How could my well behaved 9yr old daughter be diagnosed with ADHD twice?

My daughter has always had trouble making good grades in school. However no teacher had ever mentioned the possibilty of ADHD to me. A week in a half after starting third grade her teacher pulled me aside and told me she thought my daughter had ADHD and I should take her to a pediatrician, for medication. I was stunned. I have had her test twice and both times they say she has ADHD and I have been pressured to medicate her. None of my family or friends can believe this diagnoses. She is well behaved, kind, and considerate. She does have trouble focusing on school work, and doesn't like to read or do math. I think she has signs of dyslexia, but I am told by many professionals that dyslexia is not a diagnosis anymore, and the reason she reverses numbers and letters is a memory problem. Are we all in denial over this diagnosis, or has my daughter been slipped though the educational cracks?

Ohmygosh, that is ridiculous!!

Dyslexia is a VERY common thing, I myself have it, and I certainly don't have ADHD!

DO NOT MEDICATE THAT CHILD. Just because she's having trouble focusing, doesn't mean she should be put on such altering drugs! The stuff they use for ADHD is usually for behavioral problems. If your kid is having trouble focusing in school, and is as well behaved and polite as you say, then the TEACHERS need to find a better way to TEACH.

Just because they don't know how to handle the girl, doesn't mean she should doped up and medicated.

She's NINE, for heavens sake! She doesn't need to be on medication.

I suggest talking to her and trying to find a way to make reading and math something she's interested in. Work on helping her focus, the Sylvan Learning Center (i don't know if you have it where you are) SPECIALIZES in this sort of thing, look up a place like them in your area and try and get your daughter enrolled.

Try to fix the problem she's having with decent teachers and extra tutoring, before even THINKING about medication! For all you know, the Meds could make her worse! They certainly did a number on my brother, and he's never been the same!

Yes I would deffinately say you're all in denial. Having ADHD doesn't mean being totally out of control brat. It means having focusing problems, it means having problems with completing tasks. It means a child has problems with functioning "normally". Obviously with two diagnosises she does have this disorder and it should be addressed, otherwise you all are doing her a grave dis-service and are holding her back from becoming the best she can be.

as a teacher, dyslexia IS a diagnosis. and it is very real.

is she well behaved, kind and considerate at SCHOOL?

kids act crazy, act out, cause trouble, and run around the room when they don't understand. Kids who understand sit quietly and do the assignment. so dyslexia can mask as ADHD. so can a number of other things.

answer back, please.

I'm wondering what type of testing she had.
To make a true and accurate diagnosis, she would need to have a brain scan, hormonal and nutritional analysis, psychological testing (by a professional not just a teacher), etc.
Read the book by Dr. Frank Lawlis on ADHD - he goes through all of this.

Congratulations, you have a normal child.

Unfortunately, we live in an evil world full of a$$holes who only want to sell you prescription drugs and give your children inferiority complexes. If they had their way, they would diagnose every kid in the world with ADHD. These people should be shot.

Just becuase someone has ADHD it does not mean that they can't be kind, considerate and well behaved. You said she has problems focusing, you do not need to have all the symptoms of ADHD to have ADHD. Not being able to focus is one of the symptoms.

ADHD is bull**** kids should not be on those drugs. Find someone else like a tutor or child development counselor. Lots of kids have trouble focusing they are pushing way too much at them at early ages

We all think of ADHD as the kids who are disruptive and active all the time. But there is also a type of ADD (a bit more accurate name since it takes the hyperactivity out of the equation) where while the child may seem to be sitting there quietly, absorbing the information given them by parent or teacher, inside they are daydreaming or their minds are racing a hundred miles a minute about everything and they just can't focus. This is a far more common manifestation in girls than in boys.

It seems to me that what you really need is to do your research and educate yourself on both learning disorders and ADD/ADHD. Start with your doctors and the guidance counselor at school. Ask them for resources so you can make the best decisions for your daughter. Yes, search on the internet but be aware that there is a lot of false information so you'll need to back up every statement you read. It's a lot of work but the reality is that you are your daughter's only advocate. You have to know what you're talking about before you make a decision.

Is she in a large enough school to be transferred to another teacher? The reason I ask is math and reading are very hard subjects to teach and if the teacher isn't very good at it that could be why she doesn't like math & reading. I've dealt with a bad teacher before, my son's grades dropped dramatically after a recent move but now that his teacher is out on materinty leave his grades have returned to normal. If she doesn't have any behavior problems I'd not think she has ADHD; just because she doesn't like math & reading isn't a reason to medicate her. It seems as if you have gotten a second opinion already, I'd go for the third. (and make sure the doctors aren't in the same practice or medical group) No child who behaves well needs to be put on that kind of meds. The side effects would far outweigh the benefits. I would also be furious with a teacher to who made such a suggestion after only a week and a half - that isn't enough time to know any child. Go with your gut feelings and don't give in to the pressure to medicate until you feel it is right for your child.

I have a daughter with ADHD. It is usually something that would be as easily diagnosed with time at home and school. It isn't something that could be shut off. The H stands for hyperactivity, it is something that would affect her home time as well. Many people are very uneducated on the actual symptoms and if you search them, they aren't all a matter of not being able to focus on doing work etc. It affects you socially, how you can handle situations, your peers, so many things. Just losing focus as school alone is not a proper diagnosis to me. Having a child with ADHD can leave you so drained and honestly just hurting for them, looking at them and thinking it must just be awful to be feeling how they are feeling, nevermind what I'm feeling on the other end of it.

I really feel that sometimes as parents we have to follow our instincts. Get everything that you are wondering about, research it on the internet, go to the doctors and explore every possibility. A wrong diagnosis could mean many years of which she has lost out getting the proper help for what it is that is wrong with her. I can't see everyone around her not seeing it if she had ADHD....I live it, and so does everyone around me.

Best of luck to the both of you!

Sorry to tell them your daughter does not have ADHD she may have ADD b/c of the focus but I have a son with ADHD and he is very hyper. ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Trust me you would know if your child had ADHD I have been dealing with it for 3yrs. You should get her an IEP ( Individual Education Plan). for the next school yr then they have no choice but to get there butts in gear and get her the help in school that she needs. Good luck feel free to email me if you have any other questions

People are different and have different needs from their environments. I'm always stunned when people assuming that there's something wrong with their children rather than the school system. There is an *epidemic* of supposed learning disorders in our country. Don't you think that's telling? The school system is screws up beyond belief. Some kids do well in spite of it, they're just especially resilient. The rest are normal, but have to suffer under debilitating labels, because everyone assumes that the school system is an objectively appropriate way to approach education. Read Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto and anything by John Holt. Your instinct that your daughter is fine is more than likely right on the mark.

My daughter (11) is totally dyslexic and has been diagnosed with ADHD which used to be ADD - she is by no means hyper she has problems concentrating period! Her Math and Reading suffered and she had a teacher which was totally against medicating her UNTIL she saw what it did. My daughter even realizes she can study better and understand much better!! She does take Strattera which is not a narcotic and we give her weekends off - the only thing we can tell is she will talk your ear off on weekends and eat a lot more!
Please check into this and have her tested for dyslexia (the school will HAVE to make modifications for her) we are in TX and most states have to help her but only with a diagnosis. Almost 40% of dyslexic kids are also ADHD kids.

she may have slipped thru the cracks , she may also rally have adhd. hard for me to tell but you should explore all the possibilities first. is she distracted because she is bored, is there a new interest around? will she sit and read , do math to show someone younger then her how (playing teacher, babysitter) ? is her disinterest because she is having problems seeing? hearing? i guess what i am asking is can she actually do the work out of the classroom setting -proving that she can do it but wont or can she really not do it. if she wants to bake a cake can she read the instructions ? my son was "diagnosed " with the same because he - as we found out , wasnt interested in it . same grade as your daughter but , give him a model car with instructions and he could read that perfectly because it was something that interested him. same for math. if he had to do math problems he wouldnt , but tell him he could have a dollar , and if he wanted a candy bar how much he would need, how much he could buy and how much he would get back . he would do the math ! being kind , considerate, and well behaved is great but those qualities dont seem to matter in school. find her interest - clothes shopping ? have her compare prices , grocery shopping have her help write a list and check the stuff off as you fill the cart. ect. with the summer comming see if any of your friends would "hire her" to read to a younger child where she could learn to add up her earnings too and feel useful, grown up and maybe not as pressured as she may be feeling in school. because i didnt want the hassles of fighting the school systems i eventually "gave in" and went to their dr , where he did prescribe meds., let the school think i agreed, and got them off my back and to stop pressuring him and then threw the meds away all the time. altho i did give him a vitiamin every morning so that he could honestly say in case they asked "i take my pill every morning" - that was over 10 yrs ago and med free , he graduated h.s. in the top 3 % of his class.