Formal evaluation by a multidisciplinary team helps determine AD/HD.
Dr Linda Helps – Don’t guess when it comes to deciding if your child has AD/HD. Get a formal evaluation by a team trained to diagnosis the disorder. Evaluation should include a number of people who know and work with your child– licensed therapist, parents, teachers, health and mental health specialists.
The main behaviors associated with AD/HD are poor attention and concentration, distractibility and impulsivity. Here is a list* of behaviors to help you determine if your child needs an evaluation:
In school:
· Poor organization
· Shifting tasks
· Daydreaming
· Impression of not listening
· Poor motivation
· Messy work
· Pushing
· Interrupting others
· Excessive talking
· Fidgety
· Difficulty remaining in seat
At home:
· Shifting tasks and not listening
· Homework problems
· Interrupting others
· Accident prone
· Running around and fidgety
With peers:
· Breaking game rules
· Not listening to other children
· Interrupting others
· Grabbing objects
· Dangerous play
· Difficulty with quiet play
Developmentally:
· Hyperactivity and aggression in preschool
· Academic and behavioral problems in school
· Impulsive, bored and irritable as an adolescent
These are behaviors associated with AD/HD. Keep in mind that these behaviors are usually noticed before the age of seven and interfere with school, home or social functioning. Not all AD/HD children show all these behaviors. And not everyone is AD/HD.
Researchers at Stanford University have preliminary findings that suggest brain imaging scans of AD/HD children show different levels of activity in the frontal cortex of the brain. Gene research has also found an association of two specific genes. However, there is no blood test or other biochemical signals for AD/HD.
Many AD/HD kids don’t feel good about themselves. They get easily frustrated and don’t tolerate difficulty well. They can be prone to temper outbursts and academic underachievement.
Family members may be frustrated because they deny the problem or don’t understand it. Dealing with an AD/HD child can be trying if you don’t understand the basics. For example, telling your child to “calm down” won’t work.
AD/HD explains why a child behaves the way he does. It does not excuse his/her behavior. Even with medication, he/she still needs to work on becoming a responsible and successful person.
Find out as much as you can about this disorder. Work with a trained mental health professional to make an accurate diagnosis and outline a treatment plan. There is so much that can be done to help children once the disorder is recognized. This is not a life sentence for problems.
*List adapted from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV