Teacher thinks 7yr old DD has ADD - advice please

[NotANaturalGeordie]

My DD has always had trouble concentrating - she failed stage 3 swimming because she couldn't concentrate on the lessons, her reception and yr 1 teachers both commented on her excellent behaviour but that she was 'away with the fairies'. She doesn't misbehave (not really) but she gets distracted all the time. She can't get dressed without supervision, she can't eat a meal, etc.

If she does have ADD, do any of you know what happens now? I have agreed to her being assessed.

Hi OP
Are you going through the GP yourselves or are school referring her on? factsheet here about who can dx.

thanks cornsyilk. The teacher said she will get the school's special needs co-ordinator to assess her but I am considering taking her to the GP. What do you think?

SENCo can give her opinion, but she can't diagnose!

The SENCO can't assess for ADD but will be able to assess her academic ability. The SENCO will also be able to observe how she responds to the assessment process which could provide useful information.
It might be a good idea to wait until then before going to the GP as you may have more evidence of the nature of her difficulties.
But really that depends how concerned you are about her at the moment.

Ok, I'll take her to the GP then. Can anybody tell me about the difference that medication could make?

I'd go through GP and ask for a referral to someone who can DX. Still see the SENCo as if she's also concerned that will add weight. ADD needs to be in more than one setting, if I remember correctly.

X posted - you think I should wait for the SENCO then? DD2 is already 'under' her for hypoxia seizures and she seems nice....

Depends how long you have to wait to see SENCo! Sorry, no experience of medication.

She has problems concentrating all over the place but we never thought there could be a diagnosis for this. I feel really bad about all the yelling ...'just get on with it' and so on.

it depends how long she's going to take about assessing her! If it's not in the very near future you could make an appt with the GP now.

is she underachieving?

Yes, she's starting to. Her reading is good, we practise spellings every day and the teacher is pleased with her maths but she is not doing enough work, she doesn't complete tasks, she requires extra supervision to ensure she knows what to do.

Eventually, hopefully, you'll see a paedetrician who can dx ADD.

Medication is then one of many options you then have.

Often people don't start with medication. But use it when they have tried everything else.

At this stage, I really recommend you try her on multivitamins. For some kids with ADHD / ADD they make a huge difference.

You need Omega
Zinc & Magnesium
And a general multivitamin

It's very, very, very likely she's deficient in Omgea, Zinc & Magnesium. And if she is, then these vitamins should help a lot.