ADD A to Z: Your Guide to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Download Your Copy Today

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD has been a form of mental illness around for many, many years. However, in just the past 10 years or so, this disorder has received a tremendous amount of press, which has exposed both myths and truths, along with treatment options. While treatments are now better than ever, the first step comes in diagnosing ADHD. Since children are most affected, especially school age children, we wanted to address diagnosing ADHD specific to children in this article.

One of the main challenges with diagnosing ADHD in children is that many times, they are incorrectly labeled. On the other hand, we also see a number of children diagnosed with ADHD who are simply difficult and not ill at all. To help make the diagnosis easier and clearer, new guidelines have been established. With this, the diagnosis is based on specific symptoms that have to be present in more than one environment. In other words, the child would need to meet certain criteria in a school environment, home environment, play environment, etc. The reason this is important is that if a child were happy at home but miserable at school, it could be that at school, he or she is being picked on. In this case, while symptoms of ADHD are seen in the classroom, the child is fine, just being tormented by other students.

With this new form of diagnosing ADHD, the accuracy is higher. Typically, a child with ADHD would display certain behaviors. These very behaviors are compared to set criteria to determine if they are appropriate or excessive for the child’s age. Now keep in mind that other factors are considered when diagnosing ADHD to include a difficult home life, excessive moves, multiple schools, parents going through a recent divorce, a new sibling in the home, etc. Obviously, these situations could change the child’s behavior, although temporarily. With the testing, life situations versus mental illness can be determined.

It is important to remember that the assessments involved in diagnosing ADHD take time and sometimes, are expensive. However, because these tests can rule out other potential disorders, they are important. Other types of testing used in diagnosing ADHD may include an IQ test or achievement test, which would be based on a patient-to-patient basis. With this information, the doctor can work with the child’s teacher to see how he or she is performing in class. By using the two for comparison, the doctor can determine if the behaviors are across the board or just in the classroom.

On the other hand, not all children with this disorder need a full array of testing. Even so, other possible tests might include electroencephalograms or brain scans, but typically, these are used for extreme cases. Assessments used in diagnosing ADHD might include developmental history to determine the child’s cognitive abilities, social behavior, and motor skill, a full medical examination along wit neurological evaluation, complete family history, comprehensive interviews with teachers and family, and finally, vision, hearing, and speech tests.

Just as the child would be tested during the diagnosing of ADHD phase, it is common for the doctor to work closely with the parents as well. In this case, parents are often asked if the pregnancy was difficult, if any infections were noted during pregnancy and/or childbirth, did the mother consume alcohol or take any drugs, were there complications during pregnancy and/or childbirth, history of head trauma, stress, peer pressure, and so on. Although it might seem a little prying, when it comes to diagnosing ADHD, this type of information is crucial.

One of the things that makes diagnosing ADHD so hard is that the signs and symptoms vary. As an example, naturally energetic children may show signs of greater activity when they are hungry, tired, or faced with a new environment. If the child is young, he or she may suddenly get up from coloring, watching television, or being read a story, or if the child is in his or her teenage years, then he or she may seem anxious, restless, unfocused, and defiant. Okay, while it might seem logical to diagnose all of these children with ADHD, the chances are none of them has it.

Therefore, drawing the line of a normal child going through normal growing pains and the child with ADHD is hard. Now, couple that with the fact that no single test can be used in diagnosing ADHD, along with the possibility of other conditions being present, and you have a tough job. For this reason, although parents may have their suspicions, diagnosing ADHD should be left to a trained and skilled professional. These individuals understand the illness, the way in which it manifests, and the appropriate treatment options based on each child’s needs. The problem is that not all professionals are qualified in making this diagnosis.

Okay, so what do you do? You start by following your instincts and paying attention to your child’s behavior in a number of different environments. If you notice the same behaviors of ADHD being displayed, then you need to find a doctor. You can start with your regular family doctor or pediatrician, asking for references to an ADHD doctor. If you are still unable to locate someone, check with a large hospital in your area, again asking for references. Then, talk to several doctors, making sure you feel comfortable and confident in his or her abilities. From there, you now have the opportunity to give your child a normal, happy life.