My 7 year old son’s teacher shared that she feels that my son has an issue focusing and that we should go see a doctor to rule out ADHD. We have several friends that have recently received a diagnosis of ADHD. It feels like doctors are “labeling” kids more and more these days. How do I know if my son’s “active” and “energetic” personality is something to be concerned about? Can you share some signs it could be ADHD? What is the best age to take a child to be tested?
Your pediatrician can absolutely help you determine if your child meets criteria for ADHD, and offer treatment if necessary. A very sensitive and specific screening tool called the NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment scale should be filled out by both yourself and your son’s teacher. This tool is a very useful diagnostic and can help parse out if a child meets criteria for treatment. Children who have ADHD are either hyperactive, impulsive, and/or inattentive and these behaviors have a significant impact on both social and academic functioning at school and home.
