Do We or Don’t We Want an ADHD “Diagnosis”? Pros/Cons

[Anonymous]

OP here. The issue is that DD’s attention issues are “mild” and she didn’t meet all the requirements for a strong ADHD diagnosis, including questionnaires from teachers. If anything it was ONE parents answers that might take her into ADHD diagnosis category. Otherwise not quite there.

I am not trying to hide anything. I don’t know how I feel about formally perhaps overstating the ADHD when we know she is dyslexic and want to get services for that! It seems as though we can more easily get services for her in public school if we go through both channels. But I am not convinced that DD is ADHD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The issue is that DD’s attention issues are “mild” and she didn’t meet all the requirements for a strong ADHD diagnosis, including questionnaires from teachers. If anything it was ONE parents answers that might take her into ADHD diagnosis category. Otherwise not quite there.

I am not trying to hide anything. I don’t know how I feel about formally perhaps overstating the ADHD when we know she is dyslexic and want to get services for that! It seems as though we can more easily get services for her in public school if we go through both channels. But I am not convinced that DD is ADHD.

Did you do any ADHD testing other than checklists? For example, the TOVA? I wouldn't diagnosis anything based on one parent's checklist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The issue is that DD’s attention issues are “mild” and she didn’t meet all the requirements for a strong ADHD diagnosis, including questionnaires from teachers. If anything it was ONE parents answers that might take her into ADHD diagnosis category. Otherwise not quite there.

I am not trying to hide anything. I don’t know how I feel about formally perhaps overstating the ADHD when we know she is dyslexic and want to get services for that! It seems as though we can more easily get services for her in public school if we go through both channels. But I am not convinced that DD is ADHD.

I think OP's premise is wrong. Having an ADHD diagnosis in addition to dyslexia won't help you get more services in a public school.

You're going to have to fight for dyslexia services regardless. "Mild" ADHD will get you preferential seating, additional time on assessments or assignments, perhaps reminders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The issue is that DD’s attention issues are “mild” and she didn’t meet all the requirements for a strong ADHD diagnosis, including questionnaires from teachers. If anything it was ONE parents answers that might take her into ADHD diagnosis category. Otherwise not quite there.

I am not trying to hide anything. I don’t know how I feel about formally perhaps overstating the ADHD when we know she is dyslexic and want to get services for that! It seems as though we can more easily get services for her in public school if we go through both channels. But I am not convinced that DD is ADHD.

I think OP's premise is wrong. Having an ADHD diagnosis in addition to dyslexia won't help you get more services in a public school.

You're going to have to fight for dyslexia services regardless. "Mild" ADHD will get you preferential seating, additional time on assessments or assignments, perhaps reminders.

Plus, once you get an IEP under any disability code, you get whatever services/accommodations are appropriate. So if OP's DD needs additional time or reminders, she can get those things, regardless of diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand this. ADHD is only supposed to be diagnosed if attention issues are causing significant impact at school. If the child simply scores below the norm, that is not ADHD. I would get a 2nd opinion.

[Anonymous]

Also please tell me who this evaluator is so I can avoid them. I expect professionals to diagnose using their clinical expertise, not leave it up to the parent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also please tell me who this evaluator is so I can avoid them. I expect professionals to diagnose using their clinical expertise, not leave it up to the parent!

I agree with this. We tried behavior modification, different parenting for both kids, and everything else under the sun. We finally settled on a doctor who knew what we should do. We medicated, and now he can learn. I was so anxious about it. Controlled substances for a child? He calmed my fears by emailing multiple studies and research. Now my child is able to calm himself. We still use the strategies we learned while going through this process, but working with this doctor turned everything around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this. ADHD is only supposed to be diagnosed if attention issues are causing significant impact at school. If the child simply scores below the norm, that is not ADHD. I would get a 2nd opinion.

You are incredibly incorrect. ADHD is diagnosed when symptoms are present across multiple environments, not just school and not just significantly. There are also multiple assessments used to diagnose ADHD, some are norm-referenced, some are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also please tell me who this evaluator is so I can avoid them. I expect professionals to diagnose using their clinical expertise, not leave it up to the parent!

I agree with this. We tried behavior modification, different parenting for both kids, and everything else under the sun. We finally settled on a doctor who knew what we should do. We medicated, and now he can learn. I was so anxious about it. Controlled substances for a child? He calmed my fears by emailing multiple studies and research. Now my child is able to calm himself. We still use the strategies we learned while going through this process, but working with this doctor turned everything around.

Do you mind sharing the name of your doctor? We've also tried everything under the sun for DD's ADHD. Actually, therapy seems to cause more irritability. We are also concerned about giving her the ADHD meds but realize that at this point, we have no other option. The plan is to stabilize her symptoms on meds and then pursue the therapy and behavior modification at that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also please tell me who this evaluator is so I can avoid them. I expect professionals to diagnose using their clinical expertise, not leave it up to the parent!

I agree and have to question to quality of the assessment you received. Also, you don't need a diagnosis in order to meet the disability criteria for an IEP. A child need only be 'perceived' as having a disability.

[Anonymous]

OP,
One thing to consider is the longer-term impact of having that diagnosis on your child's record. I'm not anti-diagnosis when it's warranted, but in this case I would weigh the potential benefits (which sound minimal) with the effects that'll follow the child all the way to adulthood.

For one thing, some security clearances may be harder to get if there is a childhood diagnosis of ADD/ADHD - it depends on the agency and level of clearance, but it can come up and cause problems during a security investigation.

It will make it nearly impossible for the child to ever get an FAA medical certificate, if they desire someday to become a pilot (even a private pilot flying for recreation), air traffic controller, etc. The FAA considers any lifetime ADD/ADHD diagnosis - even early childhood - to be disqualifying. You may not even consider this a path your child will take, but do you want to make decisions now that'll limit their options 20 years or 40 years in the future?

I know this sounds really far off and theoretical, but I work in a world where it's a big issue. People come in with a diagnosis of ADHD from 2nd grade, they haven't received treatment or medication since middle school, but it's on their record and disqualifies them from a number of things. Again - if ADHD is truly an issue, I'm not opposed to the diagnosis and these rules are in place to prevent people with severe issues from ending up in a place where it can become a safety or security risk, so I'm not trying to circumvent the rules - but you should understand the long-term consequences of pushing for a diagnosis in borderline cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,
One thing to consider is the longer-term impact of having that diagnosis on your child's record. I'm not anti-diagnosis when it's warranted, but in this case I would weigh the potential benefits (which sound minimal) with the effects that'll follow the child all the way to adulthood.

For one thing, some security clearances may be harder to get if there is a childhood diagnosis of ADD/ADHD - it depends on the agency and level of clearance, but it can come up and cause problems during a security investigation.

It will make it nearly impossible for the child to ever get an FAA medical certificate, if they desire someday to become a pilot (even a private pilot flying for recreation), air traffic controller, etc. The FAA considers any lifetime ADD/ADHD diagnosis - even early childhood - to be disqualifying. You may not even consider this a path your child will take, but do you want to make decisions now that'll limit their options 20 years or 40 years in the future?

I know this sounds really far off and theoretical, but I work in a world where it's a big issue. People come in with a diagnosis of ADHD from 2nd grade, they haven't received treatment or medication since middle school, but it's on their record and disqualifies them from a number of things. Again - if ADHD is truly an issue, I'm not opposed to the diagnosis and these rules are in place to prevent people with severe issues from ending up in a place where it can become a safety or security risk, so I'm not trying to circumvent the rules - but you should understand the long-term consequences of pushing for a diagnosis in borderline cases.

Can you elaborate more? I have never discussed my elementary or middle school records when applying for jobs. How do employers know about childhood diagnoses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The issue is that DD’s attention issues are “mild” and she didn’t meet all the requirements for a strong ADHD diagnosis, including questionnaires from teachers. If anything it was ONE parents answers that might take her into ADHD diagnosis category. Otherwise not quite there.

I am not trying to hide anything. I don’t know how I feel about formally perhaps overstating the ADHD when we know she is dyslexic and want to get services for that! It seems as though we can more easily get services for her in public school if we go through both channels. But I am not convinced that DD is ADHD.

Did you do any ADHD testing other than checklists? For example, the TOVA? I wouldn't diagnosis anything based on one parent's checklist.

Agree with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,
One thing to consider is the longer-term impact of having that diagnosis on your child's record. I'm not anti-diagnosis when it's warranted, but in this case I would weigh the potential benefits (which sound minimal) with the effects that'll follow the child all the way to adulthood.

For one thing, some security clearances may be harder to get if there is a childhood diagnosis of ADD/ADHD - it depends on the agency and level of clearance, but it can come up and cause problems during a security investigation.

It will make it nearly impossible for the child to ever get an FAA medical certificate, if they desire someday to become a pilot (even a private pilot flying for recreation), air traffic controller, etc. The FAA considers any lifetime ADD/ADHD diagnosis - even early childhood - to be disqualifying. You may not even consider this a path your child will take, but do you want to make decisions now that'll limit their options 20 years or 40 years in the future?

I know this sounds really far off and theoretical, but I work in a world where it's a big issue. People come in with a diagnosis of ADHD from 2nd grade, they haven't received treatment or medication since middle school, but it's on their record and disqualifies them from a number of things. Again - if ADHD is truly an issue, I'm not opposed to the diagnosis and these rules are in place to prevent people with severe issues from ending up in a place where it can become a safety or security risk, so I'm not trying to circumvent the rules - but you should understand the long-term consequences of pushing for a diagnosis in borderline cases.

Can you elaborate more? I have never discussed my elementary or middle school records when applying for jobs. How do employers know about childhood diagnoses?

I would also be interested in more details about this. We sought care for DC in 2nd grade for ADHD, that's when the symptoms were severe and she exhibited a lot of physical aggression towards me which is why we sought services from a child psychiatrist so it's documented. Gosh, I'm worried that disclosing all that information to the psychiatrist will hurt her in the future. This is troubling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,
One thing to consider is the longer-term impact of having that diagnosis on your child's record. I'm not anti-diagnosis when it's warranted, but in this case I would weigh the potential benefits (which sound minimal) with the effects that'll follow the child all the way to adulthood.

For one thing, some security clearances may be harder to get if there is a childhood diagnosis of ADD/ADHD - it depends on the agency and level of clearance, but it can come up and cause problems during a security investigation.

It will make it nearly impossible for the child to ever get an FAA medical certificate, if they desire someday to become a pilot (even a private pilot flying for recreation), air traffic controller, etc. The FAA considers any lifetime ADD/ADHD diagnosis - even early childhood - to be disqualifying. You may not even consider this a path your child will take, but do you want to make decisions now that'll limit their options 20 years or 40 years in the future?

I know this sounds really far off and theoretical, but I work in a world where it's a big issue. People come in with a diagnosis of ADHD from 2nd grade, they haven't received treatment or medication since middle school, but it's on their record and disqualifies them from a number of things. Again - if ADHD is truly an issue, I'm not opposed to the diagnosis and these rules are in place to prevent people with severe issues from ending up in a place where it can become a safety or security risk, so I'm not trying to circumvent the rules - but you should understand the long-term consequences of pushing for a diagnosis in borderline cases.

Op here, and THANK YOU for sharing this kind of information. This is the kind of thing I was concerned about, and am trying to find additional information about! As I mentioned, DD’s attention issues are mild enough that the doctor did not want to diagnose or not diagnose her until we were consulted. This doctor is highly reputable and often recommended both in this forum and otherwise, and wanted to assure us that he/she will diagnose ADHD irrespective of what parents want or don’t want if its a clearcut diagnosis. But because DD is so borderline and an ADHD diagnosis can be based in part on subjective data, the doctor wanted to check with us and see how we felt. I actually really appreciate that this doctor is taking the report and it’s potential
Impact on DD so seriously and that he took us into consideration and chose to be more collaborative with us as opposed to declaring an ADHD edict from on high. Full testing was done including several methods beyond questionnaires.