mctavish23
10-11-03, 06:41 PM
Please read the other 2 threads on Diagnosis first before this one. It will make more sense and save a lot of time,as I don't want to repeat myself if I don't have to.
Almost everyone is familiar with the 9 symptoms of Inattention and the 9 symptoms for Hyperactivity- Impulsivity.If not, please look them over and get to know them.
Let's look at INATTENTION first.This is very hard to see and can be looked at misakenly as being lazy, not caring, just daydreaming.etc. It can also be caused by other things that look like ADHD but aren't. Assuming there has been a thorough medical checkup first and you are aware of prenatal care, family history and developmental milestones, here goes:
1) Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork,work or other activities.
This can be hard to see with little kids. Mainly , I think this shows up in daily schoolwork, tests,chores, etc
2)Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.
Years ago, people thought that if a kid could sit thru a movie or cartoon , then they didn't have it.That's where hyperfocus comes in and has been very helpful.We now know better.
3)Often does not listen when spoken tt directly.
This is where a hearing test is so important to do, as well as knowing the child's medical history., especially of ear problems.
4) Often does not follow thru on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork,chores or other activities(not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand directions)
This is all about being easily side tracked and off task.Often times ADHD kids have trouble sequencing(doing several things in a row).This is an important symptom to consider.
5)Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activites.
This is a huge problem for most ADHD kids and often results in their desk , locker and of course their room, looking like disaster areas.
6)Oftenavoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort(such as homework or schoolwork).
This is also something that is quite common because school is usually not a place where adhd kids are successful most of the time. Also, medications can and do wear off after school(rebound effect), which makes it more of a problem.
7)Often loses things necessary for tasks or activites, such as toys, assignments, books or tools.
I wish I had a dollar for everytime I couldn't find my wallet, glasses or keys in the am...lol. What I usually ask here is if the kid ever does their homework and then forgets to turn it in or loses it . Having some extra time to get assignments turned in and/or giving adhd kids only half as many problems to do so they can finish on time with their classmates, are two excellent accomodations to consider.Research qouted recently at a conference emphasized how giving ADHD kids more time doesnt help because of adhd being such a total disrupter of time management.
8)Is easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
Personally, I think thats a little vague and confusing but again what I try and ask here is about child's ability to stay on task
Keep in mind I'm also observing the kid in either some type of unstructured play in my office or watching how they interact during initial interview, etc.
9) Is often forgetful in daily activities
The key factor here is that this is not about things they necessarily don't want to do but about everything in general.If you have to keep repeating yourslef and end up making lots of lists, then you have a better idea of what is really going on here.
( Remember that 6 out of 9 symptoms are need to help substantiate the diagnosis.Again, that is not necessarily etched in stone because of the category of ADHD NOS(Not Otherwise Specified). This means there are less than 6 symptoms seemingly present but enough to make the clinican feel that ADHD is present.This is good because there are always degrees of severity for everything.
I'm going to stop here and leave Hyperactivity-Impulsivity for another thread.I hope this is helpful and gives you some insight into some of what goes on in trying to diagnose adhd. By no means is it meant to be all inclusive but you do have to examine the symptoms before you can even hint at a diagnosis.
Almost everyone is familiar with the 9 symptoms of Inattention and the 9 symptoms for Hyperactivity- Impulsivity.If not, please look them over and get to know them.
Let's look at INATTENTION first.This is very hard to see and can be looked at misakenly as being lazy, not caring, just daydreaming.etc. It can also be caused by other things that look like ADHD but aren't. Assuming there has been a thorough medical checkup first and you are aware of prenatal care, family history and developmental milestones, here goes:
1) Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork,work or other activities.
This can be hard to see with little kids. Mainly , I think this shows up in daily schoolwork, tests,chores, etc
2)Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.
Years ago, people thought that if a kid could sit thru a movie or cartoon , then they didn't have it.That's where hyperfocus comes in and has been very helpful.We now know better.
3)Often does not listen when spoken tt directly.
This is where a hearing test is so important to do, as well as knowing the child's medical history., especially of ear problems.
4) Often does not follow thru on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork,chores or other activities(not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand directions)
This is all about being easily side tracked and off task.Often times ADHD kids have trouble sequencing(doing several things in a row).This is an important symptom to consider.
5)Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activites.
This is a huge problem for most ADHD kids and often results in their desk , locker and of course their room, looking like disaster areas.
6)Oftenavoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort(such as homework or schoolwork).
This is also something that is quite common because school is usually not a place where adhd kids are successful most of the time. Also, medications can and do wear off after school(rebound effect), which makes it more of a problem.
7)Often loses things necessary for tasks or activites, such as toys, assignments, books or tools.
I wish I had a dollar for everytime I couldn't find my wallet, glasses or keys in the am...lol. What I usually ask here is if the kid ever does their homework and then forgets to turn it in or loses it . Having some extra time to get assignments turned in and/or giving adhd kids only half as many problems to do so they can finish on time with their classmates, are two excellent accomodations to consider.Research qouted recently at a conference emphasized how giving ADHD kids more time doesnt help because of adhd being such a total disrupter of time management.
8)Is easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
Personally, I think thats a little vague and confusing but again what I try and ask here is about child's ability to stay on task
Keep in mind I'm also observing the kid in either some type of unstructured play in my office or watching how they interact during initial interview, etc.
9) Is often forgetful in daily activities
The key factor here is that this is not about things they necessarily don't want to do but about everything in general.If you have to keep repeating yourslef and end up making lots of lists, then you have a better idea of what is really going on here.
( Remember that 6 out of 9 symptoms are need to help substantiate the diagnosis.Again, that is not necessarily etched in stone because of the category of ADHD NOS(Not Otherwise Specified). This means there are less than 6 symptoms seemingly present but enough to make the clinican feel that ADHD is present.This is good because there are always degrees of severity for everything.
I'm going to stop here and leave Hyperactivity-Impulsivity for another thread.I hope this is helpful and gives you some insight into some of what goes on in trying to diagnose adhd. By no means is it meant to be all inclusive but you do have to examine the symptoms before you can even hint at a diagnosis.