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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I agree with the PP too.  But, the behavioral checklist does have validity.  It was used, in part, to diagnose my DS, who received a comprehensive assessment from a psychologist.  [b]Feedback from teachers and parents is part of the overall assessment.[/b]  My DS was found to have ADHD, which we suspected all along.  The diagnosis and medication has been nothing short of life altering.  My DH and I did not hesitate on consenting to having DS medicated because we knew we were out of options at that point.  We had to try several medications and doses before we got it right and, with the exception of the appetite suppression, which we constantly monitor and know when to bulk up on the food, there have been no discernible side effects.  I have no doubt that ADHD is over subscribed in some cases and some kids are unnecessarily medicated but that is not the case with my DS.  Thank God for medication![/quote]

Exactly. It really doesn't have validity as a diagnostic tool. It can provide observational information from parents and teachers that is absolutely valuable to the professional who will make the diagnosis based on a range of factors. That sounds like what happened in your case. Your son's psychologist likely did far more than just look at two checklists and say yep - the teacher checked x boxes so the diagnosis is ADHD. I have never seen a psychologist who would use the Connors to make an ADHD diagnosis. In fact if you were just using the Connors, you couldn't even need a psychologist. Just add up the score and diagnose.  The problem is that there are family docs and pediatricians who are diagnosing ADHD this way. They give parents and teachers the Connors, add up the score and diagnose based on a total score on a checklist of behaviors that was developed over 40 years ago, when teh concept of executive functioning didn't even exist. When the behavioral checklists are used to diagnose, ADHD is over diagnosed because it simply says that all kids who act like a,b, and c have ADHD. In reality some of these kids have anxiety, some have learning disabilities, some have trauma and traumatic stress reactions, some have early signs of mental illness, some have ADHD. It is irresponsible to diagnose ADHD based on parents and teachers completing a checklist of behaviors.[/quote]

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