ADHD or dyslexia

[BergamotMouse]

Posted in SN but it's very slow there so trying here.

I think my 6yo daughter might have ADHD. Some signs we see at home are
Excessive energy, likes spinning type of movement.
Struggles to eat dinner, lack of focus, plays with cutlery etc.
Claps and stomps during activities where she needs to be still such as when we brush her teeth.
Can meltdown. Was very common reception and Y1, less so Y2 but still happens. Over tiny things but it's like she's chosen that thing to get all her emotions out, can get so furious she's nearly sick and will try to hurt us (again, much less common now)
Can't follow instructions like go up and get dressed unless it's something she really wants to do.
If asked to put shoes on she will sit beside them and stare into distance.
Very intense with animals, she loves them so much but doesn't seem to appreciate their limits.
Struggles to focus with reading, will flick back and forth in a book, pointing out discrepancies in the pictures etc.
Her writing and spelling is below where it should be.

So I contacted school about the spelling and they are going to screen her for dyslexia as they think she is showing signs. They see no signs of distraction at school, she is calm and focused.

I looked into dyslexia and wondered if this would explain these other behaviours which I linked to my thoughts on ADHD?
Any experiences or tips would be appreciated.

I can only speak for my own experience, but I struggled with a lot of these things at school. The school screened me for dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia and I didn't have any of them. My writing and spelling were pretty normal though, but my mathematical abilities were absolutely disastrous. I'd frequently get 0/10 or 3% in maths tests when I was in older primary.

I was diagnosed with textbook ADHD at the age of 33.

I wouldn’t rule out both. There is often overlaps between multiple conditions. Best bet is to get her screened by the school for dyslexia, then decide if a diagnosis for either would be best going forward.

It sounds similar to girls sitting somewhere on the autistic spectrum, try national autistic societies website. Features of ASD commonly include, dyslexic/attention/sensory/stimming/dyspraxic traits amongst the cluster of behaviours. There is loads of advice and guidance, maybe ask for a referral via GP to CAMHS for assessment, speak to school about educational psychologist observation. Find out what school are seeing and if these behaviours are across the board or just at home. Girls tend to learn how to mask socially and can meltdown to decompress at home,sometimes schools don't see the full picture but support is out there, parent groups can be very helpful for your own needs too.

ADHD rarely appears alone. She probably has both.

I have ADHD and dyscalculia.

Thanks, school definitely don't see any behaviours which make them worry about her concentration. I'll see what the screening comes back with and feel like that gives me a bit of an in with the senco.

She is quite good socially and has a close group of friends so I'm not sure about ASD. She's happy to be put in any new situation E.g. can go to a new group no problems, just waves me off at the door.