ADD for a straight A 10th grader?

[mom2and]

As others have stated, the diagnosis of ADD, especially the inattentive kind, is more art than science. There are no blood tests, brain scans, or other diagnostic techniques that can tell with great certainty whether the level of distraction a person feels is enough to be considered ADD. There is both over- and under-diagnosis out there. The questionnaires can certainly be "gamed" in the sense that it is fairly obvious which is the "ADD" answer.

The key, as someone posted above, is that the distraction must be signficant enough to interfere with function. The DSM criteria state:
An ADD diagnosis is contingent upon the symptoms of impairment presenting themselves in two or more settings (e.g., at school or work and at home). There must also be clear evidence of clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning.

That is, the child does not just feel distracted during an activity, he or she can actually not accomplish the goal. With the exception of an extraordinarily gifted student, having staight As into HS suggests the student does NOT have ADD. Unless, of course, the student is heavily tutored or the parent is doing the work or covering for them. Even the most gifted kid with ADD will likely not be getting straight As as they might ace every test, but forget the homework or neglect a long-term project.

A friend just had her daughter evaluated because the daughter was complaining of distraction and that some of her friends were on the ADD drugs. The child did not have ADD.

Lack of sleep or stress can also make a kid feel distracted. Also, she may simply have to work harder now at music and school and it may feel more tedious, thus more distraction. She or you may have unrealistic expectations that she can focus continuously for hours on end (not saying this is the case, just something to consider), when she needs regular breaks to maintain focus.

Based solely on what you have posted, it seems highly unlikely she has ADD Inattentive. I would certainly look at sleep, stress and other issues as well.

Most reputable doctors will require evidence of impairment at school, either through teacher responses or through evidence in work (comments that the child is not doing work, comments that he or she is not living up to his or her potential, bad grades). Parental responses should not be enough to get a diagnosis.

Good luck. I hope your daughter is very succesful and finds the answers she seeks.

[OhioMom3000]

Being distracted even when the subject is interesting or fun is classic ADD. Also with ADD can come anxiety, perfectionism and procrastination. Definitely have her evaluated by a good Psychiatrist/Psychologist in the field.

You may be able to get a good reference from your local school Psychologists, even at the local elementary schools. They get a good idea of which professionals are effective as they see the results in their students.

[Shrinkrap]

Apologies to the OP, if this is distracting from what you want to know.

I love this project. A lot of stuff here, but perhaps primarily aimed at "professionals".

"Troubled Children: Diagnosing, Treating, and Attending to Context"
About the Project ? Hastings Center Report on Pediatric Psychiatry

"To better understand the controversies surrounding the diagnosis of mental disorders in children and recent increases in the use of medications to treat these disorders, The Hastings Center, with a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, conducted a series of five workshops over the course of three years that brought together clinicians, researchers, scholars, and advocates from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds with widely diverse views."


Facts, values, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): an update on the controversies
CAPMH | Full text | Facts, values, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): an update on the controversies

[shawbridge]

OP, I have two very bright kids with LDs. ShawSon is blazingly bright and has a series of LDs, probably including ADHD. He's been tested out the wazoo starting in 2nd grade, gets very helpful accommodations, graduated near the top of his HS class and has a near perfect record (a few A-s) at an elite LAC.

ShawD was diagnosed with ADHD in 10th grade. She also has a high IQ but is not intellectual in orientation -- much more concrete. We had her tested twice because she seemed to have a hard time focusing but the psychologist never identified ADHD. She had some severe medical issues when she was younger that distracted us from worrying about her lack of focus. Anyway, she got into a prestigious private HS, where the school psychologist at the end of the first year sent us to get testing with a psychologist that he thought was more thorough than the one we'd used. He felt the original psychologist missed some test that he needed. The new psychologist did those tests and from that point on, ShawD got extra time on tests and on the ACT/SATs. She started taking Ritalin and on the first day, she watched half a film on epigenetics without Ritalin and half Ritalin. She said, "This is amazing. I got so much more from the film when I had the Ritalin. I want this every day." She had taken PSATs with and without extra time/Ritalin. There was a large jump in her scores. Interestingly, she was relieved when she got the diagnosis as it explained to her why she had such uneven test results, etc.

Anyway, she is not as high an achiever as your D seems to be, but there were no negative ramifications of getting diagnosed.

[compmom]

Just want to clarify that I did not intend to suggest that the parent use the questionnaire for diagnosis. Only that it could give him/her some idea of the kinds of behaviors and problems that he/she might look for in the course of deciding whether or not there is sufficient reason to pursue this.

[colorado_mom]

compmom - I thought the questionnaire reference was a good idea.

[helpsilteplait]

Thanks to all again.

We are doing research on ADDs on gifted children. Will certain research more. Thanks for the links you all suggested!!

Also, regarding to comments that she might not have ADD, that's been a thought for the past many years. As parents, I do think we've put a lot more work on her than a lot other parents did. She didn't get much outside tutoring in academics, but that's because her parents can pretty much help her on most of her school subjects, esp. the difficult ones. She does have private music teachers. All her teachers say she is very smart AND extremely easy to get distracted. Her piano teacher was so frustrated that she almost "fired" her, but didn't, because she is a lovely sweet girl and talented in music. She has strong desire to play the instruments, but every time the practice needed a lot of nagging from the parents. When we suggested that she might consider stop the lessons, she objected vehemently.

H. and I have suspected the ADD problem with DD for a long time. We never pursued anything because (1) She didn't admit. Whenever she talked about ADD, she was always in denial, until a couple weeks ago; (2) We HATE to think putting our DD into ADD treatment/pills is a way to ease our parenting duty.

Finally when she asked for help, we decided we should do something.

I greatly appreciate all your inputs. They're very helpful. We will pick up the packet and take a look. Anyway, going through this process will help her understand herself better, and us understand our dear daughter better.

[colorado_mom]

This book is aimed at boys... but families of girls with adhd (and/or executive function disorganization issues) can relate too -
That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week: Helping Disorganized and Distracted Boys Succeed in School and Life: Ana Homayoun: 9780399535598: Amazon.com: Books

[compmom]

"Anyway, going through this process will help her understand herself better, and us understand our dear daughter better."

You sound like a great and caring parent. Good luck!

[Seahorsesrock]

Having to nag a kid to practice an instrument? If that's a sign of add um.....

[OhioMom3000]

^This is the red flag:

"She can’t concentrate on school work, and SHE CAN’T EVEN CONCENTRATE ON THE FUN THINGS SHE IS DOING, LIKE COSPLAY."

She is having trouble conscentrating and being evaluated will certainly not hurt, but could be helpful.

[spectrum2]

helpsilteplait: Your situation is similar to the thread I started a couple of years ago. I thought you might find it helpful: What would you do if your highschooler told you he thinks he has ADD

[Seahorsesrock]

Off kids with add or ADHD cam get drugs, should other gets get same drugs to help them study and concentrate? Why not? If it's all a spectrum thing, then we should all be able to take adderal or something to help is do better on tests, get focus, etc.

Should only those with a "diagnosis" get a prescription?

And it's amazing how most of the kids are all really smart and gifted...maybe being gifted is an issue...

[YoHoYoHo]

Colorado_mom, thanks for the book recommendation. I'm going to check it out. Is 16 years old too late to start with these recommendations?

[OhioMom3000]

Seahorse, you sound like you are skeptical that ADD/ADHD is a real issue, especially for gifted kids, not sure if my perception is accurate or not. I once heard an intelligent woman, who did not have ADD say when speaking about ADD, "Well when I..." as if to say, "If it doesn't happen to me, it doesn't exist." I don't understand this reasoning. I'm sure she would not say that about cancer for instance, not to equate the two, but just because she does not experience something does not mean it does not exist. I was baffled by that point of view from an otherwise intelligent woman. Regarding your point about what if those without ADD took the drugs I have heard from a professional that the drugs are not effective in helping to focus if the person does not have ADD and can actually have the opposite effect. Not sure if that correct though.