ADHD testing ... Help !

[Mrsmorrison13]

Hi everyone

I'm in desperate need of advise .

My husband has a 7 year by a previous marriage and his mother has pushed for a referral for ADHD testing . He has an appt this week at the child and adolescent mental health service at the local hospital which my husband will attend .

To cut a long story short my husband and I don't believe he has a behavioural problem least of all ADHD we believe it's attention seeking from his mother who has a history of depression and almost willing illnesses upon the children for sympathy from other family members.

I guess where I need the help is if there is a small chance he has ADHD and the hospital can make a clinical diagnosis of such backed up with hard answers what questions do we ask at this initial appointment ?

Is there anything that we can bring to the table to ensure the best is done by him and not just needless treatment ?

Thank you

hmmmm well putting your step sons mother to one side I think your husband go to this appointment with a small doubt as to whether or not he does have a problem ADHD can have many forms and severity's and affects children and adults differently no two children or adults are the same with ADHD the doctors/nurses will know if he has this condition and if he needs treatment they wont diagnose him if he does not have the condition

you can ask questions like how will you know if he has ADHD you can inform the doctor/nurse that you don't see any thing that could be related to this condition you can ask how long will the assessment take and how many other appointments they will be before they know for sure and you can also ask them how will this affect your step son

Thank you for replying - it's such a worry. After having spoken to the class teacher and head teacher they disagree with the referral too! If he has hot something then of course we will go to the ends if the earth to help but I just can't see it he is honestly as good as gold for us and has a good attention span Etc. x

I doubt that the drs will misdiagnose, we had similar with my SD but with a different issue, the drs were great, listened to the concerns of mum, but also what dads experience was.

I think he'll be fine.

It's a complex process being diagnosed with ADHD. It's highly unlikely that he would be misdiagnosed based solely on his mothers statements about his behaviour.

I would stick to facts about your step son and his behaviour at the meeting. I would absolutely NOT try to muddy the issue by suggesting to professionals that this is attention seeking behaviour from his mother. I would also at the least go with the open mind that regardless of how he behaves for you or school his behaviour for his mother may be extremely different and if that is the case then it is an issue that needs addressing for your step sons benefit as well as his mothers.

Actually Nigellasdealer, it is not just opinion/labelling. It is a complex process which involves a very involved school and parent questionnaire which is then analysed by computer programme, school observation and therapist observation. It isn't a quick process or an easy label. ADHD is a neurological disability and not just a lazy excuse from feckless, lousy parents.

It is not an easy or quick diagnosis to achieve and the disorder is real and very damaging for the whole family.

Oh, and teachers aren't actually the best judge of behaviour and SEN/SN. A quick glance on the SN board will confirm that. Why not let the professionals trained in that field decide instead?

Just be aware that some kids 'mask' in certain situations, school being a common one. They will then 'let it out' in their safe place. Not saying that your house isn't a safe place of course but if the majority of the time is spent at the mothers that could be where the boy chooses to let go. ADHD also has to present in more than one setting. School may say they see no issue, but the questionnaire may reveal something ( which is what happened with my son) or the mother may have letters written by the leaders in clubs or groups the child attends (like we did ) that backs up the mothers thoughts.

All that said, your dh should go with an open mind and see what they say. He won't get the dx if it isn't present.

Just as a kind side note, probably best not to imply the mother is seeking a dx for attention, it's not very nice.

I agree my fabulous boys. Ime teachers can be quite resistant to sen overall. Which is not helpful at all to the child. Or the parents or indeed themselves as all parties can can access the help they need once there is a dx in place. Parent blaming is common in society and in schools and there really needs to be more education around ADHD as a medical issue, not just a label.

Completely agree nigellasdealer - oh and I'm sorry for the people that feel " it's not quite nice " that I implied that it was his dms problem and not his - I stand by that as it true and I have a document to bank this up thst she's got previous for it !

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your reports.

We don't really tolerate views on the site which suggest that behavioural disorders are invented excuses for poor parenting or to get easily available benefit money.

You can read more about the myths surrounding special needs here, as part of our This Is My Child campaign.

Have people seriously reported this ?

they tend to take opinions of school and parents before diagnosing. ime.
with a questionnaire.

in answer to op

ADHD is a long process which will involve many health care professionals assessing the child.

the child's parents are asked to fill in a questionnaire (Connors) and the school will do the same. if they don't agree with each other then its very rare a doctor will DX ADHD.

I have an almost 7 yr old who was diagnosed last year but he was under the consultant for two-three years previous to this. any questions please me x

Obviously mrsmorrison seeing as posts have been deleted and MN have responded explaining that we don't like unpleasant and dismissive attitudes to children with additional needs round here. HTH.

OP it is highly UNLIKELY that your dss will be misdiagnosed as having ADHD, the diagnostic process is extremely stringent. If anything children are often failed by it and left to flounder.

I am not being dismissive to the children and parents on here who are going through the process or have the illness . If you don't like my post then please don't respond , it's a tough enough time without being bullied for my circumstances

I don't think they meant your post op. the replies that have been deleted would have been the posts they were talking about