ADHD Diagnosis

[PrincessKsMom]

A friend believes her daughter might be ADHD, seems to have all the symptoms. Where do you turn for a diagnosis? Pediatrician? School?

Thanks!

 

[jmartinez1895]

Our pediatrician did the diagnosing for us. The way our doctor does it is that you make the appointment to talk about your concerns and they mail you a form to fill out that has questions about your child and a form for the childs teacher to fill out. You bring these to the appointment and based on the info and exam the doctor made a diagnosis and we started meds.

 

[KristenFNJ]

My son was diagnosed by a pediatric neurologist. The evaluation process was actually started by the school, informally in kindergarten and formally in first grade, and part of their full scale eval was to have me take him to a ped. neuro. specifically. Some pediatricians will make the diagnosis, while if you're in an area with a greater volume of specialists they may recommend you see and developmental pediatrician, neuropsychologist or neurologist. The neuro we saw had me fill out the Vanderbilt scale and performed several quick reflex exams and performance tests. As far as I know, this was not a very thorough evaluation! LOL He's not my favorite doc, even though he is very highly recommended. So, while a neurologist can give you the diagnosis you need for school, they might not be the best all-around choice for the child's adhd care. I'm trying to get into an amazing developmental pediatrician (who's on maternity leave! ack!), as I think they have more advanced knowledge of special needs than a regular ped (even though we love ours) but will focus on the whole child (unlike the neuro).

 

[SmallWorld71]

Just an FYI, a school can not diagnose ADHD as it is a medical diagnosis. The child's teacher is often asked to fill out forms (as PP mentioned) and they certainly should be consulted about how the child is functioning in school and they should be made aware if the child starts meds so they can watch for any problems, but the school can not diagnose.

 

[Lumiere Lover]

Your Pediatrician should be able to render this diagnosis. Our son has been diagnosed AD&D, and once you find the right mediciation, it makes a big difference.

I wish you lots of luck, I know this situation can be very stressful. Once your child get medication, watch for sleep pattern changes, and hunger loss.

Good luck to you and your family.

 

[KPeveler]

I suggest getting your pediatrician to send you to a specialist for the testing. When I was diagnosed, it was by a specialist who made sure they looked into the type, as there are different kinds which need to be treated in different ways. I am an unusual one in that I was a 15 yr old female who got diagnosed with the combined type.

Finding a therapist or an OT or someone to work on coping skills and the psychological side is just as important as medication therapy.