grandchild | ADHD Information
my grandchild has all the signs of adhd and has been placed in an observation class how can i find out if he has adhd Have the childs parent or guardian call their pediatrician and ask for a referral for an ADHD evaluation. These evaluations are usually done by a psychologist or a psychiatrist. gettingagrip38197.3144560185Your grandchild's parents can contact the psychology department in writing and request an evaluation be done by the school. They will have a certain number of days to either begin testing or respond back as to why they don't believe it is necessary. If one of your grandchild's teachers would agree to also request an evaluation, he should be able to be tested by the school for free.
They have to request it in writing as there are so many children who need testing that the the school is likely to "forget" that you asked. Once the testing is finished, it is up to the parents to either accept the findings or decide to go further. If they believe the school's evaluation results are not accurate, they have the right to request an "independant educational evaluation" be done by a qualified individual outside of the school. If the school refuses, they have to give you a reason written in the form of "PWN' or prior written notice. This is a very detailed letter which has to cover certain points. It cannot be a cursory "no". If they agree, they will pay for an evaluation done by a qualified individual outside of the school system.
It is up to the parents whethter to do this or just get one done independantly and pay for it themselves. It is expensive so if they don't have good insurance, the school should be the logical first choice. There is also the chance that the school will refuse to accept an evaluation done by someone who isn't on their "approved" list, meaning more testing in school.
So much depends on the school system and their attitude toward special ed services. Many will break the law rather than see that our kids get a "FAPE", free and appropriate education. They are reimbursed for much of the expense but it can take 2 or 3 years for the money to come back to them, therefore they don't like dealing with it.
Good luck. Here is a web site with excellent legal information and a lot of educational information which will explain the process and the laws regarding it.
www.wrightslaw.org Barb
I would ask for a referral from his pediatrician for a complete developmental evaluation either by a team of specialists (children's hospitals usually have a child development center) or a qualified neuropsychologist. I wouldn't just limit it to an evaluation for ADHD, since there are many disorders that have the same symptoms, but differ slightly. Also, even if they confirm that he does have ADHD, there could be comorbid conditions that would also need to be treated. Just explain your concerns and that you'd like to get to the bottom of his difficulties. Let the doctor's determine what's causing the problems.
I wish I had done that instead of going to my daughter's pediatrician to have her tested for ADHD. While my suspicians were right and she was diagnosed properly with ADHD in first grade, we didn't find out until a year ago (end of 4th grade) she also had sensory integration dysfunction (symptoms are VERY similar to ADHD), adjustment anxiety, and LD's in math and written expression after being tested by a neuropsychologist. Early intervention is so important to success rates. While my daughter is getting proper treatment now, I believe she'd be doing so much better than she is had we known about it earlier.
School's typically don't test for ADHD. They can suspect a child has ADHD, or another neurological/developmental disorder, but they would refer you to someone who specializes in that. If, however, he has a lot of trouble in school, than they would be able to test for learning disabilities (although from personal experience, I would still have outside testing done to get the most comprehensive and accurate results).
Good luck with everything!
Maureen
Actually, schools do test for ADHD. They just can't diagnose it themselves. They do a very comprehensive set of tests and you get the written test scores and the evaluator's opinion at the end. My son has had these tests done by the school and anyone who understands them can tell by the scores whether there is a likelihood of ADHD and/or many of the learning disabilities.
You then take these results to a psych or a dr for a diagnosis or/and request an independant evaluation be done by a professional at the school's expense, who can test for co-morbid conditions and specific learning disabilities.
Most people do not have the money to pay for an independant evaluation and many insurance companies won't cover them. I was very impressed with the scope of my son's evaluation through the school. If you aren't happy with the results, you do have the right to go to a neurologist.
My Dr.'s wee also very impressed by the schools tests. It just took me 2 years to get them to do it. They kept saying I needed to pay for this on my own. Don't let them bully you.I think it all depends on the school district is like where you live. I live in a small community where k-12 are all in one building. The school doesn't even have a full time phsycologist any longer. I wouldn't ask them for testing or trust anything that came from them as the person in the psychologist position has changed 3 times in 1 year. The person they had for a long time was very good but they cut the postion from full time to part time due to budget cuts. Now I don't even know who the person is. We used to get letters from them at the beinging of the school year asking about breakout groups we might want our child to participate in and also for suggestion for topics. Now nothing.
The only way to know about your own school district for sure is to check with the school itself.
my grandson is of avarage intelligent but his concentration level is very low, he is very hyperactive, wont listen, he has a speech problem, banged his head a lot up until the age of three, drinks a lot, he is now six years old and i would like to find out now if he has adhd could anyone advise me if these are the symtomshttp://wehttp://www.hacsg.org.uk/bsite.lineone.net/~worceste rshire.adhd
I just realized that you are from the UK. I gave you information based on US law. I apologize. These are sites in the UK who should hopefully give you information on how to get him tested.
He may have ADHD based on what you have told us. The only way to be sure though is to have him tested.
He is blessed to have a grandparent who cares enough to research and look for ways to help him. I applaud you for doing so! 
Barb