There is no one method for attention deficit disorder diagnosis, and as a result, people with ADD are often missed by the system. I know. I was one. You see, as a child I suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The problem was that I didn't have enough of the warning signs. I was getting good grades in my classes, and even though I had some behavioral problems, they were minor ones. I was smart, and good enough in class to get by in school without attention deficit disorder medication. As a result, I never had my attention deficit disorder diagnosed by a family physician.
Strangely enough, it was one of my friends who gave me the attention deficit disorder diagnosis. He had had childhood ADHD for many years, and he recognized the symptoms in me. The hyperactivity, the quick but disorganized thinking, and the inability to pay attention were all clear signs. I went to the doctor and took an attention deficit disorder test. Sure enough, my friend had been right! Strangely enough, it was a 13-year-old who diagnosed me for ADD when my own family physician had missed it!
In my case, it wasn't a big deal. As I said, I did fine in school even before my attention deficit disorder was diagnosed. For other children, however, not getting a timely attention deficit disorder diagnosis can be a big big problem. Sometimes, the parents fear serious behavioral our psychological problems. Other times, the kids are just labeled no good troublemakers and develop low self-esteem as a result. This condition can be treated, but only if it is noticed. If it isn't, these kids can grow thinking that they are just bad kids unable to get their school work done. This can have huge consequences, as you might imagine.
Once an attention deficit disorder diagnosis is made, the patient can go on to treatment. A lot of doctors prefer to just simply start patients on attention deficit disorder medication, figuring that it solves the problem. It doesn't. Don't get me wrong – Ritalin really helped me a lot, but what I really needed that I was never given was a class in how to organize my life. ADD is more than just a chemical imbalance. Pills do help, but so does therapy and counseling. There are study strategies that children can learn, as well as biofeedback methods to help control the ADD.
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