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Identifying Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder causes thousands of parents each year to feel frustration, stress and anxiety. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states on its website, www.aap.org, "It is one of the most common chronic conditions of childhood." It adds, "All children have behavior problems at times. Children with ADHD have frequent, severe problems that interfere with their ability to live normal lives."

For many parents, the severity of behavior problems often leads to seek testing, a diagnosis and treatment options. These usually include a combination of medicine, therapy, diet changes and specialized groups. Through these, parents exhibit a roller coaster ride of feelings and emotions, positive and negative, including worry, stress, relief, empathy, anxiety, hope and fatigue.

As defined on AAP.org, "ADHD is a condition of the brain that makes it difficult for children to control their behavior." They separate the disorder into three parts, inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Each one is a group with its own symptoms and facts.

The symptoms for inattention include, losing materials, not completing work, careless mistakes, being easily distracted and disorganization. If a child exhibits these symptoms, and not hyperactive behaviors, he or she may not cause a teacher to notice a problem. Teachers are often the first ones to suspect a problem. These children do not distract classmates, disturb the teacher and disrupt the classroom. In addition, external stressors may be the cause of problems and only a qualified mental health professional can diagnose ADHD.

The next group is hyperactivity, which includes an inability to stop moving, remain sitting, excessive talking, and physical behavior (running, jumping) at inappropriate times. Children, especially younger ones, exhibiting the symptoms from this group can pay attention, and may show signs of impulsivity, which is the focus of the third group.

Impulsivity includes frequent interruption, acting before things issues through and impatience. These children frequently exhibit a majority of the behaviors from all three groups. As stated on AAP.org, "This is the most common type of ADHD."

Identifying ADHD takes time, patience and endurance. A mental health professional will use a battery of tests to make a diagnosis. It is imperative parents, teachers and the child all be involved in the process. Feedback and observation from everyone is also vital. Parents will learn numerous words and phrases associated with ADHD during the identification stage.

The professional will ask the parents, teachers and child to complete forms. Each will have a specific focus. Information from tests, observation, forms and meetings where parents and the child offer insight will help the professional determine if ADHD is present. Parents may need to spend up to two hours during these meetings. The professional may request to meet with the parents or child alone. This is a common practice and nothing to fear.

ADHD is not a giant to fear; it is a manageable disorder. Huge strides towards a better understanding of it take place each year. We can choose to accept it, and seek positive outcomes, or we can let it overtake us. The choice is ours.

Learn more about this author, Patti Mcquillen.
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