Understanding What Your Health Clinic Offers

Posted on: 26 August 2015

If your child has trouble focusing and is easily distracted, there is a chance he or she might have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but there is also a chance your child is just a normal child. Young kids tend to have many of the symptoms of ADHD, even though they may not have it, and there is not a single test that can diagnose the condition in kids. You can always bring your child to a healthcare clinic like Rainbow Pediatrics to discuss your concerns with a doctor, and here are two things the doctor may look for.

Symptoms

The first thing the doctor might ask you about is the symptoms the child is experiencing. Kids with ADHD often have the following problems:

• Cannot sit still – ADHD causes kids to have trouble sitting still, paying attention, and focusing. Kids with ADHD will squirm around a lot, play with anything they can get their hands on, and look around when any type of noise is made.
• Has trouble finishing projects – If your child cannot seem to get a simple piece of homework completed, or finish a simple household task, it could be a sign of ADHD.
• Gets frustrated easily – Kids with ADHD may also act very emotional over very minor issues. They can get frustrated easily, have loud outbursts of crying or yelling, or they can seem angry or sad most of the time.

Your doctor might also use an assessment to help diagnose the condition. The Vanderbilt Assessment Scale is one tool doctors use, and this helps diagnose ADHD based on 55 questions relating to the disorder.

Length Of Time This Has Been Occurring

Another thing your doctor will discuss is the length of time you have noticed these symptoms. Some kids may demonstrate all the symptoms of ADHD, yet they may not really have the condition, which is why time matters.

If you have noticed all the symptoms for at least six months, it could represent a problem. If the child has just started acting out in these ways, the symptoms might be caused by a single problem the child is currently going through.

If the symptoms have been occurring for at least six months and the child has a large percentage of the common symptoms, the doctor might recommend a Neuropsychiatric EEG-Based Assessment. This test measures certain brain waves, and this test can help diagnose the condition. Kids with ADHD often have higher ratios of the measured brain waves than children without ADHD.

Kids with ADHD can succeed in school and life with the right treatment. The first step is getting an accurate diagnosis, and you can do this by scheduling an appointment for an ADHD evaluation at your local healthcare clinic.