| Before a child enters school most parents will see | | | | Tourette's syndromem) Sleep disorders (sleep |
| signs of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity | | | | apnea and snoring can lead to hyperactivity) |
| in their toddler. The question "Is my child | | | | The tests to diagnose ADD and ADHD which are |
| immature, full of energy or do they have ADHD?" | | | | a very diverse source of information, includes |
| The only way to know is to have a specially | | | | studying the child's behavior during situations that |
| trained ADHD pediatrician, child psychologist or | | | | require self-control, noisy or social situations such |
| social worker perform tests to diagnose ADD and | | | | as parties, or during tasks that require continued |
| ADHD. There isn't one single test for ADHD but a | | | | attention, like reading, math problems, or playing a |
| variety of exams are used to make a distinction | | | | board game. A professional will interview the |
| between ADHD, learning disabilities and mood | | | | child's teachers and parents, and may get in touch |
| disorders. | | | | with other people who know the child well, maybe |
| ADHD behavior that may have similar signs and | | | | a babysitter or coach. Parents are asked to |
| symptoms can be the result from various | | | | explain their child's behavior in a variety of |
| reasons. An experience professional will explore;a) | | | | situations and may also be asked to fill out a |
| Sudden change in the child's life (the death of a | | | | rating scale to indicate how severe and frequent |
| parent or grandparent, divorce, the job loss of a | | | | the behaviors seem to be. |
| parentb) Undetected seizures (petit mal or | | | | If the test for ADHD is confirmed, the child and |
| temporal lobe seizures)c) A middle ear infection | | | | family can start to receive whatever combination |
| that causes irregular hearing problemsd) Medical | | | | of educational, medical, and emotional treatment |
| disorders that may affect brain functioninge) | | | | may be needed. The professional will provide |
| Underachievement caused by learning disabilityf) | | | | recommendations to school staff, seek out a |
| Anxiety or depressiong) Hearing or vision | | | | more suitable classroom setting, select |
| problemsh) Home and school environmentsi) Social | | | | medications, and help parents manage their child's |
| adjustmentj) Mental healthk) Hyperthyroidisml) | | | | behavior. |