It wasn’t that long ago that schoolchildren with hyperactivity problems had their condition put down to simple bad behaviour and the cause of class disruption. That’s changed.

It never crossed parents’ minds that there could be a psychological reason for this, but we now know that attention deficiency is an indicator of a hyper-activity syndrome.

All change! The Acofa association, whose initials stand for (asociación comarcal de familias afectadas or area association for affected families) has begun operating in Almuñécar, backed by schools and municipal social services.

Diagnosing a child with this condition is fundamental, said social worker, Alejandro Morales. He and colleague Esther Ruiz are working to create awareness and provide information and training for parents to tackle the problem.

They assure that once the child is diagnosed with this problem and corrective action is taken the child’s life will change radically – and everybody else’s around him or her.

The ideal age to diagnose or recognize that a child has a problem is between six and seven. Once diagnosed, the child’s school is informed of the situation and they adapt to the situation – the Spanish Educational System is designed to deal with this problem.

So, where can you find Acofa? They’re in the offices behind the main gasoline station: the Servicios Sociales building. At present they are organizing workshops for 5/6-year olds and 12/13-year olds. More info in the Acofa office.

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)