Seeking Advice on When to Test/treat for ADHD

I was that child in school and no one pointed anything out until I was in 7th grade. I went to the doctor and was tested and put on medication. I became a different kid. I did well in school, had an easier time making friends and was just a happier person. I wish someone would have said somthing sooner.
If you truly think she may be ADD or ADHD, have her tested. If she does not have it then she lost 1/2 day of school if she does then you can start helping right away before she really has a chance to fall behind in school.
There are a lot of differnt methods of treatment, some don't even require medication.

Dear L.,

Call pediatrics.com for any medical questions regarding children; a dr. will answer you, and WebMD.com for any mecical question regarding adults.

Best of luck,
D. P.

Oh Sweetie... this might sound harsh... but I just have to say it, for the kids sake. Too many parents put their kids on meds when they cant get the response they want from the kids. All 5 year olds are active and they need you. they have an attention span of about 15 minutes, and that is normal !!! If you and your husband are both working full time, and you are taking a full load of classes, then you are both overloaded and are not spending the time with the children that they really need. She may not have ADHD... she may just need attention from mom and dad. Not just a spare hello during dinner. A child that small needs each of you to play with her a minimum of 2 hours a day. She will not be able to develope coping skills and caring skills, or the ability to pay attention to adults outside of home, if the adults at home leave her to her own devices while they are busy with other things. Her big sister cant teach her if the big sister doesnt have those skills either. I am a single mom, and I am in college full time. I purposefully drop my kid at daycare early so I can do my homework at school. when daycare ends at six pm... it is my time to be his mom and there is nothing in my way. I play... i watch cartoons... i color... i build lego blocks and whatever else he needs of me. We cook together and do laundry and dishes together, so that he is not left to his own devices, but receiving my attention even during my chores. Your girls need you to be there every day... not just in your spare time. If you, as the mom, don't have two hours a day to spend playing with your kid... then dad needs to get on the floor and play with her that much more. You have children to raise.... they are more important than anything else. You will never be able to replace this time you are missing with them. work is important so you have money to care for them, but could you go it on one income for a while for the sake of the child? She is acting up in school because she WILL get attention for it.... she is begging for attention ... not medication. Please dont think I am trying to hurt your feelings, but I was from a home where my mom did nothing for me. She never had time to teach me anything. not to cook or clean either. I was lost when I grew up. I was a bad kid all through high school. My life changed when I got out of the house and went to live elsewhere. I went to college and made all A's and made something of myself. I did not have ADHD, I was suffering for attention from a mom who claims she did her very best. She could have done better, she just didnt want to play with me. She didnt want to waste her time playing with dolls and coloring. I can only imagine what a different person I would be if my mom would have sat on the floor at my level and really got to know me and my needs and play with me. Today... I think I am smothering my son because of her.... but when he gets older I wont have a chance... so I am going for it now. Nothing is more important that the children.

You should check into alternatives too if she has ADHD. First of all, diet plays a HUGE role in behavior, believe it or not. These foods exacerbate ADD and ADHD: White flour, sugar, wheat, dairy products, preservatives, food dyes. Move away from prepackaged foods and make more food from scratch. Read labels.
Also, see if there is a craniosacral therapist in your area. It's similar to massage, but lighter, and works on loosening up tight connective tissue, especially that which may effect the brain and spinal chord. Pressure on her brain for instance may be causing these behaviors.
Third, look into homeopathic medicine. Find a homeopathic doctor. They have remedies with no side effects for all kinds of things including behavior and attention issues.
Good luck.

My niece lived with us through a good bit of her childhood. She was the worst ADHD I've ever had to deal with. She was on Ritilin from the time she was 5 and Lithium from the age of 10. It helped some, but she was still impossible. We did the diet thing....milk, beans, peanuts, red dye #40, and sugar were particularly big triggers for her. In fact, red dye #40 caused a specific type of behavior we didn't see at any other time. She's now 25, still acting out, but in somewhat different ways. She still has no impulse control and does some pretty stupid things that get her in difficulty. She's just missing that mechanism that makes one stop and think a second before doing or saying something.

Her 7 y/o daughter acts just like her. Niece finally relented and had her tested earlier this year....after the past 4 years of dealing with her daughter's horrible behavior. She is now on concerta (?) and another medication for the oppositional defiance. It is helping some. She had done okay in school learning wise, but was a behavior problem....she's now doing quite a bit better now.

I hated having to give niece those meds when she was little, and she hated taking them (hence, her waiting so long to do something about her daughter's problem)

My advice: Go ahead and get her tested. Try the meds if the doc suggests it. Add in some counseling if you can--it helps a little bit, too. And do some research on ADHD and diet....'cuz it really can make some difference.

Hi L... most doctors idea of testing is a simple conversation.. I had a hard time believing someone could have a conversation or 2 or 3 with my child and diagnose add/adhd no matter how much experience or education they have.. because children are different in different enviroments. So I found biofeedback. They do a medical test called an EEG that can diagnose a number of disorders, including ADD/ADHD. They basically hook up a moniter to your childs head and give them multiple activities and see how thier brain reacts to the activities. To the child it seems like a computer game. The feedback they get from the test tells them what level add/adhd the child has and helps them proceed with a plan of action.. the child then comes in for biofeedback which helps the child get control of thier thought process. They give them age appropriate activities while they monitor the brain .. and when the child reaches the level of concentration they need for each activity the computer dings so they know they are on the right track and they earn points each time it dings and earn prizes.. the child thinks they are playing a game but they are really learning to focus. It is an alternative to medication that I would recommend you look into and try before turning to medication. Medication is not a bad option, but if this works and medication is not need its was worth the time invested. I looked up your city on google and there are a quite a few biofeedback doctors near you. See

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22biofeedback%2...

This combined with some training they will give you on diet and disapline may be the answer, maybe not but at least look into it. My insurance paid for all of this,except the EEG test that was $400.00 out of pocket and our doctor allowed a payment plan. I hope this helps.. if you have questions that I didnt answer PLEASE dont hestitate to private message me. God Bless!! =))

L.,

My son who is 7 was tested at the beginning of the year and was diagnoised with ADHD. I opted not to have him medicated and the doctor agreed and stated that that would be a last resort. As of last week after a year of NeuroFeedBack therapy I am happy to report after a re-evaluation that my son is no longer showing the same signs that he was at the beginning of the year. He is still showing some of the behaviorial issues and the doctor that he is seeing is going to work with me on helping to control those issues which I am greatful for. I didn't like the idea of medicating my son. I want him to learn to deal with things without depending on medication to make things better.

I would suggest asking your pediatrician for a recommendation for a good child psychologist or pyschiatrist. Someone that would specialize in the area of ADD/ADHD that could test your little girl and tell you what is really going on without jumping to conclusions.

I wish you the best of luck.

S.

I could have written the same exact thing you did but 2 months ago. All through daycare/preschool, we had problems with my son not wanting to sit in circle time, always very active, disruptive, etc... We just attributed it to the center trying to fit a square peg in a round hole - he is just the way he is and not everyone likes to sit still in circle time, and many other excuses. When he works with us one on one, he does great. So we would not entertain the idea of ADHD.
Anyways, fast forward to the start of Kindergarten this year, he was completely out of control, disruptive, not listening. Would always say, "I will behave, I want to listen" but no sooner were those words out of his mouth, he was back to doing the bad behaviors again. He couldn't control himself.
We took him to his pediatrician and you should do the same. The doctor doesn't just talk to you for a couple of minutes and make the diagnosis as a previous poster suggested. What is actually done is your childs teacher has a questionaire to fill out rating your childs various behaviors. Also you fill out a questionaire too and the ped. will look at both sheets and determine, based on scoring, whether your child fits the description. My son scored extremely high in the hyperactivity section (there are also sections regarding aggressive and destructive behaviors which some ADHD kids can exhibit). They started him on meds, the lowest dose possible, then go up if needed. I can't tell you the difference the meds have made for him. He is able to concentrate in class, he can sit still, he is not disruptive to the class which is good, because his poor behaviors not only affected his school work, but can affect his classmates learning as well because the teacher has to keep focusing on him.
So go speak to your pediatrician, if you are not happy with what he/she has to say, then go and get another opinion.
Good luck.

Hi L.,

My heart goes out to you. I have a son who'll be 7 in January and is in 1st Grade. He had a really tough time in Kindergarten for the exact same reasons you explained in your note about your daughter. I had him tested for ADHD at Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville his Kindergarten year. It was in October and I it was probably too early for him to be tested since it was his Kindergarten year. It is recommended that children, especially when it's their first year in school, be tested in the spring. However, my son was having a REALLY hard time and we started noticing issues when he was in Pre-K so I had made the appointment. It takes a LONG time to get, probably 3-6 months, so if you're thinking about it make the appointment. You can always cancel if you change your mind.

I do recommend that you take your daughter to a neuro-psychologist for testing. It is much more thorough than testing that would be done in the school system. I was an educator for 15+ years so I was/am very familiar with school testing. I do not believe paper testing alone can properly diagnose a medical issue such as ADD/ADHD, but that's just my humble opinion. Also, when you see a neuro-psychologist you will know the degree of ADHD and he/she will offer suggestions for treatment, not just medication.

I was hesitant about medicating my then 5 year old so we chose not to go the medication route. Instead, we put him on a great vitamin supplement, which helped, and practiced some relaxing techniques so my son would have ideas of how to calm himself when needed. It has been one year since testing and we are about to go through it again to re-evaluate his attention to see if he is about the same or is having more difficulty focusing.

I work from home and have been fortunate enough to be available to volunteer quite a bit at the school. We made it through Kindergarten, with struggles, and started 1st Grade. However, the issues were surfacing again so I opted to go the FL Virtual School route, which is public school but takes place at home. My son is excelling in school and we can more easily deal with attention issues since there are not 18-20 other kids in the classroom. I don't know that we'll always do virtual school but for now that has been a good option for us.

My son is still not medicated. I was concerned that he would not be able to verbally express to me how the medication made him feel. He is better able to express himself verbally about feelings now so I have not ruled out medication, although I'd like to try every other alternative before I resort to medicating my son. For me it's about him being able to cope with what's going on in his head. Children with ADHD cannot shut down their little brains even when they really want to. Sleep becomes an issue and sleep is SO important. Besides sleep, a very structured routine is helpful. As long as my son, and most children with ADHD, know what the plan for the day is going to be and when things happen they do pretty well. It seems to be change that tends to over stimulate. Change as simple as having someone come into the classroom that is not normally there can be enough to set off the inattention, causing the child to become so distracted that he/she can't focus on the tasks at hand.

When you're going through certain things you feel that you are alone and it is pretty overwhelming. You are just one in a million. I know parents who have a much more difficult time than I do. I'm thankful that my son is one of the ADHD children that has a high IQ. Many ADHD children suffer from learning disabilities of varying degrees and sometimes not completing work is simply caused by the inability to focus on a given task for the appropriate amount of time.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I will be happy to help in any way that I can.

K. Woodlief
www.LiveTotalWellnessToday.com

Well L., it is tricky. My ex-husband had ADHD and many of his siblings had children with the disorder. What most people don't know is that it is a neurological disorder not a behavior or psychological issue. Toxins in cleaning products in the schools can trigger reactions. Also, what most people forget to do is just talk with their kids. Not discipline, just talk. If your child can't identify why they do what they do, that can be a red flag. Also are there others in the family that exhibit the behavior? Usually when kids are diagnosed, a parent starts to identify that they were the same way when they were a child. Start reading and educate yourself. The ADHD label is too easily used for other issues. All the best.

L. - Hi, I have dealt with ADHD/ADD in 2 of my children for over 3 years. They both have different stories to tell.
I honestly believe that what ever is mis-firing in their brains is there from birth. My son has severe ADHD - he was introuble for his behaviors from Pre-K until now (4th grade.) My daughter has ADD - She was the "Tra La La La" girl in Pre-K until 1st grade then she started Concerta and has made honor roll consistantly since, she is BETA Club and does wonderful in school. She had a great teacher in 1st grade and she helped me get my daughter to where she is today.
In a perfect world we would all weigh 125 # and have awsome figures and eat anything we want right? But 1 size does not fit all. I have my son on a restricted sugar diet, fish oil did nothing for him etc. So medication were my option, not a very successful option, but you do what you have to do.

To the people who say "NO SUGAR" on here - my son steals any sugary thing he can get his hands on when he is not at home under supervision! At school he drinks chocolate milk, and eats the same junk all the other kids eat, gets candy from kids, bus drivers, church people. He knows he is not supposed to have it, he knows his sisters will tell on him, he knows I will not be happy with his deception - but he just doesn't care. Sorry I was ranting.

Anyway L. most doctors will not diagnose a young child with behavioral issues with anything! They prefer a non RX approach - sometimes that works - lots of times it doesn't. Just pick your DR VERY carefully.Good luck.
M. F

ADD & ADHD run in my family and my oldest niece has ADD BAD! She is 13 now and my brother and sister-n-law did everything they could to try not to medicate her. Reason being - my brother was medicated most of his young life for ADHD and doesn't remember anything about his childhood as a result of the medicine he took. As a result of my experiences with this and listening to my family members, here are a few suggestions for you:

1) Consider the teacher and her ability to control her classroom. If you daughter is in public school, there are many teachers that just don't take the time to help deal with the issues of this type of behavior (regardless of it being ADD or ADHD). Was your daughter in a strict, orderly environment for Pre-K, where they did certain things at certain times?? Have you spoken to her Pre-k teacher to see if she acted like this during "learning times" then? All I am saying is don't just take her teachers word for it. You may need to speak to others that have taught her or even speak to the principal about switching her to a new classroom with a teacher that is more equipped to handle it.

2) Talk to your pediatrician. From what I know, from family members that are teachers/therapists, 5 is still a little young to diagnose someone with ADD or ADHD. There are many holistic/herbal/non-prescription medicine ways of dealing with this. For example, my niece who has ADD (not hyper) and cannot concentrate or follow directions for the life of her - my sister-n-law will let her drink a cup of coffee in the morning before school and then something caffeinated for lunch. The caffeine helped her focus. Again, all I am saying here is that don't just jump into medication because the Dr. says to.

3) Any my final comment...How many kids does she have in her class? Have you talked to her about the kids and who her friends are or if there is anyone that is mean or likes to exclude her or anyone? I ask this because my son, who turned 6 on September 29th, just started kindergarten (he missed the 9/1 cutoff) as well. There were several weeks in the beginning that he was just awful. I did what I suggested in #1 and talked to his teachers from Pre-K and they said that what the teacher described did not sound like him at all. So, I did what I am suggesting you do now and ask him about the other kids. Come to find out - there was a bully in his class that was excluding my son from everything and would not allow the other kids to play with my some either. My son WANTS to be liked by everyone and is very sensitive when someone doesn't like him! So, he was acting out to get the other kids attention as well as the mean kid because he wanted them all to like him. The sad thing is that everyone does like him but the bully is strong enough mentally to get everyone to play with him and not my son.

One final note - my son goes to a catholic private school and there are only 13 kids in his class with 2 teachers. The teacher was never concerned about his behavior and kept assuring me that we would work it out. By the tone in your message, it doesn't seem like your teacher is giving you the same kind of talk. That is why I recommend speaking to the principal if you find out from her other teachers that this was not the way she acted last year.

Good luck to you! I know this is difficult for you and your family. God only gives us what we can handle and for that I know your daughter will come around.

Happy Thanksgiving and sorry for the book!!

Sam

Hi,
You have come to the right place.
First diet- no sugar- zero zip zilch- none.
References for you are Weston Price. com, and Fiengold diet- both have groups which really help when you are doing something besides drugging your children.
Of course I would wonder what is wrong with the teacher- maybe she has gotten used to a room full of drugged kids and has forgotten how active a 5 yr old SHOULD be.
Next my favorite reference is Yoka Reeder.com- we have flourished with her in put to a wonderful, very happy family with happy kids( and now grandkids.)
Please don't drug your child into being- what easy to handle- what kind of life will that be for her?
I also want to add that their childhood goes very fast, honestly they were little one day and 2 or 3 days later I woke up and they were in college- grown- please don't be so busy you miss it.
I worked too much and am sorry I missed alot.
Best, k

I would really encourage you to have her muscle tested for allergies. Allergies play a huge roll in childrens ability to focus, sit still and behave appropriately. Diet and nutritional support often are the reasons behind children being diagnosed or showing signs of ADD. I know a wonderful woman who can perform a simple test on your child to find out. Let me know. :) ____@____.com

As I have posted on here many times, Read two books..Disconnected Kids by Dr. Robert Melillo and Stopping ADHD by O Dell and Cook. You will understand what you are looking at. Get her into OT right away. Forget about meds. They don't solve the core problem and they are toxic and cause more side effects then any child should have to endure. DO you live in Dade or Broward COunty?

No one is living your exact life so I say take all this advice with a grain of salt. :)
My story is my story and your story is your story. Just decide with your husband what works best for your family.

When my oldest daughter was on her medicine she was a zombie. We learned quickly that something she'd been missing in her life was routine and consistentcy. She'd spent most of her life in fostercare. But sometimes even in "normal" families we get so busy that these things are missing. By changing her diet, disciplining consistently, having set routines, and realizing that not all children fit into the same box we were able to teach her life skills for dealing with ADHD without medication.
She was 8 when she came to live with us but emotionally she acted about 5.
Many teachers are overwhelmed with twenty or more students and when a couple of those children are different it makes for a harder classroom setting. So these children are pushed to be medicated. They are much easier to deal with medicated.
At five your daughter is still learning social skills. She might not understand why she can't hop up and visit a friend. Or why she can't get closer to a book or project the teacher is working on. Five year olds are naturally curious and very hands on. The worst thing we ever did was push kindergarten to a full day and make it a school setting. No five year old is ready for that. Homeschooling is the best decision we ever made for dealing with my oldest daughters ADHD diagnosis and I think it saved my oldest son from it.
My son is six and he learns best moving around. He learned his addition facts by doing jumping jacks. My oldest daughter learns best by getting into the middle of something or working with someone else. Both of these children would be labeled ADHD in school because they are curious and hands on learners. They can't sit and do bookwork for more than 30m tops. And we only got to 30m by training.
This is just what worked for our family and what we have observed over the years. Like I said before you have to do what works for your family.
Good luck!

I am sure alot of people will agree and alot will not but being a mother of 2 girls 9 and 16 I can relate, because when my 16yr old was in kindergarten I had the same concerns and her teacher was pushing me to have her tested. Nothing has changed in this so called disease over the years yet if you look back there are more and more cases of this disorder. Me personally Have To Ask Why? Have we become a society that has forgetten that we ALL act out when we are missing something in our lives. Is there something that your 5 year old could be missing maybe she does not know she is missing it. Talk to your parents did you ever act this way when you were a child and how did they handle it? I refused testing for my daughter and vowed to help her understand the things she was have trouble with and please know that most of the drugs they put your children on whether it be cold medicine or drugs to help them focus all have a negative effect in life. You know I did end up having my daughter tested at the age of 13 or 14 by a psycologist, which is the best and only way to have them tested. Not only did she say that ADHD could be a possibility, she also gave me some tips to help without medicatione. So basically after all my yapping...lol. It boiled down to she did have a hard time consintrating on school when there were other things going on. We also prayed about our decision to help her and I know homeschool both my girls and build my own business in my own time on helping people live a healthier life. It was the road less travelled and she is not perfect but she IS a kid and ultimately they learn and do from us and their surroundings. As I said in the beginning agree with me or not it is up to YOU and your husband what to do, but she IS only 5yrs old. Okay I hope I helped.

Kindergarten is a big change from pre-k. It could be that she's having trouble adjusting or maybe that she is more spirited than some of the other children and her teacher may not deal well with that. Make sure it's not a teacher personality conflict first. I say that because my own child has had ADHD symptoms for a looooong time, they didn't just start in Kindergarten and they wouldn't just appear for your child either. If this is something that just cropped up in Kindergarten and the pre-k teacher never said anything and you've never noticed anything it may be the teacher. Having said that, if you have concerns contact Dr. Eric Tridas in Tampa. He's a developmental pediatrician and will give your child an in depth assessment and his recommendation based on that. My child is currently on medication but he is 9 and we spent years trying every other available option first. It's just my oppinion but I think medication should be the last resort, she may be acting out for other reasons.

Talk to your school councelor. They can help. They can figure out, through testing, if your child is bored, therefore, the lack of attention and talkative, disruptive behaviour. She might need a little more individual attention.She could benefit from a change of diet--less soda, bread, sugar. There are lots of things before ADHD.(And after, too) Good luck

I have experienced the exact situation when my son was this age. She is not getting enough attention from both parent. I know it sounds cold but you(mom) needs to stop school or work until later and give this child more attention and she will be fine. Its lack of quality time she needs. You must make a sacriface. God will make a way. I gave my son medication instead of extra love and attention that he need. I reget it to this day , trying to get ahead I thought.

do you see this at home? does she follow directions at home?
try to get her VERY STRUCTURED at home and see what it is that might be going on.
will she sit and do her homework?
if not, but a little timer and put in on for only two minutes and have her do her work just for that time. then when it dings, tell her to get up and shake around, stretch, etc. then back to the work for another two minutes and so on. after a week of two minutes, if she can handle sitting still for two minutes, increase to three minutes and so on.

if you're not really seeing it at home, could it be she is very advanced and bored in her class?
is she reading and ahead of her peers??

I want to start out by saying that I haven't read any other responses so I'm sorry if I'm repeating what other people have said.

You know your daughter better than anyone else in the world and you obviously want what is best for her. You are the only person that can decide what is right for your child.

I would start by talking to her Dr. and finding out if she does have ADD or ADHD. As a elementary school teacher I feel that ADHD is way overdiagnosed and it might not always be the case. but there are kids that I wish their parents would get them diagnosed!

There are a lot of "cures" for ADHD that do not involve any form of medication. There are behavior therapies (including rescheduling your life and hers which is not always an option for busy families) and more recently different diets that can really play a part on behavior. I don't know all the specifics but I'm sure you can google it or talk to your dr.

If you do decide to medicate your daughter to help her succeede in life (Which is all you want for her) please be sure to stick with it, at least for a little while. The most common reason for taking kids off medication is that they become zombielike. Well talk to the dr and change the dosage. All medications for ADHD can have their doses changed because every child is different and all will react differently. Also please don't wait until the middle of the school year and take them off meds "cold-turkey" this can be harmful for your child (and their teacher's sanity)

Best of luck with this tough decision!!! Remember only you being an active caring parent can decide what is best for your child. Sorry this is so long!

Hi L.,
I definitely understand your concerns, my son is 4 and has been experiencing the same difficulties throughout the prek school year..anyhow #1 does your child go to public school? If so then the program FDLRS is free of charge funded by your county and your daughter will undergo a series of evaluations including hearing and visual. If she meets criteria they will develop an IEP(individualized Education Plan) where it caters to her specific needs and teachers will work with her to help her move forward succesfully. I'm so thankful for this program because my son is currently attending a prek program through the FDLRS program and it really seems to be going well. I would speak with the school counselor or social worker to get information on the referral process. I would also look up the program online to get some more information in the meantime. #2 I'm not sure where you are located but I also took my son to a pediatric neruologist by the name of Tatiyana Dubrovsky..she is wonderful. She does an extensive evaluation with the children...You must have a referral from your child's pediatrician to be seen at her office. Her Office is located in Hollywood Fl phone number ###-###-####. I hope this works out for you...I know its difficult to hear that your child is struggling the way she is but the quicker you can tap into services the better! Good luck.

Hi L.,

New environments not only bring new social issues into play but they also bring new physical issues into a kid's life. I believe that ADD and ADHD are overdiagnosed primarily because we look only at behavior and not at physical and environmental welfare. My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and after I changed some things in my home, the doctor removed the diagnosis. Her behavior changed completely! I removed all synthetic chemicals from our world within our 4 walls. (You can't detox the school.) Her behavior got better and the overall EXTREME benefit was that her immune system was so much stronger she could overcome the chemical stimulation from the industrial chemicals in the mall, the church and other areas we were in. She could focus, she could learn and she could behave.

I'm not saying this is the only culprit but it is a common one. Removing added stimuli that messes with the neurological system is always a good idea. Detoxing is a simple process and it can be quite inexpensive. I'll be glad to share more if you'd like to give it a try.

Regards,

M.

ADHD is just a description of behavior patterns, not a medical condition. Doctors prescribing drugs to manipulate brain states and control behaviors are neglecting to explore WHY a certain behavior pattern has appeared. It can be due to emotional factors, stress, lack of comfort with educational environment, reactions to foods or allergens, lack of sleep, energy imbalances, and more. You'd do better to explore what is contributing to the behavior and maybe see a holistic physician (usually an alternative doctor such as an acupuncturist or chiropractor since regular pediatricians are indoctrinated to give labels and drugs). www.phinsights.com/adhd.html is a page where I've collected info on this subject.

Dear L.,

ADHD is a possibility. I can't tell you what to do, and I believe medication is a very personal choice and a decision that should be made on a case by case basis. Medications can have lifetime side effects for these kids and they are very over prescribed in this country. Some children really do need them though, so I am not totally against them.

As a parent of an ADHD child, and a counselor for SED kids for ten years, here is my opinion;

Don't put the diagnosis in the hands of one person, talk to her ped, see a psychiatrist or psychologist. Try behavior modification and diet changes before medications. This is alot more work than just filling a prescription, but the side effects are life long and positive instead of negative. If behavior modification and diet changes do not help after at least six months of really trying, then consider medication.

Nothing can cure ADHD, but children can learn how to adapt and overcome it. My ADHD child is now 27, she finished high school near the top of her class, and never had medication. (She did have to repeat kindergarden because we didn't have it quite under control yet) It still takes a little more concentration for her to stay focused, but she does just fine.