ADDing Up The Signs

Every parent wants their children to enjoy healthy and happy lifestyles. If a child falls ill, it’s automatic that the parents will want them quickly diagnosed and set on the road to swift recovery. But what if the child’s symptoms are similar, if not identical, to characteristics displayed by every kid? This is the very conundrum facing anyone who feels his or her child might have ADHD.



Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (sometimes still referred to as ADD or attention deficit disorder) is believed to affect around 4% of children worldwide, and yet some statistics show up to 10% of children in the U.S. being affected by ADHD. This raises the question; are we misdiagnosing our kids as having ADHD when in reality they are perfectly fine and merely displaying the characteristics of youth?



To diagnose ADHD, certain criteria are analyzed such as a child being easily distracted, not finishing homework, and avoiding tasks requiring mental effort. Now think back to when you were a pre-teen, and ask yourself if you didn’t fall into all of those categories. Mix in the plethora of distractions and entertainment options children have today (iPods, video games, Facebook, etc.) and in many respects, it’s a miracle kids can keep their mind focused on a single task at all! Perhaps we are being a little too quick to diagnose ADHD when the reality is the kids are healthy and normal but simply growing up in an ever more fascinating and at times distracting world. Another disturbing statistic is that ADHD is primarily diagnosed using DSM-IV methodology in the U.S. whereas European countries utilize the ICD-10 classification. A positive diagnosis of ADHD is three to four times more likely when using DSM-IV than ICD-10, and that in itself is cause to think twice before declaring a child has ADHD if diagnosed using that method.



If all that wasn’t complex enough, the fact that children develop at different rates further muddies the waters and makes accurate diagnosis of ADHD even tougher. Just because your child shows signs of occasional inattention or restlessness in comparison to his or her peers doesn’t mean they have ADHD. Maybe their brain has advanced quicker than those around them and the schoolwork they are being asked to do is too easy for them and thus can’t hold their interest. Alternatively, your child might be slightly behind the learning curve and their supposed ADHD is nothing more than their frustration at not fully grasping what is being taught to them.



You’re not going to have your kid put into a cast or splint just because they hurt their ankle while playing, so why jump to the conclusion they have ADHD just because they are behaving like kids behave naturally! However, if your child persistently shows traits of ADHD, then it’s time to look a little closer. If your child really does have ADHD, it will be evident in at least two or more settings (school, home, in peer groups, etc.), and also the symptoms will be strong enough that they are causing conflicts within these environments. In addition, they should be noticeable for over six months, and the symptoms themselves must number at least 6 from a predetermined list of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. These lists can be readily found online. If your child still fits the pattern at this stage, it is time then to consult your doctor who can conduct an evaluation. Even at this point, a trained physician might conclude that your child is merely in the throes of youth and in no way considered ADHD; so don’t assume that a trip to the doctor is simply to confirm the worst.



Remember, your kids are young, they’re having fun, and their brains are developing at startling rates and in incredible ways that medical science doesn’t even fully understand. Showing signs of hyperactivity, loss of concentration and a predilection for distraction don’t necessarily indicate ADHD - that also reflects a perfectly normal childhood.