Your child's teacher says that you need to find out if your child has ADHD or not. What do you do? Here are some tips from the ADHD Information Library.
First, find a clinician, a Psychologist, or Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist, or Psychiatrist, who has a good working knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD or ADHD. Most mental health professionals do NOT know much about the disorder, even if they tell you that they do. During my formal training in psychology at both the Master's level and the Doctorate level I received about 15 minutes of training on ADHD. Find an expert in your community.
Ask parents at your local CHADD meeting about who the best doctor and the best therapist in your area are. Then call your local psychiatric hospital and ask for either the Children's Unit or the Adolescent Unit Charge Nurse. Ask the nurse who the best doctor and therapist for treating Attention Deficit Disorder are. Once you have a name or two, call the professional on the phone and give them a two minute interview.
Keep the phone call brief. They are busy people too. Ask them questions such as, "What percentage of your practice is with Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD ADHD children or teens?" "How many years experience do you have in treating ADD ADHD individuals?" "How do you do a diagnostic work-up for Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD ADHD?" and "What treatment options are you familiar with in the treatment of ADD ADHD?" Based on their answers you will know whether or not you will want to work with them.
Read this entire ADD Information Library web site. Once you have read the 80 or so pages of information at that site for parents you will be ready to meet with the professional who will do the assessment, and perhaps the treatment. If the professional seems to know more than you do (after you've spent time preparing) then that is a good sign. If they seem to know less than you now do, then that is a bad sign. Why pay money to someone who knows less than you do?
Find the Expert -- do what he recommends -- and pay him what he's worth.
Ask to have a thorough assessment done, including a parent interview, a child interview, parent and teacher rating scales, and TOVA testing as appropriate. Emotional conditions that could also be causing ADHD-like symptoms must be ruled out.
If the diagnosis is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder what should you do?
Never give up YOUR responsibility as your child's parent to any professional (medical, psychological, or educational). If they are experts, get information and opinions based on their experience. Trust their judgment and learn from their wisdom. But YOU are the parent. Once your child or teen has had a good work up, and you have a "righteous" diagnosis you will have a lot of decisions to make regarding treatment. But always remember that YOU are the parent.
It is YOUR job to get all of the information that you can from the experts and make the decisions regarding your child's treatment. No professional will ever love your child as much as you do. Educate yourself until you are an expert! Read lots of books, vist each of the ADHD Information Library's family of web sites, talk to lots of people who know what they are talking about. Subscribe to our newsletter. As Solomon said, "My son, get Wisdom and Knowledge." You need to become an expert NOW!
Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.
How To Teach Adhd Child - Effective Teaching Techniques For Adhd Students
Approximately 3-5% of all children in the US currently suffer from ADHD which translates in real terms into 2 million children, and this quite a significant number. Despite this however, there is a very real lack of awareness or understanding on the part of schools, and teachers which means that children with ADHD are treated unfairly. It is not uncommon to hear teachers asking ways in teaching a student with adhd, teaching techniques for adhd or even the question on how to teach an adhd child
What is the Difference Between ADHD and ADD
What's the Difference Between ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)?When you look at the last couple of years many different terms for infants, adolescents and adults with ADHD have been introduced. They were mainly influenced by American descriptions of the classification system DSM-IV:ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
is the term utilized in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) diagnostic criteria.
Facts And Thoughts About Depression And ADHD In Children
ADHD means Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and it?s a condition that appears in some children and might affect their childhood, and even a large part of their life. The main thing that this syndrome does is that it doesn?t allow children to pay attention to what?s happening around them, or sometimes it is manifested by not being able to control their behaviors.
In Response to Recent Survey on a Natural Remedy for ADHD, NourishLife Announces a Free Sample Give-Away
Due to a lack of public awareness concerning the relationship between omega-3 deficiency in children and ADHD, NourishLife is giving away free samples of Learn - its omega-3 product specifically formulated for school-aged children.
ADHD: Some Survival Strategies for Parents
In our last issue we posted some of our suggested Survival Strategies for parents, and then asked readers to contribute some of their thoughts or tips. Since this newsletter is already running pretty long, I'll only list a few of them below.
How Big of a Problem is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - "ADD" or "ADHD" - affects between five to ten percent (5% - 10%) of all children in the United States, and three to six percent (3% - 6%) of adults. About 35% of all children referred to mental health clinics are referred for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, making it one of the most prevalent of all childhood psychiatric disorders.
The Reticular Activating System, and its Role in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
In our last article about the neurology of ADHD we began to introduce the reader to the system in the brain known as the Reticular Activating System. The Reticular Activating System is the "attention center" in the brain.
Chair of UC-Berkeley Psychology Department Endorses Legacy Parenting's 'Total Focus Program' for Behavior Management of Children with ADHD
Noted psychologist, Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, Chair of the UC-Berkeley Psychology Department, officially endorses the Total Focus Program for children with ADHD, a comprehensive child behavior program developed by Dr. Robert Myers and distributed by the Legacy Parenting Company.
Natural Remedy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD
Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex neurobehavioral disorder of higher brain functioning. ADHD is common among the disorders that get affected in childhood and adolescence.
ADHD - Sleep Difficulties, Procrastination and other difficulties related to Job Stability
Statement: My intent in this newsletter is to express as quickly as possible my own beliefs and opinions on matters. I have no problems with people who disagree with my opinion and have even been swayed to rethink my position from time to time.
Inattentive ADHD: Just Like Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD. In other works we have called this "Space Cadet" style ADHD.
Some Thoughts on Counseling Goals for ADHD
What should the goals for counseling be when the patient has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
Every therapist will have their own opinions, but I'll give you some of my thoughts.
First, it is important to teach the child or teen with ADHD how to recognize problems and how to solve problems.
Long-Term 12-Month Safety Data Presented on ADHD Patch DAYTRANA (Methylphenidate Transdermal System)
Study Shows ADHD Patch Provides Tolerable and Effective Symptom Control.
Diagnose And Understand The Symptoms Of Attention Deficit Disorder
Millions of children throughout the United States suffer from attention deficit disorder in one form or another. Symptoms of this problem include impulsive behavior, hyperactivity, and inability to pay attention for long periods of time. You may also hear this chronic disorder referred to as ADD or ADHD. It can continue on into adulthood, causing problems with daily life, poor self esteem, trouble interaction, and bad performance in work or school.
A Medical Professional Explains How Caffeine Causes ADHD, Mental Illness and More
Ruth Whalen, a medical professional in Massachusetts, survived a 24-year-course of medical misdiagnoses and caffeine poisoning. Turning her harrowed experience into a positive one, Ruth educates the public about the dangers of caffeine and how medical and psychiatric doctors mistake caffeine's effects for ADHD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and more.