my oldest is... | ADHD Information

many girls with ADD (primarily inattentive type) are not diagnosed until middle/high school when things become more demanding.  My dd is also 14 and I had much trouble convincing others that her problems needed to be addressed.  Her disorganization, forgettfulness and lack of focus were often written off as laziness or lack of interest. I was the person that she cried to and the person that had to deal with the missing hw and the forgotten books so I figured it out pretty early but had nobody else to back me up, especially since she was able to get decent grades.  HOWEVER...she gradually went from being a straight A student (with much help at home) to getting Bs and Cs with the same amount of help.  Her 80-85 average was made up of test grades ranging wildly from 100 to well below failing and until recently her grades did not reflect missing and late hw-- she was allowed to turn it in late for full credit but had to serve detention for multiple late hw's.  She also had some trouble with reading comprehension.  She read fluently but didn't seem to recognize the most important points when reading and had trouble organizing information for reading.  She is incapable of using a calculator (she loses focus when glancing back and forth to the paper and pushes all the wrong buttons or writes down the wrong answer)  She was finally diagnosed at 12.  Now that she is in high school she is having more difficulty.  Naturally they expect her to be more responsible, independent, and self-motivated

I found the book Understanding Girls with AD/HD by Kathleen G. Nadeau very helpful in figuring out what was happening to my daughter.  It really gave me some insight into what she was feeling and why the problem was not so apparent to others.  When it comes right down to it, many girls lack the hyperactity that disrupts the classroom and their problems are overlooked
thanks koko!  yes, her history teacher, who btw, emails me everyday w/progress reports, mentioned something to me about a reading comprehension problem.....thanks backtoreality!!  that is exactly my daughter too!  i will defintely read that book.  i thought it was my fault...  i feel great about getting her tested!being tested by our neuropsych for adhd...she is not hyper in the sense where she is 'into everything', like my youngest!  but she is immature & talks alot in school & out....her grades have all dropped &her history teacher has brought to my attention that she may have a reading comprehension problem....anyone else not found out until teenage yrs.?I found out much earlier because my child was male and had more obvious symptoms.  I've often heard and read that ADD or ADHD is harder to recognize in girls because they don't show the severe behavior problems that often boys present with.  Teen years seem to be a fairly common time for mild to moderate disabilities with ADD, because of the higher expectations of school work, and sustained mental energy it takes to complete the work.  I would recommend academic testing for reading issue.  Good LuckHas she or her teacher mentioned attention issues? Ad/hd shows up in girls more as they get older. They are not usually as hyper.

I didn't start having trouble with adhd until middle school, although my kindergarden teacher told my parents that I would be an underachiever because I watched everybody. Mine went undiagnosed, since I'm so old!

Your are a great mom to check things out! Best wishes! thank you!