by Jennifer Johnson

Created on: February 15, 2007   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

The only way to know for sure that your child is ADHD is to have them tested. From my experience as a parent raising two children who are ADHD, every child is different. Each child will present symptoms differently. Girls are often more difficult to diagnos. They tend to be less hyper active then boys. When my daughter was diagnosed last year, I had no idea that she could be attention Deficit. She followed directions and her attention span seemed normal she could spend long hours watching TV and playing outside. However, she struggled in class. Often unable to follow along in reading assignments and tended to shutdown when she became overwhelmed. My son shows more signs of impulsivity then my daughter, he's very unorganized, has a difficult time following directions and often has to be reminded to stay on task. Both of my children are well behaved, neither have been considered behavior problems at home or at school. A lot of children who are diagnosed with ADHD have a dual diagnosis. For instance my son has also been diagnosed with a Nonverbal Learning Disorder. Sometimes it can be difficult to diagnos ADHD when accompanied by another learning disorder. Other learning disorders can mimic the symptoms of ADHD. Making it important to have the child tested to be sure you are treating the right diagnosis.

After testing is done,and your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, they can lead a very normal life. It is important to teach an ADHD child how to cope with this disorder. Medication can do wonders, helping them to focus and stay on track. It can make them less impulsive, and help them stay in their seats. Its also important to know that medicine is not a cure all. These children need to be taught self control. They need to know that there are choices to make and consequences for their actions; with or with out medicine. So many parents blame their child's inability to behave on this condition. When the real problem is that these children have not been taught how to cope. Developing a consistent routine, making sure that the child understands action and consequences, helping to develop organization skills, using visual reminders to stay on track, and braking things down into many small steps are just some of the things you can do to teach these children to be successful now and when they are adults.

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