ADHD - Diagnosis

     Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder have a neurologic problem in a portion of their brain that controls what is called “Executive Function”. This is the ability to organize, focus, control behavior and consider consequences. These children may have inattentive, hyperactive or impulsive behaviors or any combination of the three. Younger children with ADHD have more hyperactive behaviors. Older children and adolescents with ADHD have more inattentive behavior. Hyperactive behavior is seen more often in boys. The current recommendation is that any child 4 through 18 years of age who has academic or behavioral problems and symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity should be evaluated for ADHD. 

     Because ADHD is basic neurologic problem, the child always has some symptoms. Part of the diagnosis of ADHD is that the child is affected in more than one setting – at home, at school, at play and in other social situations. If a child is doing fine in school but having problems at home, a family problem may be the cause. If a child is doing fine at home but poorly in school, especially in one class, a teacher-interaction or a bullying problem may exist.

     There are a number of different written forms which are used to evaluate ADHD – Vanderbilt forms, Connors forms, SNAP forms and soon-to-be-released DSM – V forms. All of these have similar questions and serve as rating scales which help to determine what kinds of problems and what degree of impairment a child has. To get a clear picture of ADHD, we need to get information from the parents, the child, the school and any other caregivers involved with the child. 

     When considering ADHD, we need to evaluate other problems such as anxiety, depression, behavior problems, learning/language deficits or personality disorders which can go along with ADHD. It is also important to be sure that the child is not suffering from hearing or vision problems, chronic illness, seizures, autism, infection, sleep apnea or any other problem which is not ADHD but can give a child ADHD-like symptoms.

     The most important factor in evaluation ADHD is the degree of impairment. A child may have “a lot of energy” or he may be “spacey” at times, but if he is not able to do the things he wants to do or succeed in the things he is capable of doing because of ADHD symptoms, he needs help.