ADHD Diagnosis

As the understanding of ADHD is becoming clearer, diagnosis is becoming more and more important in the classification of children, and to a certain extent, adults. Diagnosis is still not an easy task, however.

ADHD is primarily diagnosed by an assessment of the person's behavioral and mental development compared to the age that they are at currently. While this is more difficult in adults because of the varying ranges, children are more clear cut. When concerning children, the assessment takes into account parent and teacher feedback and concerns, which can help to determine whether this condition is a sudden onset or if this has been a continuous problem. These assessments also help to rule out other neurological conditions such as learning disorders, depression, and anxiety.

There are three main types of ADHD that are defined by the American Psychiatric Association. These are as follows: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulse, and combined type.

Predominantly inattentive ADHD is exactly how it sounds. Your child may present with distraction, lack of organization, poor concentration, and the inability to complete goals.

Predominantly hyperactive-impulse ADHD presents more with hyperactivity, fidgeting, restlessness, and occasion immature or destructive habits. This is often due to the child's inability to keep their mind on one task at a time.

Combined type ADHD is a combination of the two other types presented above. In this case they may present with some or all of the symptoms from both of the previous types.

In order to diagnose a child, the child has to have the majority of the symptoms present for at least six months with few outside affecting factors. For example, if a new baby has come into the house, the child may have a reason to be acting outside of their normal realm of behavior. However, If nothing has changed within six months and the child has most of the symptoms from one type and/or another, they can be diagnosed with the appropriate type of ADHD. 

Now what?

Now that you know that your child has a condition, there are several things that you can do to help them. First and foremost, counselling your child and ensuring that they understand that there is nothing wrong with them is important. Second of all, consult your doctor and determine whether or not your child should be medicated. There are some children who benefit from medication, while others benefit more from counselling from a professional. Contact a company like Carolina Attention Specialists for more information.