Possible ADD?

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is different from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as it does not contain the Hyper component. There are coping mechanisms that can be done before resorting to medication. Try diet change, and memory skills. Encourage her to keep a calendar and use lists to keep organized. Keep in contact with her teachers too. Parent involvment is always welcome even at the higher levels. Good Luck!

Is she a senior... if she is going to college .. keep her moving in the right direction.. Puberty brings so many distractions all by itself... just stay focused on college if she is going next fall...

L.,
My 16 yr old daughter is ADD and my 14 yr old son is now being evaluated for ADHD.

If you have your suspicions, a simple questionaire can be filled out by yourself and her teachers regarding her behavior and work 'ethics' during school.

You can obtain this questionaire from your daughter's doctor and give the school's portion to them to be filled out by each teacher she has a class with.

Once this is filled out, you can take the findings from the school along with your part and bring it back to the doctor for discussion.

There are neurologists out there that specialize with ADD/ADHD issues - perhaps you should take the questionaire to him/her instead.

Just to let you know, there are other alternatives out there instead of prescription medications. You can control her diet, and also go the 'herbal' route - which is what I'm chosing to do for my son. My daughter takes prescription medications right now - but she has other mental health issues that require medication - so she also takes medication to help her with her ADD.

If you'd like to know more on the diet or herbal route, feel free to contact me directly.

Good luck :)
M. R.

This sounds like a typical teenager to me. I don't know about ADD but I think most teens become disinterested in school at some point or another.

Someone I am very close had this happened. She didn't realize she had ADD until she was 40 years old! She is currently on medication - adderal perhaps, for it and it has changed her life significantly.

Some of her symptoms/life experiences that now in retrospect makes sense were: Could never ever ever, regardless of the consequences, keep her bedroom clean, highly intelligent but grades did not reflect that, dropped out of college-too much for her, felt disorganized constantly.

Go see her doctor. S/he will be able to make the proper diagnosis. Good luck.

A.

hi L.-

My husband has ADD and was not diagnosed until he was 19 years old, so it is not always the case that a child will exhibit it early on. ADD and ADHD are not the same diagnosis, and they will present differently. ADD/ADHD are both more prevalent in boys, but that is not to say that girls don't get either disease.

You say that your daughter has a desire to go to college, which makes me think she is aware of the problem? Does she have difficult on timed projects (ie,, tests in school?) That would be a good indicator.

The best thing you can do for your child is set her up with an appointment with a psychiatrist who can evaluate her and determine whether she is indeed ADD. If not, perhaps there is another underlying issue that needs to come to the surface.

Good luck to you!