The Initial Symptoms to Look Out For

Ask for Assistance
Recall that talking about the diagnosis and symptoms does not automatically make you an authority on them. Rather, this is just meant to provide you the chance to find them as soon as possible, after which you can seek expert guidance and assistance.

It seems obvious that you have to be aware that there is a problem in the first place before you think about attempting to acquire a diagnosis. The challenge here is that many parents think their child is merely acting awkwardly, or they think something in their surroundings is causing them to act that way.

Another way to look at it could be that the child is only going through a "phase" that they will soon outgrow. Nevertheless, it frequently turns out that they do have ADHD, and the earlier it is recognised, the sooner the child can receive the appropriate care that will enable them to successfully reclaim control over their senses and their life.

Ways of Diagnosis

A diagnosis for ADHD will be made by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional, who will make a clinical decision following a comprehensive clinical evaluation, which can include, but is not limited to:

➔ Physical examination

➔ Clinical interviews

➔ Parent/teacher/self-reports, by use of validated rating scales - such as SNAP Questionnaire

➔ Objective ADHD assessments such as QbTest/QbCheck

Example 

Based on the information gathered during the evaluation, a diagnosis is made when the child or adult's ADHD symptoms meet the criteria as set out in a medical classification system such as the DSM-5. So, what are the key symptoms to look out for when you are dealing with ADHD? 

To answer this question, we refer to the DSM guidelines - although it is important to point out that the symptoms described in the official diagnosis are primarily aimed at younger children and not those who are now in adolescence. 

According to the DSM - and we accept that this is the American definition, although it has been agreed globally - a child can be diagnosed as having ADHD if they display six or more symptoms of hyperactivity, being impulsive and inattention, for at least six months before their assessment. In addition, these symptoms must have appeared before the age of seven, although other experts more recently have actually pushed that age back to 12.

Symptoms

The important thing to remember is that the symptoms had to be evident before the child could start developing into a teenager. This same logic and method apply to adults who are later diagnosed with ADHD. Additionally, these symptoms must be present in many settings; for most children, this means both at home and at school.

Therefore, it is imperative that there be a channel of communication between the parent and the instructor to ensure that both parties are aware of any potential problems that need to be handled. But we have to emphasise one extremely crucial element. 

There is no set or single test that has been designed that can help with the diagnosis of ADHD. It has to be done as an accumulation of symptoms and patterns of behavior over a minimum of six months, so there is no intelligence test, blood test, or anything else that can be done to reach this particular conclusion.