ADHD even if processing speed and working memory in normal range ?
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Anonymous
| Our questionnaires and overall impression of DD are that she has inattentive ADHD. Since she was little, she is distracted, cannot execute a multi step plan, is disorganized, etc. But her Neuropsych came back with average working memory and processing speed. The doc said that these scores are usually lower in ADHD. Has anyone ever experienced this? Teacher questionnaires also not positive. |
Anonymous
| Mine has fine working memory and processing speed and raging adhd |
Anonymous
Ditto |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thank you for this information. The psychologist made it sound like those scores meant she couldn’t have adhd but perhaps I misunderstood. |
Anonymous
No. Your children have a mild form of ADHD. "Raging" otherwise known as "severe" ADHD, definitely has slow processing and low working memory as symptoms. |
Anonymous
Not at all mild according to our recent neuropsychological eval from Children’s. |
Anonymous
| Are there any good websites that break this down for laypeople? |
Anonymous
Not so. Adhd is a disorder of emotional regulation not of slow processing or poor working memory. In fact slow processing according to Russell Barkley is possibly a separate disorder entirely |
Anonymous
|
"Raging" is not an official ADHD descriptor, despite how familiar it may feel!
But ADHD manifests differently in different kids. I have two, one barely hanging on in MC and one doing fine in a top 20 univ. |
Anonymous
| Processing speed and working memory form no part of the diagnostic criteria for adhd. (They can be associated but do not confirm a diagnosis nor does the absent email of these in any way call the diagnosis into question.) however, the fact that the teacher didn’t indicate issues does make the diagnosis less likely since symptoms must manifest in more than just the home setting. However, young children (especially girls with inattentive adhd who are bright) may fly under the radar with teachers for a long time. |
Anonymous
This. My kid has ASD and ADHD, combined type. He has very superior processing speed (97 percentile) and working memory (99 percentile) nevertheless he has ADHD and all his teachers agree with the diagnosis as do I.  The way this manifests is that DS does very well academically and doesn’t need meds or supports.
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Anonymous
Is ADHD a disorder of emotional regulation? Emotional regulation is something a majority of people with ADHD struggle with, but it isn't essential for diagnosis and issues like inattentiveness don't seem like issues related to emotional regulation. |
Anonymous
+1 Processing speed and working memory are not concerns in our family of ADHDers. |
Anonymous
| My ADHD DS does not have slow processing speed or working memory problems. He does have an emotional regulation problem but I don't think that was part of his ADHD diagnosis. I do believe emotional regulation issues are a common theme for people with ADHD but not a diagnostic criteria. |
Anonymous
| Russell Barkley’s whole spiel is that emotional regulation used to be part of the diagnostic criteria for adhd dx and has since been removed from the dsm which he considers a huge error. He considers that adhd is primarily a disorder of emotional regulation. If you think about it at its core whether inattentive or hyperactive or impulsive - it is all ultimately self regulation. You can’t regulate yourself to do or not do xyz that isn’t organically ‘preferred’ or does not come easily |