Talk to Your Doctor
Make an appointment with your pediatrician/family doctor. If you do not currently have a doctor, be aware of what qualities you want in a physician to diagnose and treat ADHD. See Finding an ADD/ADHD Practitioner. Be armed with your checklist and notes from the school meeting. Thoroughly explain the reasons you feel your child has ADHD.
Your doctor should do a thorough physical exam, testing specifically for thyroid conditions, allergy problems and rule out all physical causes. Some physical problems can cause hyperactivity and/or inattention, mimicing symptoms of ADHD. A thorough exam and a correct diagnosis is important in receiving the proper treatment.
Ask for a referral to a child psychologist that specializes in ADHD. Talk with the psychologist by phone and ask about their experience with ADHD. The meeting with the psychologist should be to rule out any emotional problems and to set up a course of action.
Learn About Treatment Options
Educate yourself (if you have not already started) on all of the treatment options available. Your doctor and the psychologist might recommend medication. Consider a trial period to see if it will help. There are many different medications available today and children react to each one differently, so it may take awhile to find the appropriate medication and dosage.
Observe your child on and off the medicine and ask him to read a story about an hour after he has taken it. Then ask questions about the story, determine if you notice any difference in reading retention. Ask your child to complete 2-3 tasks and see if he is more able to remember all the tasks.
Be Proactive
Medication alone, however, does not make a successful ADHD child. Create an ADHD Friendly House. Take a proactive approach. Think of everything that could possibly go wrong and make up rules to combat them. Expect the worse and determine your response to that action. For example: how are you going to react if your child is caught stealing? This approach is used so that you will be calm during all situations and provide support rather than negativity during a crisis. Write down all rules, rewards for following them and consequences for not. Make sure that this is done when the house is quiet, the kids are asleep and you can think rationally.
