Visitor, What is ADD/ADHD and How Do I Know If My Child Has It?

Visitor,

Here is your report:
"What is ADHD and How Do I Know If My
Child Has It?"
(You requested it from AdhdParentingTips.com.)

==========================================

In this report, I have assumed that your child has
been diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit/
hyperactivity disorder), ODD (oppositional defiant
disorder), or Asperger's Syndrome.

These methods work astonishingly well with children
who have many types of disorders.

If you're wondering what exactly is ADHD, and
how to know if your child has it, this is for you.

It's beyond the scope of this report to assess or
diagnose your child. However, it's useful to
understand the process.

First, I'll give you a condensed version, and
then I'll give you the long textbook version.

It's a good idea to print this out.

==========================================

Here's the condensed version.

Most parents look at the standard list of ADHD
characteristics and say, "My kid doesn't have ADHD.
He can play video games for hours."

You see, kids with ADHD can pay attention if they're
very interested.

(They can pay attention in four other conditions,
also, but we'll cover that later.)

Here are some easy questions to ask when looking
for telltale signs of children's ADHD:

•Was your child a colicky infant? Did he cry a lot?
•Did he bite or hit you as a toddler?
•Is your child always chewing on something, on
collars, shirtsleeves, or candy?

•Does he interrupt others often?
•Is he constantly busy, as if he's wound up?
•Does he fidget in his seat, fiddle with things,
and wiggle out of his chair?

•Does he leave the table often at mealtimes?
•Does he prefer sweet foods, breads, crackers,
French fries, corn, and carrots?
•Did he have trouble with playmates in daycare or
nursery school?

•Was he late to walk, speak correctly, or toilet
train, or to tie his shoes?
•Does he yawn and act bored with long talking and
roll his eyes as if to say, "Oh brother?"
•Does he avoid eye contact? Do you often say to
him, "Look at me while I'm talking?"

•Do you need to repeat your requests before your
child complies (if at all)?
•Is he usually the loner in the crowd? Do his
friendships rapidly fade?
•Was he slow to learn to read? Does he dislike
reading and handwriting?
•Does he forget math facts quickly or struggle
with math?

(Yes, this is a list you may not have seen before.
This inside information is why you're here
rather than exhausting yourself trying to find
useful information out there.)

If you answered yes to three or more of these
questions, it's a good idea to read the following
long explanation to determine if you child needs
to be assessed by a medical professional.

==========================================

OK, here's the long version.

Your child's doctor will look at the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
(DSM-IV) to diagnose your child.

The following excerpt in quotes is from DSM-IV
Made Easy: The Clinicians Guide to Diagnosis by
James Morrison (1995, p. #516, summarizing the
characteristics of ADHD. [My comments are added
in brackets.]

(You may not enjoy reading medical mumbo-jumbo, but
most parents find this helpful. So stick with me.)

"Diagnosis in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence
Criteria for Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder

The patient has either inattention or hyperactivity
–impulsivity (or both), persisting for at least
six months to a degree that it is maladaptive and
immature, as shown by the following:

Inattention. At least six of the following often
apply:

•Fails to pay close attention to details or makes
careless errors in schoolwork, work, or other
activities
•Has trouble keeping attention on tasks or play
•Doesn't appear to listen when being told something

•Neither follows through on instructions nor
completes chores, schoolwork, or jobs (not because
of oppositional behavior or failure to understand)
•Has trouble organizing activities and tasks
•Dislikes or avoids tasks that involve sustained
mental effort (homework, schoolwork)

•Loses materials needed for activities (assignments,
books, pencils, tools, toys)
•Is easily distracted by external stimuli [for
example, TV, loud noise, other activities]
•Is forgetful [especially when given strings of
instructions]

Hyperactivity–impulsivity. At least six of the
following often apply:

Hyperactivity
•Squirms in seat or fidgets [hangs down side of
chair, puts knees in chair, slouches, wiggles,
and contorts to avoid normal sitting]
•Inappropriately leaves seat [especially during
meals—slips out of chair onto floor, suddenly
leaves to go see or check on something]
•Inappropriately runs or climbs (in adolescents
or adults, this may be only a subjective feeling
of restlessness)

•Has trouble quietly playing or engaging in leisure
activity [tends to keep adding activities]
•Appears driven or "on the go" [seemingly in a
hurry, no matter how calm or quiet it is]
•Talks excessively [dominating the conversation,
usually forgetting where he left off in the last
activity, very annoyed if anyone interrupts him]

Impulsivity
•Answers questions before they have been completely
asked [often one of the first clues he has ADHD]
•Has trouble waiting turn [for anything]
•Interrupts or intrudes on others [physically and
verbally—seemingly unconscious of acceptable body
space limits and barriers].

Some of the symptoms above began before age seven.

Symptoms are present in at least two types of
situations, such as school, work, and home.

The disorder impairs school, social, or occupational
functioning.

The symptoms do not occur solely during a pervasive
developmental disorder or any psychotic disorder,
including Schizophrenia. [This means you are certain
that these symptoms are not due to another disorder.]

The symptoms are not explained better by a mood,
anxiety, dissociative, or personality disorder."

==========================================
So that was the long version. If this is
sounding more and more like your child, and he
has not been assessed, it may be time to look into
getting him assessed.

ADHD does not go away. Left untreated, it only
gets worse.

For now, I'll close with this tip.

When your child complains about the food you prepare,
and says, for example, "This tastes like poop," rather
than your usual routine, try this.

Take a deep breath, relax, lose all emotion from your
face and body, look him straight in the eye, and say,
"Then that must mean you've tasted poop before. How
else would you know? Interesting."

Then turn your attention to something else, for example,
grab some milk from the fridge, or speak to the dog.
(It is important not to face him down.)

Try hard not to fall down laughing when you see the
surprised look on your child's face.

This is the stunning power of the World-Class One-liners,
six-second pearls of wisdom that you can use to deflect
your child's bad attitude. There are hundreds more where
that came from.

(I can't wait to read your feedback on this one.)

I'll tell you more about one-liners later.

=========================================

In your next installment of this report, you'll
learn about ODD (oppositional defiant disorder).

Meanwhile, please write me with your questions and
concerns. Your feedback helps me serve you better.

Keep practicing what you have learned. By now your
six-second language should feel more natural.

Practice your new improved vocabulary and
assertiveness skills. That's the ticket.

Sincerely yours in parenting success,

Debra Sale Wendler
http://www.AdhdParentingTips.com

PS. Be on the lookout for more useful tips coming
soon. I'm getting lots of requests for repeat
parts of this report.

If you need a repeat, please visit

http://www.AdhdParentingTips.com and sign in again.
Yes, you'll get this series again, but that's the
best way to get repeats for now.

=========================================

You're receiving this message because you requested
parenting tips from http://www.AdhdParentingTips.com.

Please feel fr^ee to pass it on to friends and family.

If a friend or family member passed this along to you,
*you* can get your own copy of this report at:
http://www.AdhdParentingTips.com.

=========================================
Respect Effect® Publishing, Inc.
5114 Balcones Woods Drive, Suite 307 Austin, TX 78759

Please write me at DSW@AdhdParentingTips.com and share
with me your thoughts, questions, and ideas. I read
every message every day.

Or call Monday through Friday at (866)982-4440
from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Central Time.
==========================================

*

*

*

=============================================

Please allow these truths to help you and your
child feel more successful. Denial and
procrastination will only make matters worse.

If you understand the above and (even though the
following action is instant and permanent)...

If you wish to cancel your subscription, simply click once on the link below.
http://www.adhdparentingtips.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-un.pl?c=13059&p=3902