DD home from college; thinks she has ADHD

[Anonymous]

We could really use some advice. DD is home and detailing all of her academic struggles since arriving at school. We knew some but not all of it. She feels she has ADHD. What would you do as next steps with the following as part of the equation. She had a comprehensive neuropsychological testing done at age 16 that didn’t find ADHD. The main finding was depression, which we was already being treated by pediatrician and psychiatrist. And her school is fours away and in a different state, so there are licensure issues to consider. Thanks in advance for the advice. She wants to stay in school and be successful. She has her major picked out and is interested in a health professions career and understands that academics are very important for those goals.

[Anonymous]

Do you/she feel like the depression is under control? Part of the ADHD diagnosis process is showing that symptoms existed as a child, so the fact that it was previously ruled out will make that challenging. But she doesn't need a diagnosis to read and implement ADHD strategies.

What does her therapist and/or psychiatrist think?

[Anonymous]

“So you think you might have ADHD. What is it that you want to see happen?”

Too often, you hear these pronouncements, but there’s no ask. Meanwhile, you’re jumping to try to solve something without knowing when you might even get close to a solution.

What is your dd expecting to see happen as a result of her self-diagnosis? Make her name it. Then you can figure out what’s possible and what you’re willing to do. What you don’t need to do is argue with her about whether her claim is valid or not.

[Anonymous]

ADHD became apparent for my Dd after her freshman year. She went from being a straight A student to being lucky to get a B-. Was a very tough transition but she gutted out the first year as a pre health major before she decided those classes showed her that she’s not good in those areas so she changed her major. The summer before sophomore year she saw a psychiatrist who put her on Adderall and it made a world of difference. She now has 1.5x time accommodations as well as ability to take exams in a private setting and she has gotten straight As since then.

Her ADHD is not obvious but the transition to college really highlighted some focus and motivation issues as well as lack of organizational skills, all brought to the forefront by the lack of structure that HS provided.

Wish your DD the best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“So you think you might have ADHD. What is it that you want to see happen?”

Too often, you hear these pronouncements, but there’s no ask. Meanwhile, you’re jumping to try to solve something without knowing when you might even get close to a solution.

What is your dd expecting to see happen as a result of her self-diagnosis? Make her name it. Then you can figure out what’s possible and what you’re willing to do. What you don’t need to do is argue with her about whether her claim is valid or not.

Adderall. She wants Adderall.

[Anonymous]

As a parent of a student with ADHD and a person with ADHD, Adderall won't help ADHD without strategies. It will just make her thin and keep her up at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ADHD became apparent for my Dd after her freshman year. She went from being a straight A student to being lucky to get a B-. Was a very tough transition but she gutted out the first year as a pre health major before she decided those classes showed her that she’s not good in those areas so she changed her major. The summer before sophomore year she saw a psychiatrist who put her on Adderall and it made a world of difference. She now has 1.5x time accommodations as well as ability to take exams in a private setting and she has gotten straight As since then.

Her ADHD is not obvious but the transition to college really highlighted some focus and motivation issues as well as lack of organizational skills, all brought to the forefront by the lack of structure that HS provided.

Wish your DD the best!

So now grades dropping from As in an easy school to actually having to work a little in college is a sign of ADHD?

Only if you are looking to medicalize laziness and a poor college prep education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“So you think you might have ADHD. What is it that you want to see happen?”

Too often, you hear these pronouncements, but there’s no ask. Meanwhile, you’re jumping to try to solve something without knowing when you might even get close to a solution.

What is your dd expecting to see happen as a result of her self-diagnosis? Make her name it. Then you can figure out what’s possible and what you’re willing to do. What you don’t need to do is argue with her about whether her claim is valid or not.

Adderall. She wants Adderall.

100%

[Anonymous]

Are there really licensure issues to consider? DS had his neuropsychological evaluations done in MD, at 10 and 17 years old, and goes to college in DC. The Disability Office of his uni accepted his paperwork without batting an eye.

Even though ADHD was not found, are there low-processing issues, or learning disabilities such as dyslexia, that could be impeding her learning?

What is she really complaining of? Could it be a medical issue? For example, I've had several bouts of thyroid imbalance starting as a teen, and was later diagnosed with Grave's. Being hyper thyroid makes me unable to focus, super panicky and a bundle of nerves, and being hypo thyroid makes me lethargic and slow.

Maybe she needs a full medical check-up at some point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there really licensure issues to consider? DS had his neuropsychological evaluations done in MD, at 10 and 17 years old, and goes to college in DC. The Disability Office of his uni accepted his paperwork without batting an eye.

Even though ADHD was not found, are there low-processing issues, or learning disabilities such as dyslexia, that could be impeding her learning?

What is she really complaining of? Could it be a medical issue? For example, I've had several bouts of thyroid imbalance starting as a teen, and was later diagnosed with Grave's. Being hyper thyroid makes me unable to focus, super panicky and a bundle of nerves, and being hypo thyroid makes me lethargic and slow.

Maybe she needs a full medical check-up at some point.

Maybe she needs to study a little harder.

[Anonymous]

Her psychiatrist is able to diagnose her. She needs to talk to the doctor. Make an appointment during winter break.

[Anonymous]

As someone with ADHD and a DD with ADHD, I doubt she has ADHD. I can’t tell you how obvious it is in people that truly need medication. It was obvious in my kid as a toddler. If she does have ADH, which again doubtful, it is very mild. She is just having trouble studying and wants adderall to make it easier. These stimulants are not to be taken lightly. Please google the impact it has on the cardiovascular system and things like sleep and appetite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone with ADHD and a DD with ADHD, I doubt she has ADHD. I can’t tell you how obvious it is in people that truly need medication. It was obvious in my kid as a toddler. If she does have ADH, which again doubtful, it is very mild. She is just having trouble studying and wants adderall to make it easier. These stimulants are not to be taken lightly. Please google the impact it has on the cardiovascular system and things like sleep and appetite.

I have a DD with ADHD and it was not obvious. She compensated until she had a breakdown and her self esteem and confidence were damaged.

OP, if your pediatrician won’t prescribe without a diagnosis, see a psychiatrist out of pocket to start right away. We did the full evaluation that took five months and $3,000 and all it did was waste valuable time in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Her psychiatrist is able to diagnose her. She needs to talk to the doctor. Make an appointment during winter break.

+1. I will also add that it’s the diagnosis itself isn’t the end of the journey. The logistics of the medication (what works, does insurance continue to cover it, does supply chain issues mean it’s out of stock, getting off campus without a car to pick it up) is one thing. Then your kid has to also be the one to follow up with disability services at school if they are seeking accommodations (like time and a half and distraction free test environment) as part of it. The executive functioning support can also be helpful but your child has to be invested in wanting this. There might be an ADHD group class on campus or something available for an extra fee thru the college OR something you may look for outside of school. There is also the social component of ADHD that your child could also be dealing with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone with ADHD and a DD with ADHD, I doubt she has ADHD. I can’t tell you how obvious it is in people that truly need medication. It was obvious in my kid as a toddler. If she does have ADH, which again doubtful, it is very mild. She is just having trouble studying and wants adderall to make it easier. These stimulants are not to be taken lightly. Please google the impact it has on the cardiovascular system and things like sleep and appetite.

I have a DD with ADHD and it was not obvious. She compensated until she had a breakdown and her self esteem and confidence were damaged.

OP, if your pediatrician won’t prescribe without a diagnosis, see a psychiatrist out of pocket to start right away. We did the full evaluation that took five months and $3,000 and all it did was waste valuable time in high school.

Both ADHD and ASD are likely to be overlooked or misdiagnosed for girls.
https://psychcentral.com/adhd/girls-with-adhd#symptoms