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Not All Kids With Attention Problems Have ADD/ADHD

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Not all kids with attention problems have ADHD. We test kids of all ages because parents are concerned about their child’s lack of attention or high activity level. ADHD occurs from mild to severe and it can be diagnosed in children as young as five.  The most common age range for testing is 6 to 16.

Problems that Look Like ADHD

ADHD has imposters. Testing provides answers so you have understanding to know if your child’s attention difficulty is due to behavior or a weak processing system. Attention is highly related to memory, processing speed, and language processing.  Your child’s attention struggle could be a weak memory system. Think about yourself.  If you place your car keys in a different spot each time you return home, you frequently might be searching for them.  That’s a memory weakness and not an ADD moment.  Thus, if your child has difficulty remembering verbal directions you might think he is not paying attention when the root cause is not remembering what you said.

Other kids have slower cognitive processing speed so they hear but it takes extra time to register and process.  In our fast-paced society people have limited patience for dawdling so kids that process slower are frequently being told to hurry up.  Some kids have underlying language processing weakness so they hear your verbal directions but, despite their best effort, the words don’t always make sense.  These weaknesses can mimic attention problems.

Solutions

We can match the correct support when we test and identify your child’s root problem. If your child’s memory is weak you can strengthen it through activities or strategies. If attention is the cause then you can consider nutrition, supplements, or discussing medications with your medical doctor. If it’s language processing then it could be helpful to work with a speech therapist.

We help parents help children and offer ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, learning disability, anxiety, and IQ testing.  Call to discuss your child (561) 625 4125.

Is his Focusing Problem ADD or a Processing Problem?

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I worked with a 10th grade adolescent because his parents were concerned that his grades were dropping and his attitude to school was poor. He was telling his parents that he had trouble paying attention in class, keeping is mind on the content, and difficulty concentrating when doing his homework. His parents came to me to try and determine if their son had ADD or if he was just being lazy. They wanted information to help them understand if they just needed to push their son harder or if they needed to cut him some slack if he really had ADD. My evaluation helped answer their questions.

First I met with the parents, listened to their concerns, discussed background information, and determined the main questions they wanted answered.  This process gave me insight into their son’s history and helped me understand how to tailor the evaluation to specifically address their concerns.  (Some psychologists use the same tests on every kid no matter what the parents’ concerns are because they get comfortable using certain tests or because they are not very astute. Not every evaluation should be the same tests.)

Their son came in for two, two hour appointments where we went through the testing process. Some tests involved talking whereas others were looking at pictures, completing tasks, and interacting with me or a computer.  During this time I got to know the teen and we discussed fishing, his enjoyment for riding ATVs, and his perceptions about school.  It appeared that we had a solid rapport so I believe the testing was accurate.  As I scored the tests it turned out that his student had some very significant processing problems that were contributing to his feelings of being overwhemled and discouraged about school.  He believed that even though he was trying to be successful in school that his effort did not result in good grades.  Thus, he was quickly becoming unmotivated.  As it turned out, this teen was not at all lazy.

When I met with the parents to review the results the information I shared with them in the written report provided insight and steps for helping their son.  Hearing about their son’s strengths and about his processing problems helped them understand him even better.  They left knowing that they needed to give him greater understanding.  They also needed to help him create a system for success that would work to his strengths.  I provided the parents with some folks that could come along side them and teach the teen how create his system.

Do you have questions about your child?  Use the form above to contact me or call for an appointment.