ADHD referral form help

[Choconuts]

My YR1 DS(5)'s teacher has recommended that he is referred for assessment for ADHD it is something we have wondered about before and she has known him and witnessed his behaviour for 4+ years due to older sibling at the school.

I am taking this as a positive but wondered if anyone knows the process and also what should I put on the form? The box for parents comments isn't very big and the teacher has only highlighted the signature area so I'm not sure how important our input is at this stage. We are in Wales if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance

My daughter was diagnosed at 7 (she’s about to turn 18) and we’re in Wales.
It was a quite drawn out process for us, as they assessed her for dyslexia and dyspraxia first (ADHD in girls is commonly missed).
From what I can remember, we saw a paediatric consultant and we’re then asked to fill out the Connor’s questionnaire, which is the standard ADHD assessment form. It is completed by both school and parents separately, over a period of a week, to see where and when behaviours are displayed.

It sounds to me as though you might be at the pre-assessment stage, to see whether an assessment for ADHD is appropriate.

It would be great for you to have some support from community paediatrics. However, I was told assessment and diagnosis for ADHD isn’t really possible until 6 years. But they might make an overall assessment and consider all conditions which may contribute to behavioural issues eg autism / ADHD ?

Thanks for the replies. He will be turning 6 soon so I assume the school is getting the ball rolling. Yes it sounds like the very first stage as it was more about our agreement for the referral than answer specific questions.

It's brilliant to hear from others you have been in the same situation. He is also struggling a lot with his writing and reading but seems to be doing well at mental arithmetic. Can problems with writing be linked to ADHD?

@Choconuts

Thanks for the replies. He will be turning 6 soon so I assume the school is getting the ball rolling. Yes it sounds like the very first stage as it was more about our agreement for the referral than answer specific questions.

It's brilliant to hear from others you have been in the same situation. He is also struggling a lot with his writing and reading but seems to be doing well at mental arithmetic. Can problems with writing be linked to ADHD?

My 6 year old is quite academically able. However his writing was quite poor. It has improved now he is on medication - both the actual writing and his ability to concentrate and write a story in class - and I did read it is common to see an improvement on medication.

Our parental consent form for an ADHD referral is 17 pages long and covers everything from scans, through labour, and delivery, to weaning, family history and so much more! And that's before you actually get to see a paediatrician 😂

We are in Wales and had DS assessed at the same age. We ended up being referred to Barnardo's to make sure it wasn't a parenting problem before being put on the list to see a consultant!

I made a list of times/situations/settings that DS behaviour was a concern. I did it so that I didn't forget what I wanted to say in the assessment but the specialist said it was really helpful as it demonstrated that it wasn't just 'bad behaviour' or 'lack or rules/boundaries'. The teacher assessment was also key so it's great that your school are supportive.

DS was similar to what you describe - clever but unable to sit & commit it to paper.

I was concerned about medicating DS as you hear lots of horror stories and I didn't want DS to lose his personality. I was also concerned about being judged. A friend of mine said to me that I didn't have to justify why I give him meds but I might one day have to justify to him why I didn't. She also said that I could stop them if I didn't like the effect they had.

DS is now 13 and is thriving at school. He is a complete geek. We don't medicate at weekends (has it's ups & downs!!) but he does need them to focus at school. I won't lie - the meds route hasn't been plain sailing (particularly when he was on a non-stimulant med) but we are in a really good place now.

Feel free to PM if you have any questions or want a handhold - it's not always easy !

Yes to reading and writing issues - DD has dyslexia and dyspraxia traits, which are common co-morbids with ADHD.
She uses a laptop now, because her handwriting is so poor.