How do you know if your six year old is ADHD?

My daughter is constantly running around, incessantly talking, and laughing. She primarily ignores you when you tell her to do something unless you threaten her by taking something away. She is extremely bright..(she is in kindergarten reading on a third grade level). She is very hyper and quite frankly, I am always yelling at her which I feel guilty about Please help!

Hi Stacy L -

Let me offer a different perspective here. As someone who works with children and families affected by ADHD, there is a lot of information that people aren't being told.

ADHD characteristics (also known as symptoms) can and do appear in a lot of different medical conditions, mental health conditions, and plain old "normal" child behavior.

You describe a very bright child, and while most children with ADHD also tend to be bright, I want you to consider the possibility that your daughter's "behaviors" are because she is bored or simply cannot express herself any other way possible.

Remember, at age 6 - her vocabulary and understanding of the world is very limited. Imagine how you might act if you had so much to say and share but couldn't find the words.

At the same time, your child may very well have ADHD. But I wouldn't go in with that attitude or that approach. You know your child best, and I would consider having her "psychologically evaluated." All this means is that a psychologist will conduct a battery of tests - including an intelligence test.

What if you daughter's IQ was off the charts?

Again - there's no guarantee of that, but there could be so much more going on.

ADHD and "gifted and talented" kids share a lot of the same qualities. The main difference is the support they receive, the approach taken with them -- and of course whether or not they meet the criteria as gifted.

I'll stop here. I'd be happy to share more information with you. I would never suggest going in to tell someone you think your child has ADHD - it can change quickly "bias" their unbiased perspective.

Good luck,

Rory

Rory F. Stern, PsyD
ADHD Coach & "Former" Therapist
http://www.ADHDSuccessAudio.com

*sigh*
there's really a very thin line between just being a kid and having ADHD these days.
my boys have been diagnosed with ADHD. but when i look at them, i sincerely think they're just being what they naturally are --happy, overwhelmed and overwhelming kids!

this is exactly the reason why i keep the psychologist's assessment at the back of my mind, but not necessarily follow all her recommendations --which includes medication. i know my kids are a handful, but i'm sure it's a challenge for the parent, not for the child. so why do i have to adjust them to suit me?

ask your child's school how she is there. if she's doing good then there's really nothing to worry about. it's just a matter of disciplining (i know, easier said than done). if her teachers tell you that your daughter is having a problem focusing in class and disrupting school sessions, you may have to check with a child psychologist. professionals are the only ones who can tell if your daughter has ADHD.

but like you said, she's extremely bright. maybe she's just being a child and all you have to do is remind her who's boss. :)

My 6 year old was just recently diagnosed with ADHD. I didn't want to admit it at first. My daughter is also extremely bright. The more I learned about it, the more I started to agree. My daughter has almost no attention span. In class and at home, she has to be reminded constantly to stay on task, and follow directions. She is very impulsive, and does things without even stopping to think about it-chewing on things, stealing, lying. She is very talkative (which I like), but she doesn't stop talking when people become disinterested. It also prevents her from getting good grades, although when tested she scored above grade level on most areas. My suggestion is to have her tested by a doctor, and good luck.

Go see her pediatrician and tell them what you just told us. Suggest a placebo test. That is how my son was diagnosed. A placebo test is 3 weeks. The first week she will take a med, the second week another and the third week another med. One pill will be a sugar pill, one pill will be ritalin in one dose and the last pill will be ritalin in another dose. Keep track of her behavior, and have the school keep track as well. The doctor will be the only one who will know what med she is taking during which week.

Talk to your pediatrician. I worked at a pediatricians office and we had forms called CONNORS forms that both parents fill out and you take one to school to have the childs teacher fill out. You then bring it back to the dr and they "score" it and can tell you where your child rates. Your dr will also take into consideration how you say your child acts and behaves.

Try removing all sugary things from her diet, as well as junk foods such as cookies, candy, soda pop, Koolaid, juice drinks (not 100% juice) cakes, donuts, crackers, more than one or two slices of bread, etc. See if this makes a difference. If you see a rise in symptoms, wait a few days to see if it subsides. Sugary things can cause difficulties, so this could contribute to her activity, and other things that seem excessive. See what you come up with.

You have her assessed by a paediatrician, psychologist and behavioral psychologist. To be properly diagnosed there needs to be hours of behaviour observing