The very most important thing to do when a teacher first suggests that they are "concerned" about your child is to educate yourself on all aspects of ADD and ADHD. The "concerns" are usually voiced at parent/teacher meetings several times before the subject of ADD and medicating are even mentioned.

I am very certain that there are children who do really have ADD and could perhaps be helped with the aid of medication. I am just as certain that there are many who are diagnosed with symptoms that are similar but have causes other than ADD.

Let me tell you about my very imaginative and free-spirited now 13 year old.

In Kindergarten, her teacher was "concerned". At a parent conference, I was told that my daughter could not recite the alphabet correctly. What? That was just absurd. My daughter knew the alphabet front and back prior to entering school. She also could spell her name and do simple addition and subtraction! My daughter was in the corner playing as I talked to her teacher. I called her over. I said ,"Please say your ABC's." She looked at both of us and sheepishly opted to recite them correctly.

This same teacher was also "concerned about her imagination. She told tall stories of being raised by dinosaurs.

This girls imagination was never-ending. In third grade,I got called in for a meeting. As always the teachers were "concerned". "What now!", i thought. I nervously
sat myself down in the small chair bracing myself to hear why my child did not "fit in". I was quite surprised to hear the teacher inform me that I had corrected the problem! See, at home she was constantly putting on my glasses and saying she "needed" glasses. After taking her to an eye specialist and realizing that she did not in fact need glasses,I decided to play along and buy her some plain glass glasses. I feared that her wearing my glasses would hurt her eyesight.Unbeknown to me
she had been telling her teacher that I refused to get her the glasses she needed.
they assumed that it was a financial need and were prepared to offer me some help.
The teacher showed me work before and after the fake glasses! She was shocked to learn the glasses were fake as the work showed a very obvious distinction.

In fourth grade, her teacher was also " concerned". She suggested testing for ADD.I decided to end this story once and for all. If my daughter did in fact have a disability, I did not want to be an ostrich.
I opted to get to get her tested outside of the school

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