Re: Are doctors more informed about ADHD now?

[Ivriniel]

In regards to talking to your Doctor, talk to your child’s teacher first. See if you can get her/him to write a letter that you can show to the Doctor, describing what not only the classroom teacher sees in your child, but also any other teachers who have regular contact with her, gym teacher/music teacher/special ed/ reading recovery, etc.

Schools are sometimes hesitant to write this type of letter, because of fears that they might be left on the hook to pay for any treatment. If your teacher or their principal is concerned about this, get them to write the letter addressed to you. That way you have something else to show the Doctor.

Here’s a letter of this type that I wrote a number of years back for a parent, just to give you an idea:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. X,

As you requested at our meeting on (date), here is a summary of the behaviours that have been observed in your son, ***.

*** is a friendly, happy boy who is constantly in motion. In the classroom I find he frequently has difficulty remembering to raise his hand before speaking and will often blurt things out in class. During seat work, *** often has difficulty remaining focused, and is frequently out of his chair. He has been observed on many occasions chewing on things such as pencils and his clothing. On the playground, *** has difficulty controlling his impulses and frequently has difficulties with the other children as a result.

Mrs. AAA , ***’s Reading Recovery Teacher reports that during their daily one on one reading lessons *** has difficulty sitting still. He has trouble focussing on the book being read, and is often looking around the room. *** regularly loses his place in the middle of sentence. When *** does writing with Mrs. Reynolds he will frequently forget what he was going to write even after he has rehearsed it several times orally.

Miss BBB, ***’s Physical Education Teacher indicates that *** struggles to listen and follow instructions during class. She finds that he makes impulsive choices that put his own safety or the safety of others at risk.

In a variety of settings throughout the day, *** exhibits impulsivity, difficulty concentrating and poor attention span. These behaviours are having a negative impact on *** in academic and social settings. I hope that together we can find solutions to help *** have a happy and successful school career.

Sincerely,

Me

In regards to what sort of referral you want, I’ve been told to recommend to parents that they ask to see a Developmental Pediatrician.

In my experience a lot of GP’s don’t see enough of kids to really know when a kid’s behaviour or development is not quite where it should be for their age.

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