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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP again, and a PP was correct.  We took DD to be tested because she was struggling with writing and spelling, and we have an immediate family history of dyslexia. She was definitively diagnosed with dyslexia, as we suspected.  The attention testing was done hand in hand with the full neuropsych test, especially because dyslexia and ADHD are often comorbid. We are in the process of trying to obtain an IEP for her for dyslexia, and the doctor said that because her attention testing results were borderline, we could also include an ADHD diagnosis based if we wanted. However, as noted above in the immediate post, after a lot of discussion with family, friends, trusted teachers, doctors, and therapists, we decided that we want to focus on the dyslexia diagnosis because it was certain.  We will re-test for attention issues in the future, if we see her continue to struggle even with appropriate dyslexia interventions.

I do think it is extremely important and helpful for people to understand the cons of a diagnosis.  We often look at these things in a vacuum, especially when we are so focused on advocating for our kids and fighting for the best services possible. I know several kids who are borderline ADHD and whose parents really pushed to get the formally diagnosed.  I do think it is overdiagnosed. And maybe some of these parents are not aware of possible long term ramifications, especially if a child is borderline or the diagnosis is somewhat inconclusive.  I did not know that it could be disqualifying for her to get a security clearance or other type of clearance in 20-30 years! That type of info needs to be shared more readily![/quote]

your approach kind of rubs me the wrong way. Your kid already has a learning disability; but it seems like you view ADHD as more stigmatizing. Focus on what your kid needs, not the incredibly distant possibility that she won't be able to be an FAA certified pilot some day. (I'd only imagine dyslexia could be a concern there too ...)[/quote]

Op here. You don’t know my child and you don’t know what she may or may not need. Not every kid who is “borderline” for attention issues may be ADHD based on the largely subjective analysis. Why “round up” so to speak, if it could potential disqualify a kid from certifications down the road when she may not even have ADHD. If the doctor was that remiss to diagnose and ask us, then it could go either way. You do what’s best for your child, and I will do what’s best for mine. And that is to be conservative with a diagnosis that *may* create lifelong disqualifications for her! There’s no harm in getting a second opinion or retesting her in a few months elsewhere, once we start working on supporting the dyslexia. Maybe her attention issues will resolve or improve once her ways of learning shift and she grows more confident. Why jump to a diagnosis that is clinically borderline or subclinical. If my cautious approach “rubs yourself I the wrong way...” oh well. [/quote]

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