Where to start with possible ADD?
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Anonymous
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We suspect child has ADD. This would explain a lot!
Is starting with the pediatrician the way to go? I hope to avoid expensive testing and figure that a pediatrician might be a way around that. If nothing else, they will have an excellent referral to someone. Is there another, better path we should take to determine if child has ADD and, if so, what to do about it? (I read that the expensive ADD tests aren't necessary.) |
Anonymous
| They are, if you want an accurate answer. Your ped can be helpful, but this is a complicated disorder that can’t be diagnosed in a 15 minute office chat. |
Anonymous
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Your pediatrician may do this for you - most do but not all. What’s involved is an office visit, an extensive questionnaire that both parents (separately) and a teacher needs to fill out and then the scoring by the doctor. Even if you went through expensive testing, this is how you would get the diagnosis - you would also get some tests to confirm the results and other testing. But the simplest way to a diagnosis is a pediatrician.
Many pediatricians also prescribe medication if you want to go that route. If it gets complicated, like if there are mental health issues or you can’t easily find a medication that works, then you’d get referred to a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner. |
Anonymous
| The pediatrician will diagnose by checklist: if your child demonstrates certain inattentive or hyperactive behavior, that's enough for a diagnosis. The problem is that other things can cause inattention: anxiety, not understanding what's going on because of language processing or learning disability or something else, etc. Only full testing can rule out (or in) those other issues. |
Anonymous
| It’s no longer called ADD. It’s ADHD, Type I or II. |
Anonymous
| The expensive testing is only worth it if you want to get accommodations at school because you need the expensive test results to get the accommodations. There is no definitive test to say your child has it or doesn't, but the questionnaires are pretty good predictors, especially if you can ask a teacher or two to fill them out, and they see similar issues that you see at home. |
Anonymous
Keep in mind though that the school has the right to request an additional neuropsych exam in a few years - it’s not a one time expense if you want school accommodations. |
Anonymous
| You need to read up on ADHD a bit and get the terminology right. There is no such thing as “ADD.” It is all called ADHD (primarily inattentive, primarily hyperactive, or combined). Why would you have your pediatrician do this? It is very complex and sometimes the symptoms you are seeing aren’t ADHD and are the result of dyslexia, dysgraphia, anxiety disorder, auditory issues, etc. If cost is a barrier to testing, you can get an inexpensive neuropsych exam at George Mason University through their PHD students. Call them ASAP to set up an appointment as the wait can be long. The GMU cost of testing is on a sliding scale if you are below a certain income level and only $1675 if you are above the income floor. A lot cheaper than a private evaluation that usually runs $4,000+ |
Anonymous
My DD never got any accommodations at school (long story), but still consider the testing worthwhile because it helps us know where to push and where to support. Knowing what’s in her control and what’s really not helps us know how to discipline effectively, and helped us know what she needed from us to succeed. We did also find her a medication that helped some of those things be more in her control. It also helped to ID her strengths, because it gave us something to help her build on and gave her some confidence. |
Anonymous
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If you are looking to just do the bare minimum for your child, you can ask your pediatrician for a Vanderbilt test and some meds.
In all honesty, there is no effective counseling for adhd so meds are the recommend course of treatment, anyway. You would do well with parent coaching, though. |
Anonymous
Okay Karen |
Anonymous
Actually ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) ADHD predominantly inattentive ADHD combined ADHD presents in fluid ways and often changes over time . That is the reason they took away ADD but I think the new framework is less clear. |
Anonymous
Your pediatrician can diagnose by giving you Vanderbilt assessment forms for both parents and teachers. They are very detailed and your doctor can evaluate how much congruency there is between home and school concerning typical ADHD related behaviors. I would recommend a teen psychiatrist if you child is diagnosed with ADHD as pediatricians often don’t know how to medicate youth with ADHD. They often prescribe antidepressants (to combat depression and anxiety that often accompanies ADHD/ and antipsychotics in low doses (for reducing impulsivity) on top of stimulant medication (such as Concerta) to improve concentration. However emotional disregulation related to ADHD often is not well treated by anti depressants. There are non stimulant ADHD meds that work better for emotional regulation related to ADHD. Anyway a psychiatrist may be best for finding right meds if needed. An educational psych evaluation is expensive but highly helpful for different reasons - getting appropriate supports at school (IEPs) and in offering insights into your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Also ADHD is often accompanied by other learning differences such as slow processing speeds/ dysgraphia/ dyslexia Managing ADHD requires many adjustments in every day life - Good diet with enough protein Good sleep hygiene as many people with adhd have trouble sleeping Extra supports getting organized and self advocating Regular Exercise Accommodations for testing (usually need extra time and room with reduced distractions ) Therapy to help with emotional regulation and self esteem as youth with ADHD very prone to low self esteem and risky behaviors. Best wishes |
Anonymous
This PP is not being a “Karen.” PP is helping OP not sound ignorant or uneducated. |
Anonymous
DP 1. Tone coukd have been more supportive. Itbiscreallybhard coning to terms with harsh realities around your child having ADHD 2. Saying ADHD type 1 or 2 is not a particularly helpful correction. It can make it more confusing. It is important to note that there is considerable fluidity between the three (not two) subsets of how ADHD presents . 1. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder 2. ADHD predominantly inattentive type 3. ADHD combined type Children often move from from first to second subtypes over time especially by adulthood but there may bd periods of exhibiting symptoms in the third sub type. ADHD requires life long management and considerable supports. The way it presents can be confusing. There are often co-morbidities with other learning differences and mental health conditions. The way ADHD presents is complex and not easy to categorize neatly. |