Lesson 1: Lesson 1: What is ADHD?

Making A Diagnosis/Evaluation

The information below is intended for your education about this disorder. A professional medical doctor or psychologist knowledgeable about ADHD is required to give you a specific diagnosis and treatment plan for your specific situation or your child.

Parents usually experience difficulties raising these children from early on, but it is often when they enter school that the symptoms are identified because when children enter school they are expected to be able to regulate their attention and behaviors.

If you have been told your child may be ADHD/ADD, find a pediatrician, neurologist, or child psychologist who has been trained in attention disorders. A proper evaluation requires gathering information from a variety of sources: medical history, parents interview and developmental history, teacher’s observations, social behavior, etc. When you go in for your interview, besides medical records on the child, take with you as much early childhood information as you can. Here are some questions to consider: Were there any problems at birth or during pregnancy? When did you first notice signs of ADHD? What situations do you feel trigger problems or make them worse? What was the duration and intensity? Did anyone in the family (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) have similar backgrounds? Explain the behaviors you observe on a daily basis. All this information will be helpful in determining your child’s situation. (See the ADHD Symptom checklist on p. 7-8,of book, "Problem Solver Guide for Students with ADHD", by Harvey Parker. A diagnosis usually includes a medical examination and maybe neurological testing along with a child’s developmental history. If a child is in school, teacher observations are important. Here are some of the tests available: