What to Do When You Think Your Child Has ADHD or ADD

I am asked that question a lot. People often approach me just to ask me that question. You might think that I was a psychiatrist or psychologist, but I'm not nor do I pretend to be. I don't even have children. However, I am knowledgeable about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, better known as ADHD, attention deficit disorder, or ADD. I'm a former ADHD coach and special education teacher, I have a master's in education, and I've been diagnosed with ADHD myself. I know enough about ADHD to have been asked by my college professors to talk to their classes about ADHD. So, you can see why people approach me with this problem. When they do, here's a rundown of my responses:

Why do you think that?
My first response when I hear this question is to ask the parent why they thing this. Generally, I get one of two responses. It is either because the child is hyperactive or because he or she is having trouble focusing.

While the three hallmark characteristics of ADHD are inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, typically people don't understand how they apply to people with ADHD. I look for other symptoms beyond these; symptoms only a person with ADHD or who is familiar with ADHD would recognize, like hyperfocusing

Hyperfocusing is when a person focuses too much on a task to the point where they ignore almost everything else around them. People with ADHD do not have trouble with inattention; they have trouble regulating their attention. They can't always choose what to focus on. This means that sometimes they have trouble focusing on just one thing, they might shift focus continually, or they might focus solely on one thing and forget everything else. Hyperfocusing has caused me to burn many a dinner.

How long has the problem been occurring?
This question comes if I learn that a teacher suggested to the parent that the child might be ADHD. In my experience, teachers make this recommendation without really understanding what ADHD is. To make sure this is not the case, I usually send the parents back to school to talk with their child's other teachers. ADHD cannot appear only in one classroom--but it rarely appears in every classroom.

Children with ADHD typically have daily cycles, or periods when they are more focused or less focused. Most are more focused in the early morning and right after lunch, and less focused right before lunch and at the end of the school day. Also, they will tend to be more focused in classes that they enjoy. I would look to see that more than one teacher is noticing the same behaviors. I would even check with teachers from the previous year. If only one teacher is noticing the behaviors, and you haven't noticed them at home, then the problem is probably not ADHD.

How old is your child?
My next question is to find out how old the child is. Diagnosing ADHD requires you to compare the student with his peers. It's not a matter of being hyperactive, but being more hyperactive than others the same age are. A five-year-old boy is going to have to be extremely hyperactive in order to get a diagnosis because five-year-old boys are naturally hyperactive. Likewise, younger children naturally have shorter attention spans, so it is almost impossible for them to have significantly shorter attention spans than their peers.

Often, when the child is younger, it is more a matter of behavioral issues that can be resolved through a good behavior management problem than ADHD. It's times like these that I wish I had Supernanny on speed dial. These cases are usually identified because the child exhibits ADHD behaviors in one situation but not another. Boredom and a lack of self-control both look identical to the symptoms of ADHD, which leads me to my next question.

When was your child's last physical?
There are several disorders that produce symptoms similar to ADHD. Besides what I mentioned earlier, there are disorders such as hyperthyroidism, allergies, and hypoglycemia that produce symptoms similar to ADHD. Before any diagnosis can be made, these mimicking conditions must be ruled out.

Of course, your regular pediatrician cannot rule out all of the mimicking disorders, but it will be a good start. If the doctor does not find anything, I then ask the parents to get a recommendation for a good neurologist or psychiatrist, preferably one that specializes in ADHD. Neurologist and psychiatrists are trained to notice mental disorders that can look like ADHD. Disorders like bipolar disorder, depression, learning disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. These doctors will not only be able to rule out those disorders, but make a definitive and educated diagnosis of ADHD.

Should I get my child tested for ADHD?
Testing is always better than not testing, in my opinion. However, testing can be expensive, and should only be done after a little research. Parents should read everything they can about ADHD first. Typically, they will either gain enough information to reassure that their suspicion is right or rule ADHD out.

If you child has ADHD, don't worry. Having ADHD is not the end of the world. For me, it opened a completely new world with new possibilities. Most days, I like having ADHD. It gives me a different perspective on things and enables me to do things that other people have difficulty. Sure, it's not always fun and games-but nothing in this life is. However, knowing makes things much easier. Then, with education comes understanding and eventually acceptance. Believe me, ADHD is not a bitter pill to swallow once you understand it and accept it.