Diagnosing ADHD- does anyone know how?

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I went to my DS parents evening and they have once again highlighted his difficulty in paying attention and settling down to work. We have always suspected that he may have a form of ADHD but mainly the hyperactive part of it as he has always had so much energy, and finds it hard to sit still. He is otherwise an amazing child, very kind and caring, amazingly loving to everybody its just his inability to control himself.
I suggested to the teacher that I was thinking about getting him checked for ADHD and she was very agreeable, almost think she was hinting at it but couldnt say it, not sure why.
Anyway, am going to take him to the doctors but was just wondering if anyone else has been through this and how they go about finding out if he has or hasnt got it. Thanks x

Think GP needs to refer you to developmental paediatrician, but if you post this in Special Needs you'll probably find someone else whose DC has ADHD.

How old is DS? I think if he is over 5 it may be a Pscyciatrist who diagnoes through CAMHS. But go to see your GP and they will know who to refer you to. Maybe go with a list of your concerns and DS probably won't need to be present.

It is a good idea to find out early if he has any condition so if at some point in the future he needs more help at school it will be a big help in getting a Statement of special needs. I don't have any experience of ADHD (my daughter is on the autistic spectrum - although this may be similar) but I think they do Connor's rating where they give questionnaires for you and the school t fill in.

Also it might be worth asking his teacher or the SENCO about getting the Educational Psychologist in to observe your DS, they can advise on classroom strategies etc.

yes, ask your GP to refer son to local CAMHS -child and adolescent mental health services-by the way, dont take no for an answer, if son sits smiling sweetly in GPs surgery and GP says, dont see a problem. i have son with ADHD who can be loving, but is VERY VERY active and has no understanding of his emotions-hes now 13yrs old, so you can imagine what fun that is... and people say the terrible twos are bad. the teacher is not allowed to say any condition they think child may have(its in handbook-p2-twenty things teachers are not allowed to say to parents, but would like to),but, youll probably find, that if son has diagnosis, shell say, oh, weve thought that for a long time... let us know how you get on.

Hi I have something similar. I have always joked about DD being ADHD but knows how to channel it into her singing and dancing 24/7. However she has just started secondary school in September and there is a lot of aspects of this she cannot cope with. That is if we can get her to school. The school asked me in for a meeting about this and has scince been seen by CAMHS via GP with the school writiong a letter. School, GP, my sons social worker from the disability team and CAMHS have all mentioned ADD and ODD. DD is similar to Bigpants DS so probably has gone overlooked I just think as she has got older it's harder for her to cover.

Thanks for all your replys, am going to take him to see the doctor next week and try to get this sorted out at last!
Bigpants1 - I knew the teachers seemed pleased that I had suggested getting him tested, thought they were hinting at something that they couldnt actually say. You mentioned your DS having no understanding of his emotions, would you be able to tell me more about that (if you want to), its just am worried about my DS in that area. Thanks again.

A clinical psychologist will ask you (the parent) and your ds's teacher to complete the Connors' questionnaire to determine whether your ds meets the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis. The questionnaires are tailored to take into account the different contexts of home and school. A clinical psychologist will then analyse the results and advise whether your ds meets the criteria for a dx or not.

My ds was assessed as described above. He exceeeded the criteria but he was not dx because we didn't want to medicate him and it seems that unless you do, you don't get the dx.

An overview of Connors is here but there is lots of information about it on the Internet:

www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Conners-Rating-Scales-Revised.html

hi, sorry, havent been keeping up with thread. W hen i said about my son having no understanding of his emotions, i am saying, that even at 13, he is still unable to vocalise what is bothering him or making him anxious, so we get an ott reaction to everything- usually RAGE.He is bright, but just seems to shut down, if anyone mentions anything to do with emotion,eg, what made you feel like that,or, how do you feel about that,or, does that upset you,etc,etc.His eyes will lower, and head, or, particulaly when younger, he would change the subject, or start squiming, or sliding off seat etc. Still does now, but will also fiddle with any object to hand. He was also dx with Aspergers last year.We have tried for years to try and get help for our sons lack of emotional understanding-only now, are the CAMHS team tackling this, and they say it could take years to change his understanding. The problem is, he doesnt have years, and already has high levels of anger and aggression. So, if you are concerned, discuss this with whichever professional the GP refers you onto-i would not want you to end up in our position.let us know how you get on, and if i can help-ADHD is something i am passionate about-not that youd ever have guessed. Also willing to discuss medication if you get that far.

To MannyMoeAndJack, dont know which part of country you are, but that doesnt sound right. I am in scotland, and know parents whose children have been dx, but made the decision NOT to medicate. I will check SIGN guidelines,(scottish equiv. of NICE guidelines), but am sure to get a dx of ADHD, you do not have to agree with medication. How can you meet criteria but then not be given dx? Do you know anyone else this has happened to? I know medication is a personal choice, but could i ask you why you didnt want to?Sorry, know this isnt SN site, but wanted to help.

My ds 6.5 was dx ADHD but not medicated .... this does not sound correct to me either. His dx has helped him get more help at school and no-one has ever suggested to me he has to be medicated to receive this dx. After a lot of discussion as to what was best for him, we have all chosen other methods of behaviour 'handling' (don't like the word therapy). Medication is the last thing we would turn to. Our GP and other prof involved in the dx support this approach.

Hi thanks again for your replys. Took DS to Doctors yesterday and they are referring him to an educational psychologist, not really sure what that is. Think they want them to assess him and see if he meets the criteria to be assessed for ADHD! If that makes any sense.
The Doctor once again commented on how DS can sit and have a conversation and not be tearing up his office light most ADHD children he has seen. Not sure how accurate this is or if its a bit stereotypical. Yes he can sit there with a stranger and talk to him but hes nearly 9 and knows that he was there to discuss his behaviour.

Bigpants1- Thanks for being so helpful and describing your DS to me, there are certainly a few similarities between your DS and mine. I have also noticed DS struggling to control his temper lately and this worries me. Hes not the type to lash out but he seems unable to control himself or pull himself out of his temper tantrum. He gets so frustrated when hes playing on his computer that he starts screaming and kicking things around, then when you tell him off he just doesnt seem to be able to calm himself down. I dont know if this is just 'normal' behaviour but Im very worried about him, especially now he seems to be not doing so well at school because he cant concentrate.
Thanks again for your advice, hope everything goes ok for you and your DS

well ADHD is a spectrum disorder (in psychology speak!) which means you can have different 'levels' of it so to speak. So just because your son can sit still sometimes doesn't really indicate anything much. Don't forget GP's are not specialists. The Ed psych will be screening to see if your son will be referred for a full assesment. As everything costs money and most CAMHS services are a bit streched they adopt a stepped approach and so you don't jsut get access to all the serices from the get go.....hope this helps

Thanks that does help. I dont think my DS has got the most severe form of ADHD if thats what he has got so it makes sense what you said about the different levels. Its hard to explain to the gp what symptoms DS has (especially as he was there- felt a bit disloyal to him), but I just no deep down that hes different to other children, just the way he is, the way he responds to things.
I also have a 1 year old DD and even though shes still young, the difference between them is already obvious. She is very calm, very focused, where as he was just like a whirlwind at her age, still is really!