Reply to ADHD even if processing speed and working memory in normal range ?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Mine has fine working memory and processing speed and raging adhd [/quote]
Ditto[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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 [/quote]

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.

[b] I’m confused as to what makes you or anyone think she has adhd? 
If she is actively not attending then that is a type of regulation deficit yes. 
If she is attending but not retaining then adhd may not be the core issue. But I am not a dr [/b]

[/quote]

What exactly is meant by "emotional regulation"? Does anxiety count, or is it only things like outbursts or expressing frustration in negative ways? Is it a question of internal regulation, meaning they rarely get upset about small things, or does it refer only to inappropriate external expression of typical emotions?

My inattentive ADHD kid looks cool as a cucumber on the surface, so teachers never know when she's losing focus or getting frustrated. She learned really early how to avoid drawing attention to herself in school. Even the psychologist who tested her said that she breezed through every test without ever showing any frustration or loss of attention, even when the scores showed otherwise, and she herself commented on how hard some of it was afterward. The tester said this is really common, especially with girls with inattentive ADHD.

She's definitely had her share of anxiety, especially as expectations increased and she had trouble meeting them no matter how hard she tried. But I'd never characterize her as having trouble regulating emotions. If anything, she has an iron grip on them, to avoid anyone trying to sympathize or be nice to her when she's upset. When she was little, she hated that more than anything. Still does, I guess, but it's less of an issue now because she can hide it better. Her dad and I know to just give her space when she's upset, and she'll be herself again in a bit. [/quote][/quote]

I got lost in the thread here, but I think the bolded is replying to me here? I'm the PP who asked for a definition of "emotional regulation."

Yes, she's frequently inattentive at school and home, can't follow multi-step directions, consistently has trouble finishing or turning in schoolwork, does well on complex assignments but makes careless mistakes on easy tasks, all the usual things. Based on her test scores for the WISC-V, WIAT-4, TOVA, and a bunch of other tests for executive function and working memory, she was diagnosed as 2e: gifted with inattentive ADHD. The tester said it seemed to be a classic pattern of a bright kid being able to compensate until demands and home and school started increasing with age.

But the term "emotional regulation" used in this thread as an important element for diagnosing ADHD was throwing me off, because I couldn't figure out how it might fit my kid, whose diagnosis seemed pretty spot-on. A good definition for the term might help me understand a bit better. The bolded PP's term "regulation deficit" made more sense to me.[/quote]

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