Auditory Processing Disorder

Over the past month or so I worked with a few elementary school kids who exhibited symptoms of ADHD.  Two of these kids, in particular, were only six years old.  While they have completely different profiles, both were referred for evaluation due to concerns with their attention, activity level, and academic progress.  Their parents and teachers were concerned they had ADHD. When I work with kids this young, I am always reminded of an important question: What is an appropriate age to diagnose ADHD? Before considering the answer, let’s examine what ADHD is. ADHD Defined According to the Diagnostic and [...]

  Today’s post comes courtesy of a student I recently evaluated.  As a current 7th grader, she was referred to me because she was having trouble paying attention in class and keeping up with her teachers’ lectures.  She was originally diagnosed with ADHD by her family physician in 4th grade and put on various medications to help control it, but her mother wanted a more comprehensive evaluation to determine if something else was going on. This particular student, like many, was given a diagnosis of ADHD with a very brief assessment of her symptoms.  Since there is no single definitive [...]