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Obtaining An Accurate
ADHD Diagnosis

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Obtaining An Accurate ADD ADHD Diagnosis...

At one time or another many healthy children will exhibit ADHD symptoms.

Children are naturally full of energy and many children find it challenging to stay focused while in school.

But it is very important for you to understand that an accurate ADHD ADD diagnosis can only be performed by an experienced health care professional, after a detailed ADHD assessment and full physical examination is performed.

Although there are many ADHD ADD checklists available that outline typical ADHD behaviours, an ADHD ADD diagnosis should never be administered by yourself, teachers, or child care providers.

An accurate ADHD ADD diagnosis goes well beyond ticking off symptoms from a checklist. If you are concerned about your child's growth and development you should seek further counseling by discussing the matter with your doctor.

Interviews And Assessments Involved In An ADHD ADD Diagnosis

In an attempt to perform an ADHD ADD diagnosis on your child, a health care professional will first study your child's medical history.

The health care professional will want to know details of your child's prenatal care and birth and will need a full history of your child's mental, physical and emotional health.

The health care professional will then gather information about your child by conducting various assessments. Your child should be given a personal interview as well as a written assessment.

You, teachers and other adults who have close contact with your child will fill out various Behaviour Ratings Scales and assessments so that the health care professional can get a full understanding of your child's typical behaviour, as well as how those behaviours affect your child's life at home, at school and in other social situations.

ADHD ADD Diagnosis Requires A Physical Examination

An accurate ADHD ADD diagnosis requires a full medical examination of your child. ADHD symptoms may actually be caused by other medical conditions.

Vision or hearing loss, low blood sugar, diabetes, thyroid problems and lead exposure are all medical conditions that cause behaviour symptoms that could lead to a misdiagnosis of ADHD.

Before an ADHD diagnosis is made, your child should also be given an assessment for learning disabilities. Some learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, can also be misinterpreted as ADHD.

ADHD symptoms often mimic the symptoms of other disorders. These disorders include depression, anxiety, autism and bipolar disorder.

In some cases your child may have co-existing disorders. It is important that an ADHD diagnosis incorporate a complete outline of your child's potential challenges, so that the best possible treatment can be given.

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