Think your child has ADHD? What your pediatrician can — and should — do

ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is the most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. It affects approximately 7% to 8% of all children and youth in the US. As the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) pointed out in their recent clinical practice guideline for ADHD, that’s more than the mental health system can handle, which means that pediatricians need to step up and help out. So, if your child is having problems with attention, focus, hyperactivity, impulsivity, or some combination of those, and is at least 4 years old, your first step should be an appointment with your child’s primary care doctor. What steps will your pediatrician take? According to the AAP, here’s what your doctor should do: Take a history. Your doctor should ask you lots of questions about what is going on. Be ready to give details and examples. Ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your child. Your doctor should also give you a questionnaire to give to your child’s teacher or guidance counselor. A diagnosis of ADHD is made only if a child has symptoms that are present in more than one setting: For most children, that would be both home and school. If symptoms are only present in one setting, it’s less likely to be ADHD and more likely to be related to that setting. For example, a child who only has problems at school may have a learning disability. causing a problem in both of those settings: If a child is active and/or easily distracted, but is getting good grades...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Neurological conditions Parenting Source Type: blogs