehydrated. I hope this helps you.

I share your views on the too-quick-to-grab-drugs solution, and have a lot of concerns about the effect of these chemicals on growing brains and the future adult.

Edit: I would insist on this "hyperactive" label being very clear in the child's school records that it is only a layperson's opinion and not a medical diagnosis. Insist that the person making this claim be named, rather than a generality that "the school says." It may be appropriate to have an actual psych evaluation of your own done, to keep the school from pushing chemicals at your child. Drugs can always be an option after basics are throughly explored first.

Is this child free to run and yell, to play until exhausted? I'm thinking of free play outside involving moving at all speeds over uneven ground, not organized sports. Can they ride a bike? Is it possible for them to be in places where they can look at the horizon in the distance, or from the tops of local hillsides? These are brain-trainers.

Do they participate in the (age-appropriate) household government or menu planning?

I grew up with these elements and even as an adult I see differences between the autonomy I enjoy today and other adults who seem to have spent their childhoods in living rooms.

Do they know how to sleep soundly at night? This is something I do not do well, having grown up falling asleep over books with the light on in bed. I'm a night owl and so was my mother. Sleep hygiene is a vital skill. "No screens in the bedroom" could be effective for this child.

Any hidden dental or medical issues? Maybe some night tooth grinding over metal fillings? Vision problems?

Will the child reach for plain water freely, or do they have to be coaxed? There's a profound difference between a hydrated brain and one chronically dehydrated. I hope this helps you.