I have a silly question | ADHD Information

First of all, there's no such thing as a silly question. :)

I will attempt to shed some light and I'm sure someone out there will correct me if I am wrong.

I believe what takes place is a professional (usually a child psychologist) will ask the diagnostic questions as outlined in the DSM-IV.  They will usually interview the parents, ask for input from teachers and other family members.  They will meet with the child, talk, and observe on several occasions.  A complete physical is often recommended to rule out other causes and a complete family history is also warranted.  Only after these things take place can a professional make a thorough and accurate diagnosis.  And this could take several months.  Any doctor who claims they can "test" your child or diagnose them after one or two visits is clearly doing you and your child a grave disservice.  THERE IS NO TEST FOR ADHD!!!  The professional can EVALUATE.  (I scream these words because so many times people say "my child has been tested for adhd" and that's incorrect terminology)

Sometimes people will have MRI's or other types of brain scans done on their child to see what's going on in there.  But these are not necessary for an accurate diagnosis.  They can help with other learning or behavioral problems that could be aggravated by the ADHD.

Diagnosis for ADHD is not to be taken lightly.  ADHD is a serious condition that lasts FOREVER!  It is a lifetime commitment - first by the parents and later by the child himself. There is NO CURE.  Symptoms can be managed and coping skills can be learned.  To make a diagnosis on a young child and to have that child carry that with them for the rest of their lives is a huge deal.

I was diagnosed as a kid with "hyperactivity".  After three years of treatment with medication, I was taken off the Dexedrine and spent the next 35 years fumbling, stumbling, struggling in and out of chaotic and stressful situations.  Had my ADHD been properly re-diagnosed and managed, I might not have had all those difficulties.  It has only been just over a year since my re-diagnosis and while it hasn't been an easy year, I've learned so much about this condition and myself.  I have improved in so many ways, learning new coping skills and just knowing this about myself makes such a difference.

I'm sorry to have gotten off on a tangent but my point is, I hope noone takes a positive ADHD diagnosis lightly and prepares themselves for a lifetime of treatment.

I hope I've answered some of your inquiries.
< =text/>_popupControl(); For us, and I think in general, ADHD diagnosis is observational rather than quantitative.  There isn't a blood level test or something measurable to go by. It's all questionaires and computer tests testing length of attention span and the observations of a (hopefully) well-trained professional. It's also important to rule out other things (like diabetes). My dad had Parkinson's, which also lacks a definitive medical test, so lots of other things were ruled out and what was left standing was the answer. It's the same kind of thing.

how is adhd REALLY comfirmed?

my son took an EEG and blood work and a computer test, the eeg and the blood work were normal, so other then the questionaire i filled and his teacher filled out, thats it!

Thats when we were told he has adhd, so am I missing something, is there something else out there that should diagnose him or is that it?

I think the EEG and blood work probably allowed the doctor to rule out other causes.  Good question though. I am looking forward to the answer.

There are many physical parts of the brain. So when it comes to the personality functions it all become a collage of activity. All the parts are there, but how well they work in concert makes up our personality.

As we grow from infants to adults there are many changes in speeds of brain chemistry. Were born with instinctive feelings  , but as we learn and know things our feelings also change. We may be frightened by an ant as an infant. Then as a toddler we may take see them and take great joy when stepping on them. We learned to use what we KNOW to control how we feel.

Some ADDers brain chemistry still has a strong connection to our primal instincts . So our feelings cause us to act impulsivly before what we KNOW has a chance conger the right feeling. So all the parts are there, but chemistry is faster or slower that NTers (Normal Thinkers) I've been reading that the hyper group has more grey matter and the inattentive group less grey matter in the frontal cortex , but its not definitive. Many NTers have the same structure. There's more going on than just connections. Also ADHD presents itself differently throughout life. As a young student it may be difficult to stay focussed at school. Also because the frontal cortex hasn't matured until 12-17 school children with Adhd  tend to be more impulsive making decisions on how they feel rather than what they know. CBT  has been around for 60 years in one name or another changing slightly. It does help children LEARN, CHANGE, GROW. To help be guided by adults on exporing thier feelings  and connecting them verbally from inpulsive behavior to more cognitive decisions.

For young adults Adhd presents itself with a challenge to not self-medicate. To not try and get an emotional boost from a pill or drink. I abused caffiene myself. When An ADDer uses self meds its usually to compensate. Thing is the medical community has  been trying for years to use drugs that help but don't damage or worsen syptoms.  Some of us need stimulants , but we also need good restful sleep.

For older adults especially the Inattentive ADDers  the feelings that build internal stucture can be missing. For so long thinking based on impulse reactions weve coped or just survived into adult culture  without any planning. Worse is that without social structure isolation can lead to depression.

Late in life esteem becomes a very big factor. If still relying on primal emotion when reacting . The older ADDer can seem Bitter and unorganized in thought.

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It's hard to test for something when there are no pieces missing. So the test is currently done by observation.

On the horizon MRI may use a magnetic gas that is breathed in. Rather than a liquid injection. This is tens of years off , but will be able to watch body chemistry as it happens.  So a diagnosis can obtained in a day  and a complete and accurate diagnosis could be made over several months.

With  yearly check ups managing med dosages by seeing the med chemistry at work.

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I cant emphasize enough how much structure and planning help keep esteem issues out of the equation. Using time managment to guide through pruductivity rather than feelings based on inspiration.

IMHO

Waiting for strong feelings in order to doing something is a curse.

As children our parents can make us do things by ordering us - nagging.

Or parents can help us build plannig and time management skill.

They can also help us by assisting us to understand our emotions. Especially the emotions were impulsive about.  

 

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Thing is it's no one's fault. the brain chemistry I'm talking about happens in 12 milliseconds for primal feelings and 24 milliseconds for weaker cognitive feelings in NTers.

It's where the phase "Their brains are wired differently" comes from.

This is why I cringe when someone says "It went away" LIFELONG to me means at sometime soon after conception. Not suddenly at 5 or seven. Experienced Adhd care giver may spot it earlier but the symptoms dont appear til 3,4,5 because the brain just hasn't developed to those milestones to be judges by obsevation. So it shows up in school most commonly.  At school a child acting inpulsivly an non-conforminly to structured activities.  While a NTer environment is settling in for reading the ADDer child may still be reacting to feeling to walk around and play. The tell tale sign that we become enraged and unable to listen cognively. As this happens for all children from time to time. The ADDer is constantly in trouble and not feeling emotionally attacted to thier routine.

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MY opinions are not accurate 

 While I try not to pose inaccurate information out to people seeking accurate information. It's best to get a professional opinion.

 

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Luvmykids0240129.8794444444Unfortunately there are no definitive medical tests for neuro biological disorders, another example would be Alzheimer's . Other tests do indeed rule other things out and a diagnosis of ADHD is made based on symptoms, observations and an astute clinician who can recognize the distinctions, not similarities that would  lead to an accurate diagnosis of ADHD. The only silly question is the one not asked