A:Identify OR eliminate A.D.D. / H.D.
If you feel your child is showing signs of A.D.D. / H.D. (How to tell) Short attention Span, Impulsive behaviour and, or, hyperactvity. There are several steps you can take, since most children show some of the signs at some time, ask yourself if the particular behaviour you are concerned with is persistant and your child exhibits such behaviour in most settings:- Home, School, Play, Social outings.
Consult with your childs teacher (A.D.D. is often but not always most visible in the classroom), Freinds parents, and activity leaders. They may want to complete a checklist on the signs of A.D.D. / H.D. It is important to keep in mind that some children show symptoms and behaviour similar to children with A.D.D. / H.D. when they have learning problems stemming from other causes
Proper clinical diagnosis of your child's condition can obviously be made by a member of the medical profession. But he / she cannot make an acurate diagnosis without a background history. It is therefore esential to keep AN ACCURATE DAILY DIARY of events where a behaviour giving you concern can be assesed in the context in which it arose. I.E. what preceeded the incident. If you can gain the support of your childs teacher(s) to do the same this will be of great benefit in ensuring a reasonably quick but above all accurate diagnosis.
Talking to your G.P>, Piadiatrician, physcologist, should
help you asses where you stand, But at all times remember that
if you feel, you have a genuine concern then you are right.
After all you have lived with your child 24 hours a day since
birth, after 1 or 2 1/21 hour consultations in a controlled
environment who knows the child better.
If necessary seek a second opinion, you may find your local
support group a good source of support
and information. You don't have to go through it alone.