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What to Expect During an ADHD Evaluation
The time it takes to diagnose a child with ADHD can be longer than parents expect. Two things often stretch the time:
Rule-outs
The first step of diagnosis may be to rule out other medical disorders that have symptoms similar to ADHD. The doctor may want to be sure that your child doesn't have something that looks like ADHD, but isn't.
Companion Disorders
ADHD may not occur alone. In a clinical study, as many as 3 out of 4 children with ADHD, age 4 to 9 years, had experienced at least one other psychiatric disorder.
Some of these other disorders are more disruptive than ADHD, like Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
Some disorders are more subtle, like learning disabilities. It can take time for the professionals to sort them out.
Even for a professional, it is not always easy to tell if a child's difficulty in school is from “not focusing” or from “defiance.” If a child receives poor grades in reading, is it because of ADHD or because of dyslexia? If a teacher thinks your child is disruptive in the classroom, is it ADHD or is it something else, like conduct disorder?
“Traveling Companions” That May Come Along With ADHD
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Conduct Disorder
- Mood Disorder
- Anxiety Disorder
- Learning Disorder
- Communication Disorder
Parents sometimes find this slow and careful decision-making frustrating.
The following two thoughts may help you stay calm through a complicated ADHD evaluation process.
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Recognize the difference between science as fact and science as method. Think of diagnosis not as selecting the right fact, but applying the right method. Doctors don't automatically know. They evaluate. A true scientist admits to not having all the answers. Nevertheless, doctors know better than anyone else what the possible answers are. They also have tools and techniques for arriving at the answers. You can find more information about the facts of ADHD in the ADHD on Trial section of this Web site. Be sure to read the Frequently Asked Questions for even more information.
- Don't blame delays in diagnosis entirely on the difference between psychological disorder and physical disease. It can be easier, of course, to diagnose a health disorder when you can do a blood test or an x-ray. Yet two medical doctors may interpret an x-ray in different ways. A blood test score can be borderline, or not explain the symptoms well. Even with blood tests and x-rays, diagnoses are not always obvious.
If this is your first time working with a health care professional on evaluations, you may want to talk to some friends or family members with health disorders. Ask them how quickly their diagnoses were made. You're likely to hear a long story!
It may take patience to get through the evaluation period. Remind yourself that this process may be what's best for your child.
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